If you - or someone you know - have been overcharged by a hospital, our services are available to assist at no cost!
We do not charge you for our assistance. The following are real examples of people we helped:
| Nicole M. | | Hospital Billed: $7,111.00 | | Hospital Settled: $350.00 | | Victim Saved: $6,761.00! | | Richard F. | | Hospital Billed: $60,000.00 | | Hospital Settled: $17,000.00 | | Victim Saved: $43,000.00! |
"I KNOW I could not have done it without the information you provided for me.. That information gave me significant bargaining power. .. Please keep up the good work." -Patricia D.
"Wow, You guys freakin' rock. It would have been nice to find this website 1 year and about $65,000 ago... Thanks for your time and keep up the good work." - Jim T.
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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
about Health Care and the Uninsured
click to download in PDF format
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Q. Are hospitals really charging people interest on their hospital bills? |
Yes, according to a recent article in Business Week, “… (Hospitals) are transferring patient accounts wholesale to finance experts, banks, credit-card companies, and even private equity firms. Many of these third parties use credit scores and risk-analysis software to price the debt and impose interest rates as high as 27% on past-due bills. In a lucrative new form of fiscal alchemy, a growing number of hospitals, working with a range of financial companies, are squeezing revenue from patients with little or no health insurance.”
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/nov2007/
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Q. Are the uninsured billed a higher charge than those that are covered by insurance or Medicare? |
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Yes, in a new study published in Health Affairs, Dr. Gerard Anderson of Bloomberg School of Medicine asserts, “the rates charged to many uninsured and other "self-pay" patients for hospital services were often 2.5 times what most health insurers actually paid and more than three times the hospital’s Medicare-allowable costs.” Dr. Anderson goes on to note that, “The gaps between rates charged to self-pay patients and those charged to other payers are much wider than they were in the mid-1980s, and they make it increasingly more difficult for some patients, especially the uninsured, to pay their hospital bills. |
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Q. Why is the cost of health care so out of control? |
The reasons vary, according to Dr. Regina Herzlinger, Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. In her book, Who Killed Healthcare?, she writes “that the cost of health care in this country is topping $2 trillion, about the size of the economy of China…there are four armies battling to gain control: the health insurers, hospitals, government, and doctors.” The figure ($2 trillion) is echoed in Eugene Stuerle’s brief titled, Is Health Spending Out of Control? He estimates that by 2016 one fifth of the nation’s total gross domestic product will be in health care if this trend continues. Health care is big money and it is a profit maker!
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Q. What is the difference between Universal health coverage and Universal Access to Health coverage? |
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“There's a big difference between universal coverage and actual access to medical care,” as reported by Michael Tanner and Michael Cannon of the Los Angeles Times. The difference is consumer directed health care. Having a guaranteed ability to purchase insurance coverage that is appropriate for the individual is access. Universal health care provided by one primary provider, such as the government, leaves gaps in individual control and outcome. It limits the competition that should drive down prices. |
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Q. How many Americans are really uninsured? |
According to the most recent census report by the United States Government as reported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in 2006 there were over 47 million Americans uninsured. That was an increase of 2.2 million from 2005. With that steady increase of the number of uninsured, it is safe to estimate the number now is reaching well over 48 million. That number has increased from 42 million in 2003, according to the research study by the Institute of Medicine, “Care Without Coverage, Too Little, Too Late”
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Q. What is meant by underinsured, don’t you either have it or you don’t? |
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Many people will take less than adequate insurance, insurance that only protects certain medical issues. If something should occur that is not covered by their premium, or they have not met “out-of-pocket” expenses, then they are underinsured. Another issue is what is called a “rider”, or a “preexisting” condition. This is a protected risk by insurance companies. In a group insurance policy, a preexisting medical condition is defined as a physical or mental condition for which medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended or received within six months prior to the insured's enrollment under the plan. Insurance contracts may not cover these preexisting medical conditions for a period of time after you enroll in the plan. The guidelines for this vary from State to State. |
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Q. Well, why should I care about the uninsured, I have health insurance, it isn’t my problem is it? |
Yes, The Institute of Medicine’s 2003, report titled, “Care Without Coverage, Too Little, Too Late” reveals that there are over 18,000 deaths a year as a result of no health insurance coverage. The financial burden on everyone is in excess of $56 billion annually! Over 50% of all bankruptcies are a direct result of Hospital charges! We all pay the price.
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Q. Why should I support the Fairness Foundation? What can I do about this situation? |
The Fairness Foundation is the only organization currently that helps uninsured people to uncover hidden charity care, financial assistance and educate about hospital pricing. We have saved clients well over a million dollars in assistance in the past year alone who have registered on our Hospital Victims website. Our team of advocates, researchers, and staff work to keep up to date on issues of health care to help the uninsured and to restore balance. We are the Fairness Foundation and we bring balance to the uninsured.
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