Consumer Action’s Health & Wealth Convening resources

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

There are many connections between physical health and financial health, from inadequate health insurance to insufficient protections to prevent the consequences of deep medical debt. Ideas for addressing them abound—and we examined some of them at our online Health and Financial Wealth Convening on Sept. 29 and 30 (click to view recorded panels). During these two 90-minute online sessions, Consumer Action brought together non-profit and industry experts and community representatives to discuss critical topics like "surprise" medical billing, medical debt collection, telemedicine, and innovative solutions for access to health care for underrepresented consumers. The convening was presented by Walmart.

Consumer Action compiled this list of resources on the topics discussed at our Convening.

'Surprise' (balance) billing

• States with “comprehensive” balance-billing protections include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Get more information at the Commonwealth Fund website.
• Healthcare providers who want to be reimbursed for COVID-related charges must explicitly agree not to balance-bill patients, according to HHS. This applies to Medicare and Medicaid as well. Get more information here.

Medical debt

• National Consumer Law Center’s (NCLC) Dealing with Medical Debt offers consumers advice.
• For more practical help in dealing with medical, student loan, mortgage and other debt, NCLC's Surviving Debt is available for free online during the COVID crisis.
• NCLC's Guide to Reducing Hospital Bills provides a nine-step approach for lower-income patients.
• NCLC’s Model Medical Debt Protection Act outlines a framework for reducing burdensome medical debt and protecting patients in their dealings with medical creditors, medical debt buyers, and medical debt collectors with respect to such debt. 

Healthcare coverage

• Eligibility for ACA Health Coverage Following Job Loss examines the potential loss of employer-sponsored insurance due to loss of employment between March 1st, 2020 and May 2nd, 2020, and estimates their eligibility for ACA coverage, including Medicaid and marketplace subsidies, as well as private coverage as a dependent.
• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), in both urban and rural areas, charge based on income for services. This can be a solution for those who aren’t covered through work and can’t afford to buy coverage. Locate a low-cost clinic online.
• The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s (PhRMA) Medicine Assistance Tool (MAT) can match you with the programs that could lower your out-of-pocket prescription costs, whether you have insurance or not.
• For more patient assistance programs (for free or discounted drugs), visit RxHope, RxAssist, NeedyMeds, GoodRx and WellRx.
• Get background on how GoodRx profits from our broken system.
• To find out which telemedicine services are Medicaid-eligible in your state, use the National Telehealth Policy Resource Center’s Current State Laws & Reimbursement Policies online tool.
• View a chart showing all Medicare and Medicaid COVID-19-related telemedicine coverage changes.
• Veterans should visit the VA Telehealth Services webpage for information about accessing care.

Telehealth resources

•  For Telehealth FAQ's visit the MATRC Telehealth Resources for COVID-19
•  For providers and organizations seeking to use Telehealth visit the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers 

Medical data protection

• A recent waiver giving HIPAA business associates greater authority to use and disclose patient data without approval from the HIPAA-covered entity that hired them raises serious concerns about the likelihood for misuse of patient data, according to a new report.

Health and wealth: The connection

• For a comprehensive view of the convening’s issues in brief, see the Summer 2020 issue of Consumer Action News.
• Search for medical costs in your ZIP code and use those figures to negotiate a lower bill at Health Care Blue Book and Fair Health Consumer.