About White Memorial

Caring for the Uninsured

According to the U.S. Census Bureau more than 46 million Americans, or about 16 percent of the population, lack health insurance. Locally, the picture is far worse. About 40 percent of adults (19-64) and almost 20 percent of children (0-18) in our community are uninsured. This is a serious social problem that we cannot solve on our own. However, to address this critical need locally, we follow the American Hospital Association (AHA) voluntary guidelines for financial assistance.¹

When patients seek emergency care at WMMC, we provide critically needed care before we assess their insurance and financial status. After patients have been stabilized, our financial counselors work with them to secure insurance, when possible, and to identify resources for additional social services. If it is determined that a patient is able to pay his or her bill but is not willing to do so, WMMC tries to collect payment, following AHA guidelines.

Some individuals are not eligible for any insurance program. In this case, our financial counselors offer alternatives, including discounts for cash payments, payment plans, a sliding scale of fees and the opportunity to apply for charity care. Patients with incomes up to 300 percent of the poverty level may qualify for charity care at WMMC. If they meet the requirements for charity care, the hospital forgives the bill. In 2006 alone, we provided more than $39 million of charity care to more than 19,000 uninsured patients.

Of course, we realize this is a short-term, unsustainable solution. It is important to remember that “Hospitals are the providers of health care, not the financiers.”2 We recognize that fixing the problem of the uninsured will require the shared responsibility of the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. In the meantime, we take our mission to serve seriously, and we are working hard to do our part.

¹ California Hospital Association (2005). Assisting Low-income Uninsured Patients: A Survey of California Hospitals.