Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay, 2020 Community Benefit

A Helping Hand When Children Become Young Adults

Most parents want all the best things for their children: the best education, the best opportunities, and when they are ill, the best care. As children grow into young adults, a parent’s ability to support them changes when children become more independent and responsible for their own well-being. But what happens when children age out of eligibility for medical coverage under their parent’s insurance but haven’t found replacement coverage before falling ill?
That’s exactly what happened to Jeremy.
Jeremy arrived at the Emergency Department (ED) at Aurora BayCare Medical Center and was admitted to the hospital due to a severe illness. His mother, who accompanied him to the hospital, was upset because Jeremy had just recently become ineligible for coverage under her insurance plan due to his age, yet he couldn’t afford coverage through his employer.
Seeing mom in tears as she tried to help her son figure out how to pay for Jeremy’s care, our hospital requested the Financial Advocate’s help.
When she arrived at Jeremy’s room, she was able to work with Jeremy to complete a financial assessment. Based on the information Jeremy provided, the counselor was able to approve him for approval through the Aurora Helping Hand Financial Assistance Program, meaning 100% of the care he received in the hospital would be covered at no cost to him.
When mom heard of Jeremy’s approval, she was elated, “From one parent to another, I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve been able to do for my son.”