The Aurora Medical Center-Washington County financial advocate responded to a call from a man who recently received care at the hospital. He told the advocate that he wanted to set up a payment plan for his bill.
“I’m self-employed and I don’t have any insurance,” the man said. “During the last open enrollment, I tried purchasing insurance through the Marketplace, but I couldn’t afford the premiums because my business has a lot of expenses too.”
After hearing his story, the financial advocate asked the man if they could complete a financial assessment together. The man agreed.
The man’s income was over the limit for Medicaid. However, he was approved for a 100% discount through the Advocate Aurora Health Patient Financial Assistance Program.
After sharing the news, the Advocate could hear the man starting to get emotional. “I didn’t know this type of program existed," he said. “I was so worried about paying this bill that I couldn’t focus on anything else.”
A few days after their conversation, the man called the financial advocate one more time. “Ever since I received that approval, I can feel myself getting better and better every day,” he said. "Thank you for taking that stress away from me.”