Ending Medical Debt is Critical to Ending Hunger

By Just Harvest on December 21, 2023 in Get Involved, Take Action!

Medical debt is a problem that can increase hunger in two ways:

1. It leaves less room to pay for other necessities, like food. 11 percent of Pennsylvanians have made this claim.

2. Avoiding care and rationing medication can contribute to declining health, affecting long-term financial stability. More than half of Pennsylvanians reported avoiding a visit to a doctor due to cost, and over a third reported cutting pills in half to save money rather than pay for a refill.

We are partnering with PA Health Access Network on a campaign to address medical debt in Pennsylvania.

Preventing Medical Debt Before Patients Receive Bills

Programs to prevent medical debt already exist. State regulations require all hospitals receiving federal and state taxpayer funds – nonprofit and for-profit – to make their financial assistance policies publicly accessible online and inform patients of free and discounted care. They must also help patients apply for health coverage if uninsured or underinsured. However, less than 1 in 3 hospitals are compliant with those rules. Of the surveyed patients, only 1 in 4 knew about such programs.

We support state legislation that would prevent more medical debt by:

○ Create a single, uniform application for financial assistance
○ Screen more people for eligibility for health coverage
○ Provide information about available financial assistance and coverage in a simplistic format

These simple reforms can prevent medical debt and do not require any taxpayer dollars.

Legislation with such reforms in place have passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives twice. However, the Pennsylvania Senate needs to take action. Can you take a few minutes to send a message to your PA Senator asking them to support legislation to prevent medical debt? The more people in the Senate hear about medical debt, the more likely they will support it.