Quit Wasting My Healthcare

Universal Coverage Today

Occasionally you will see a healthcare expert try to make the point that universal healthcare coverage exists today.  While the reality is more complicated than the statement, there is truth in the fact that life-saving care is almost always available in today’s US healthcare system.  When a healthcare consumer is faced with a medical emergency, it can be important to understand how the system works.

There are major laws, state by state non-profit tax regulations, and numerous government support programs that make care available to those who find themselves in a difficult financial situation.  The primary law is EMTALA and basically states that a hospital can not turn an emergent patient away before he or she is stabilized.  If you looked at tax regulations in Texas, a not-for-profit healthcare system has to provide at least 4% of its net revenue in some form of charity or financial assistance to keep its non-profit (non-taxable) status.  This just means that all non-profits have programs that provide financial assistance to individuals sometimes all the way up to 500% of the Federal Poverty Level.  Finally, Medicaid and Social Security are there to help people get regular access to care even when they have limited income and assets.

While these programs should not be abused, they are there to support individuals in need and almost everyone who can’t pay for care usually qualifies for some type of assistance.  While the coverage is not automatic, a little bit of legwork can provide someone the “universal coverage” today that so many seek to inject into the US healthcare model of tomorrow.