Options for the uninsured
If your uninsured employees or their families are facing a catastrophic health issue or expensive bills, there are several things they can do:
1) Check government-sponsored health care resources, through the federal, state and county government links, or call the government numbers in the phone book.
2) Directly contact national drug companies and/or local pharmacies, hospitals and physician practices. Ask about "economic hardship," "catastrophic illness" or "special circumstance" adjustments to their costs. For contact information, check the Internet by typing in the name of the drug company, hospital corporate owner (Tenet or Catholic Healthcare West) or national pharmacy retailer; or use the phone book to call local physicians' or hospital billing offices. Local insurance brokers are a good source of information, too.
