Treatment of a bleeding disorder can be very expensive. Clotting factor concentrates are costly drugs and even people with good health insurance coverage can be impacted by unexpected costs during treatment. It is vital for patients and caregivers to have appropriate health insurance and understand their financial responsibilities.
Understanding how insurance works can be perplexing. Many terms and rules are confusing for the average consumer. It can feel even more complicated and overwhelming when also living with a chronic health condition. However, the Mary M. Gooley Hemophilia Center is here to help patients and their families to understand their coverage and cope with the potentially high costs of care.
In addition, there are several online resources to help make sense of your insurance:
- Visit the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) website for a thorough explanation of the wide range of health plan choices, including Medicaid, Medicare and employer plans, as well as the Health Insurance Marketplace.
- NHF also offers an online Personal Health Insurance Toolkit. This valuable resource provides a wide array of helpful tools, including a useful glossary of insurance terms, a worksheet to help choose the right healthcare plan during open enrollment times and useful advice on how to file insurance appeals.
- NeedyMeds provides information regarding most pharmaceutical programs that may assist patients with acquiring free clotting factor (if uninsured) and provide financial assistance with medical co-pays and deductibles associated with factor costs. If you are interested in exploring one of these programs, please contact the Center social worker who may be able to guide you and expedite the application process.
- Patient Services Incorporated (PSI) is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to provide assistance with health insurance premiums and co-pays for patients with expensive chronic illnesses, including hemophilia and von Willebrand Disease. In addition to financial assistance, PSI also provides counseling to patients and families regarding insurance issues and resources. Visit their website for more information on programs and to initiate an online application.
The Center’s social worker is readily available to provide ongoing support and guidance to help patients understand their healthcare coverage, as well as resources that may help to alleviate medical costs. The social worker is knowledgeable about patient assistance programs and may be able to find resources to help alleviate the financial stress associated with high cost medical care.
To Report a Change in Insurance
In order to better serve you, it is extremely important that our Center always has up-to-date information about each patient’s insurance. To inform us about any insurance changes, please call (585) 922-5700.
Please share the following information:
- Name of subscriber
- Name of Patient if different then subscriber
- Subscriber date of birth
- Subscriber number
- Name of New Insurance
- Please remember to bring a copy of your new insurance card to your next visit
