Grady Memorial Hospital is considering a proposal to increase medical costs to some uninsured patients and acknowledged that it could cut off some people from free care.
According to reports in the [italics] Atlanta Journal-Constitution [end italics], the plan is expected to be discussed Monday by the Grady board of directors, though officials said no final vote is expected.
The newspaper obtained documents from Grady on the new proposal through the state's open records law.
Grady CEO Michael Young said some people receiving free care have been abusing the system, and others have the finances to pay at least part of their bill. He admitted that the hospital has already started screening people's finances more carefully to spot those abusing the system.
"We want to make sure that people who can afford to pay something will pay something," Young said. "If they don't have the means, they don't have to pay."
Grady sent notices to 1,400 people this month telling them that they no longer qualify for the discount they had been receiving.
For instance, Gray claimed some students have been receiving free care by submitting only their county address, when they should be the responsibility of their parents. Other people have hidden the fact that they have insurance.
Young said he believes there are probably thousands of people abusing the Grady system by qualifying for free or discounted care they don't deserve.
Currently, Grady provides discounts for 250,000 people. Many of these people live in Fulton and DeKalb counties, which give Grady a combined total of up to $100 million a year to subsidize healthcare.
The proposed plan has stimulated criticism from patient advocates who say the hospital is "betraying (its) vow" to preserve Grady's mission as a safety net hospital for the poor and needy.
Young said the hospital will not deny care to low-income people in need, but he must try to find ways to bring in more revenue.
Under the plan, Fulton and DeKalb patients who earn between 126 percent and 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines can receive a 60 percent discount on their bill. Patients from other counties with similar finances can receive a 30 percent discount on their bill.
In addition, Fulton and DeKalb residents earning 125 percent or less of the poverty guidelines - or $13,000 for one person annually - would continue to receive free care. Those in other counties would receive up to a 50 percent discount.