Parkland officials ease residents concern about care

Published: 3/31/2014

Parkland Health & Hospital System patients who were enrolled in the health system’s program, Parkland HEALTHplus, need not worry about whether their charity coverage has been cancelled; their coverage will continue until Dec. 31, 2014. Still, all patients who receive care at Parkland or its network of neighborhood health centers will be screened for eligibility in the federally-mandated Health Insurance Marketplace and if they meet the criteria, they must enroll at the appropriate time in order to ensure continued participation in Parkland HEALTHplus.

Parkland HEALTHplus (PHP) is a healthcare program for Dallas County residents who qualify for assistance based on information such as income and household size. It is not health insurance.

“Patients whose PHP coverage was set to end on March 31st due to eligibility for the Healthcare Marketplace will have their coverage extended until December,” said Bob Reed, Vice President, Patient Access. “But it’s very important that our patients understand if they’ve qualified for a plan through the Marketplace, they must pay their monthly premiums and that PHP will be supplemental to the plan they’ve enrolled in.”

The decision to move PHP expiration dates to the end of the year will allow Parkland officials time to assess the impact of the Affordable Care Act on its patients, and to determine if they are enrolled in insurance plans through the Marketplace and whether they’ve allowed this primary coverage to lapse.

Parkland officials are concerned that patients may not fully grasp the concept of paying insurance premiums especially during those months when they do not seek medical care. If patients do not pay the monthly premium including making current the lapsed payments, their coverage may be cancelled.

“The bottom line is we are very concerned about our patients and we want to ensure they are receiving the care they need,” Reed said. “If anyone has any concern about their coverage or PHP, our financial counselors are here to help.”

Parkland’s certified application counselors are available to answer questions about the Affordable Care Act or PHP at its hospital-based Business Office or Community Oriented Primary Care health centers throughout Dallas County, or they can call 214.590.4900 for assistance.

Open enrollment into the Health Insurance Marketplace opened Oct. 1, 2013, and runs through March 31, 2014. The next enrollment period will begin Nov. 15, 2014.

The best source for information about the Marketplace is the website www.healthcare.gov. The website is available 24/7 and provides information on how the Marketplace works, what the benefits are and key deadlines. Individuals can also call 1.800.318.2596 to speak with trained customer service representatives 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For a list of Parkland’s community health centers, visit www.parklandhospital.com.

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