Insurance Assistance & Information
Sharing Responsibilities
Due to the rising cost of health insurance, health plans are
currently offering many new policies to make health insurance rates
more affordable for employers and employees.
These policies require health plan members to be more involved
in their health care decisions by contributing more to the cost of
their care through higher co-payments and larger annual deductible
amounts before insurance coverage takes over, in addition to other
cost-sharing features.
These new policies are commonly referred to as consumer-driven
health plans, where you, the consumer, make more decisions
regarding your health care options.
When you enroll in a new health insurance plan through your
employer, or if you purchase a policy on your own, you must comply
with the rules and requirements of your insurance policy. If
your policy requires you to pay a portion of your health care
bills, you are expected to pay those amounts promptly.
Although your employer and health insurance plan establish these
requirements, health care providers, including Beverly and Addison
Gilbert hospitals and affiliated physicians, are required to
collect co-payments and deductibles directly from you on behalf of
your health plan. Often health plan members are unaware
that insurance plans decrease their payments to hospitals and
physicians by the amount that you must pay. If we did not
collect payments from you, we would receive payments that are less
than the actual cost of providing your care.
Since more employers will be purchasing new consumer-driven
health plans, provider organizations across Massachusetts are
implementing collection policies that begin at the time services
are rendered, and may even occur when you are scheduling services
or procedures for a future date.
Where possible, we will make every effort to inform you of your
expected financial liability for a visit or provided service.
You should also request details of such obligations as early as
possible, such as when you are scheduling an office visit or
medical procedure. This information is available to you by
calling your health insurance plan and requesting details of your
payment responsibilities.
Co-payments for surgical day care, office visits, mental health,
and emergency room services are expected at the time of
service. These amounts should be clearly visible on your
health insurance card.
Deductibles and co-insurance amounts, when known, will be
collected at the time of service.
Beverly and Addison Gilbert hospitals accept cash, checks, and
credit cards. If you have any questions about your bill,
please contact our patient accounts department by phone, 978
524-9950 or submit a secure, online inquiry. If you wish to apply for
free care, please contact our financial counseling & community
liaison office at 978 922-3000, ext. 2045.
If you are uncertain about your payment obligations prior to
seeking medical care, you should contact your health insurance plan
for clarification EXCEPT in the event of an emergency where you
should seek medical attention immediately. Due to the
variation in health plan policies offered to consumers, only your
health plan has the information to answer your specific questions
regarding your insurance policy.