New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a historic agreement with Northwell Health (Northwell), New York’s largest health care network, to significantly improve and expand access to financial assistance for millions of New Yorkers at Northwell facilities and clinics across the state, including all 21 Northwell hospitals. As a result of this first-of-its-kind collaborative agreement between Attorney General James and Northwell, uninsured and under-insured New Yorkers receiving necessary medical care and earning under five times the federal poverty level, $75,300 for an individual or $156,000 for a family of four, will be eligible for free or discounted care. Northwell has also committed to dedicating more staff to help patients apply for financial assistance and significantly reducing medical debt collection. This agreement comes after the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) reviewed Northwell’s financial assistance program and Northwell agreed to work with OAG to improve and expand its program.
“No one should face the choice between putting food on the table or receiving medical care,” said Attorney General James. “Too many New Yorkers delay necessary health care appointments because costs are too high, or end up saddled with debt after receiving emergency care. This agreement will provide critical financial assistance to millions of New Yorkers receiving medical care at Northwell facilities and ease financial worries for many patients concerned about paying their medical bills. I applaud Northwell for their commitment to expanding access to financial assistance and hope that other New York hospitals will follow their lead to expand New Yorkers’ access to necessary medical services.”
Medical debt can be a significant financial and emotional burden, and disproportionately impacts low-income patients, people who are uninsured or under-insured, communities of color, immigrants, and people with disabilities. Even New Yorkers with health insurance often forego or delay necessary health care because of high deductibles or insufficient coverage.
Under New York’s Hospital Financial Assistance Law and state tax codes, nonprofit hospitals are required to provide financial assistance to low-income consumers and prohibit predatory debt collection. Today’s agreement strengthens and expands Northwell’s financial assistance program beyond the requirements of the New York Hospital Financial Assistance Law to help more New York patients.
As a result of today’s agreement, uninsured or under-insured patients earning twice the federal poverty level or less will receive free medical care. Patients earning between three and five times the federal poverty level will receive discounted medical services based on Medicaid or Medicare rates. The OAG and Northwell worked together to simplify Northwell’s public notices on financial assistance to make them more accessible and understandable for patients.
To limit unnecessary medical debt collection, Northwell will dedicate a Medical Debt Ombudsperson to review accounts before litigation is commenced. The ombudsperson will ensure that the patient has been given ample notice of Northwell’s financial assistance policies and the opportunity to apply for such assistance. The ombudsperson will also ensure there is either a reasonable basis to believe the patient owes the debt, or the patient is not known to be an enlisted service person or a veteran, unemployed, disabled, or deemed incapacitated, among other factors.
Northwell will keep these policies in place for five years and will provide annual reports to OAG and the Northwell Board of Trustees on its financial assistance program.
The agreement applies to all 21 Northwell hospitals as well as 56 Northwell clinics in New York City and on Long Island. The Northwell clinics include:
1. Northwell Health Multispecialty and Imaging Services in Glen Cove
2. Dolan Family Health Center Diagnostic and Treatment Center d/b/a Northwell Health Family Health Center in Huntington Station
3. John T. Mather Memorial Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation in Port Jefferson
4. Outpatient Behavioral Health Services in Port Jefferson
5. Precision CyberKnife of New York in East Setauket
6. Primary Med. Care Outpatient in Port Jefferson Station
7. Lenox Hill Hospital Extension Clinic at MEETH in Manhattan
8. Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine Clinic in New Hyde Park
9. Manhasset Ambulatory Care Center in Manhasset
10. Long Island Jewish Medical Center Satellite Dialysis Center in Bellrose
11. Far Rockaway Treatment Center in Far Rockaway
12. Garden City Treatment Center in Garden City
13. Project Outreach Clinic in West Hempstead
14. Nassau Day Training Program in Elmont
15. Franklin K. Lane School Clinic in Brooklyn
16. Long Island Jewish Medical Center - Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success
17. Northwell Ambulatory Care Center - A Program of Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Rego Park
18. Brian Picolo I.S. 53 School Clinic in Far Rockaway
19. Far Rockaway H.S. Clinic in Far Rockaway
20. John Adams High School Clinic in Jamaica
21. Imbert Cancer Center in Bay Shore
22. August Martin High School Clinic in Jamaica
23. LIJMC (DSRIP) Primary Care Clinic in Glen Oaks
24. LIJMC Greenlawn Cancer Center in Greenlawn
25. Backstretch-BEST Clinic at Belmont Raceway in Elmont
26. Northern Westchester Hospital at Chappaqua Crossing in Chappaqua
27. Northern Westchester Hospital at Yorktown Imaging in Yorktown
28. NSUH Sleep Studies Center in Great Neck
29. The Irving Goldman Family Care Center in Great Neck
30. North Shore University Hospital at the Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success
31. NSUH Comprehensive Wound Care Center and Vascular Access Program in Lake Success
32. North Shore LIJ Imaging at Great South Bay in Islip
33. NSUH Imaging at Great Neck in Great Neck
34. NSUH LIJ Imaging at Syosset in Syosset
35. North Shore Imaging at Garden City in Garden City
36. NSUH Imaging at Huntington in Greenlawn
37. The NSUH Imaging Center at Smithtown in Smithtown
38. Peconic Bay Physical Therapy and Rehab Center in Riverhead
39. Alcohol Treatment Services in Ossining
40. Phelps Psychiatric Clinic in Briarcliff
41. Phelps at Croton in Croton-on-Hudson
42. Imaging Extension Clinic in Dobbs Ferry
43. South Shore University Hospital Clinic Endoscopy and Pain Management Center in Bay Shore
44. South Shore University Hospital Sleep Center Extension Clinic in Hauppauge
45. South Shore University Hospital Extension Clinic for Pre-Surgical Testing in Bayshore
46. Northwell Health Cancer Institute at Riverhead in Riverhead
47. Northwell Health STARS at Bay Shore in Bay Shore
48. New Dorp High School Clinic on Staten Island
49. Primary Care Clinic on Staten Island
50. Chemical Dependence Treatment Program on Staten Island
51. Psych/Alcoholism Treatment Program on Staten Island
52. Sanford R. Nalitt Institute For Cancer on Staten Island
53. Center for Women’s Health on Staten Island
54. 256 Mason Ave. Radiology on Staten Island
55. Canarsie Multi Service Center in Brooklyn
56. Port Richmond High School on Staten Island
Attorney General James thanks Northwell for its partnership to improve access to affordable medical care for New Yorkers.
This matter was led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and Charities Bureau Chief James G. Sheehan, along with Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant to the First Deputy Gina Bull, Charities Deputy Bureau Chief Karin Kunstler-Goldman, and Health Care Bureau Chief Darsana Srinivasan. The Charities Bureau and Health Care Bureau are part of the Division for Social Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.