The Yale-New Haven hospital system will waive copays, deductibles, and coinsurance fees for furloughed federal government employees who need urgent care.
The local hospital system made that announcement on Thursday in a press release about cutting government employees a break on their health care bills during the latest prolonged partial federal government shutdown, which on Friday entered its 35th day.
Yale New Haven Health Services (YNHHS) “announced today that they will waive copays, deductibles or coinsurance for any furloughed government employee who seeks emergency treatment in one of our emergency departments, urgent care or walk-in centers as long as they present their federal ID at the time of service,” the press release reads. “This waiver also includes co-payments and deductibles on physician services provided by Northeast Medical Group physicians in our emergency departments, urgent care or walk-in centers.”
Click here to read the full press release.
The hospital also announced in the release that it will put any outstanding bills on hold for furloughed workers and their dependents, and that they will keep those bills on hold until 30 days after the end of the government shutdown.
“The government shutdown is causing extreme hardship for many,” YNHHS Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Vincent Tammaro is quoted as saying in the release. “We hope that this small measure will help patients continue to seek necessary medical care without having to choose between their health and putting food on the table.”
Furloughed workers looking to take advantage of the 30-day pause on outstanding medical bills can call 855 – 547-4584 if their bills come from the Yale hospitals in Bridgeport, Greenwich, New Haven, Lawrence and Memorial, or Westerly. If their bills from Northeast Medical Group, they can call 833 – 288-4400.
The hospital’s not alone in extending a financial lifeline to furloughed government workers. Last week Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill that provides no-interest loans to federal workers impacted by the shutdown. That program, done in collaboration with Webster Bank, will provide loans of up to $5,000 to affected workers. The loans would be provided by private financial institutions, and backed by the state.
They should also wave fees for their employees, the fire dept, and both police departments permanently.
This billionaire corporation uses all our city services without paying for them. Our first responders who save Yale lives as well as others are heavily burdened with expensive medical insurance. This crazy in a town with 2 top rate hospitals and in a county and part of the state where Yale Corp. monopolizes hospitals and clinics and has bought practically all of the MD partnerships and businesses. Doctors and nurses are under their thumb just like the rest of us and I know they are not getting paid enough. By the way, even healthcare personnel are forced to buy overpriced health insurance offered to us by only one or two monopolies.