2.19.16
Idaho residents with chronic medical disorders are having trouble getting the care they need thanks to a new policy by PacificSource Health Plans. It was revealed recently that PacficSource, and insurer in the state of Idaho, is no longer accepting premium payments from third party sources.
This has been particularly difficult for patients with Hemophilia and other chronic bleeding disorders, prompting the Idaho Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) to send an open letter to PacificSource detailing their concerns.
Hemophilia is a chronic condition that requires both an expansive array of medical services and the maintenance of a strict treatment regimen. For many, the cost of these regular treatments is too much for them to afford on their own. Until recently they were able to offset that burden by relying on a number of non-profit organizations, such as Patient Services Incorporated, which specializes in providing premium assistance to patients with bleeding disorders.
This kind of assistance has proven crucial to countless patients both in Idaho and across the country. NHFs point out that at least 8 other organizations provide premium assistance to hundreds of thousands of patients in the United States each year.
Many of these organizations are also seeing their efforts to help patients through premium assistance thwarted by insurers refusing to accept third party payments. Blue Cross Idaho has also come under criticism recently for refusing to accept payments from the American Kidney Fund.
The Chronic Disease Coalition considers the refusal to accept premium assistance from third parties a direct act of discrimination against patients with chronic diseases. If this trend continues fewer patients will be able to access less and less of the health care that they require.
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