Statement from HCA Healthcare:
What patients pay for hospital services has more to do with the
type of insurance coverage they have than amounts listed in the
charge master. Government programs like Medicare and Medicaid
determine how much they reimburse hospitals, and insurance
plans negotiate discounted rates with hospitals.
Uninsured patients are eligible for free care through our charity
care program or they receive our uninsured discounts, which are
similar to the discounts a private insurance plan gets. In addition,
last year we expanded our discount program to help emergent
patients with high deductible plans, out-of-network insurance
coverage and other emergent patients, whether they have
insurance or not, who may have trouble paying their hospital bill
by capping them for patients who earn up to 400 percent of the
Federal Poverty Level.