Paying for Your Stay

Pennsylvania hospitals believe that patients and their families should have as much information as they can get to make the best decisions about their care and to be protected from the financial burdens of unexpected medical bills.

Though insurers are in the best position to help patients understand what is considered in network or out of network, everyone providing health care services has a role to play in helping consumers navigate the complicated health care delivery system.

Hospitals are working to help patients understand their financial responsibility by:

• Offering a special help-line number for billing/pricing questions
• Having patient advocates and financial counselors on-hand to meet with families in person or via telephone call
• Providing cost estimator tools to estimate out-of-pocket costs
• Holding educational sessions about paying for hospital services

Patients also can use the price estimators and provider network information at health plan websites and talk to their provider about quality, value, and cost treatment options.