Cleveland’s MetroHealth changes payment policies for uninsured

Cuyohoga County-owned MetroHealth Medical Center, which serves as the Cleveland area’s safety-net health system, announced that for the first time in almost 20 years it is revamping the way it charges uninsured patients (Source: “MetroHealth to adjust fees to steer people away from ER visits and expand discounted care,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Feb. 18, 2009).

The plan calls for everyone to make a co-payment ($5 or $10) for doctor’s visits and emergency room trips. If the emergency room visit is determined to not be an emergency, the patient will be charged $75. At the same time, the system will expand discounted care to uninsured patients earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

"We want to drive people to use the health care system the right way," said Dr. E. Harry Walker, director of the MetroHealth Center for Community Health. "Currently, if you want to show up to the emergency room to get your basic care, there is no economic incentive for you to choose one way or the other."