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Hospital Bills Can Be Paid by the Indigent Care Trust Fund! 

Linda Lowe
Georgia Legal Services Program
Last Revised: June 2003

WHAT IS THE INDIGENT CARE TRUST FUND (ICTF)?

The Indigent Care Trust Fund (ICTF) pays hospitals for health care for low income persons.  Through the ICTF, persons who are indigent can get necessary hospital care, including surgery,  tests, and screening, on an inpatient or outpatient basis, even if it is not an emergency. 

Hospitals that have the ICTF

• MUST treat low income persons for free or for a sliding scale fee.  Each hospital has a certain amount of free care it must give every year to people who cannot pay.
  
  **Note: At most hospitals, the ICTF does not cover doctor bills.
  
  
• MUST notify persons being admitted to the hospital, patients, and the public that it has ICTF money and how to apply for help from the ICTF.
• MUST help persons apply for the ICTF before or after treatment.
  
  **Persons with health insurance can apply.
  
  **Persons on Medicaid can apply to have the ICTF pay for co- payments.      
  
  **Persons who have bills more than one year old can apply and get help.  
  
  
• MUST help persons from any county in Georgia.
  

WHAT ELSE MUST THESE HOSPITALS DO?

Hospitals that receive ICTF also

• MUST continue to accept Medicaid. 
• MUST treat persons on Medicaid and Medicare the same as others.
• MUST make sure that doctors will treat Medicaid recipients at the hospital for no charge.   
• MUST refer persons to doctors who accept Medicaid.

Hospitals that have the ICTF CANNOT

• Deny service or transfer a patient to another hospital because he or she cannot afford to pay or does not have enough health insurance.
• Delay treating indigent persons.
• Require indigent persons to make a deposit to be admitted.
  
  **NOTE: The ICTF does not pay Medicare deductibles or co-payments.  Apply for QMB or SLMB Medicaid at the DFCS/Welfare Office for help with this.
  

TO APPLY FOR THE INDIGENT CARE TRUST FUND, call the hospital's business office and ask to speak with the person who handles patient accounts or billings.  Or, contact the Social Worker at the hospital. 

The hospitals in the counties below have the ICTF program.

WHAT IF THE HOSPITAL SAYS I CANNOT APPLY OR SAYS I CANNOT GET HELP FROM THE INDIGENT CARE TRUST FUND?
     
If the hospital refuses to let you apply or says it has no money, then you have the legal right to APPEAL.  And, if you apply for the Indigent Care Trust Fund, and the hospital says you make too much money or denies you for any other reason, then you have the legal right to APPEAL.

To APPEAL, send a written complaint to the  Department of Community Health, in Atlanta 

The address is

• Indigent Care Trust Fund
  Hospital Policy Section, Division of Medical Assistance
  P.O. Box 38490
  2 Peachtree Street, N.W.
  Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3159 

In your complaint,

• explain why you believe the hospital is wrong and
• ask the agency to make the hospital change its decision. 

Send a copy of your complaint to the hospital. 

The number for the Division of Medical Assistance is

• 404-657-9126. 

If you need help, contact your local office of Georgia Legal Services or Atlanta Legal Aid.

• Call 1-800-498-9469 to find  which office serves your area.

This brochure is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for legal advice and counsel from an attorney.  If you are having a problem with a hospital bill, you should immediately consult an attorney for advice about your particular situation.                                                 

Linda Lowe
Georgia Legal Services Program
Last Revised: June 2003