Tuesday, Apr 5 2011 8:28AM
Some residents of California's Stanislaus County that receive medical care through an indigent adult healthcare program may soon have to pay higher fees for treatment.
Members of an indigent adult health program in California's rural Stanislaus County may soon face higher fees if they earn more than $1,053 a month, reported the Modesto Bee.
While the same initiative would eliminate the $3 to $20 co-payments for the county's poorest residents, it would force many higher-income patients to pay hundreds of dollars more for any care they receive in a clinic.
Under the proposed policy, the newspaper reports the program's eligibility cap would be raised from $1,805 to $2,023 and those earning $1,054 or more a month would have monthly deductibles. With the change, about 350 patients would pay more than they currently do with their co-pays, while a total of 855 people would be paying more for healthcare.
Mary Ann Lee, the managing director of the Health Services Agency, told the paper a cost-of-living survey showed an adult making at least $1,054 in the area can cover all of their basic expenses and still afford the
rural community assistance program's rate increases. However, Andrea Tellis, an attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance, said those figures are not accurate, and cost-of-living expenses are actually higher than the agency listed.
In December, California Rural Legal Assistance filed suit against the health program, asking for a court order to invalidate the program's co-pays and income eligibility gap.