Assistance for People In Need
Howard County General Hospital provides necessary emergency medical care to all persons regardless of their ability to pay. We will consider financial assistance for those patients who cannot pay the total cost of hospitalization due to the lack of insurance coverage and/or inability to pay. Please discuss any financial concerns you may have with your financial counselor.
If you do not have insurance, our financial counselors will schedule an interview with you to determine payment arrangements and/or assist you in completing a Medical Assistance application. For additional information, please call 410-740-7675.
Discounted Rates
Patients who make full payment of their hospital bill at discharge will receive a two-percent discount. There is a one-percent discount for full payment within 30 days of discharge. Discounts do not apply to telephone and television services.
Financial Responsibilities
It is important for you to discuss your estimated length of stay, and anticipated tests and services with your physician prior to your admission. Many insurance carriers have coverage limitations on room charges and certain tests, services and procedures. Once we receive your insurance information, financial counselors in our Admitting Department will verify your benefits. If your insurance will not fully cover your estimated charges, including deductibles and co-payments, you may be asked to bring an advance deposit at the time of your pre-admission testing or admission to the hospital. The hospital welcomes MasterCard, VISA and American Express. The Patient Accounting department will file your insurance claim with your insurance carrier.
Liability Insurance
In cases involving liability insurance, the hospital must look to the patient for payment regardless of the circumstances. The insurance company's settlement will be made directly with you and not with the hospital. Only when the patient is injured on the job, and our financial counselors can verify insurance carrier coverage of hospital charges, will the carrier be billed directly.
Physician Fees
You should be aware that your hospital bill does not include physician fees. You will receive separate billing statements from each physician who provides a service to you during your hospital stay. Physicians that may participate in your care include your attending physician, consulting specialists, an anesthesiologist, emergency room physician, pathologist, radiologist or neonatologist.
Participating Insurances
The following is a listing of some of the most common insurances and their corresponding plans that are accepted at Howard County General Hospital. If your insurance plan is not listed, this does not necessarily mean it is not accepted. For further information, call our Admitting Department at 410-740-7670.
Aetna
• Aexcel
• Affordable Health Choices PPO
• Chickering
• Choice POS
• Choice POS II
• Elect Choice
• Elect Choice Open Access
• Health Fund
• Health Network Only
• Health Network Options
• HMO
• HMO Open Access
• Managed Choice
• Managed Choice Open Access
• National Advantage Plan
• Open Choice
• QPOS
• Select
• Select Open Access
• Traditional Choice
• USA Access
AmeriChoice (United Medicaid MCO)
Amerigroup Maryland MCO
Beech Street PPO
Care First Blue Choice
• Blue Advantage
• Blue Choice HMO
• Blue Choice HMO Open Access
• Blue Choice Opt-out Open Access
• Blue Choice Opt-out Plus
• Blue Precision
CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield
• CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
• Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
• Maryland Point of Service
• Blue Preferred PPO
CIGNA HealthCare
• Choice Fund
• EPO
• Fundamental Care
• HMO
• HMO Open Access
• Indemnity
• Network
• Network Open Access
• Open Access Plus
• Open Access Plus In-Network
• POS
• POS Open Access
• PPO
Coventry Healthcare of Delaware
• HMO
• Consumer Choice
• Open Access
• Open Access Plus
• PPO
EHP
First Health Network
Great West Healthcare
Humana Choice Care Network PPO
InforMed/CHP Health Plan
Jai Medical Systems MCO
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic
• HMO
• POS
• Kaiser Flexible Choice
MAMSI (A United Healthcare Company)
• One Net PPO (Formerly Alliance PPO)
• MDIPA (HMO)
• MDIPA Preferred (POS)
• Optimum Choice (HMO)
• Optimum Choice Direct (Open Access)
• Optimum Choice Preferred (POS)
Maryland Physicians Care MCO
Medicaid
Medicare
Multiplan PPO
National Capital PPO
Priority Partners MCO
Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS) PPO
Tricare HealthNet
• Prime
• Standard
Tricare Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP)
United Healthcare
• Choice
• Choice Plus
• EPO
• Indemnity
• Options PPO
• POS
• Select
• Select Plus