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Health coverage and bills
- Health plan denials, appeals and Independent Medical ReviewWhich agency oversees which plan, filing a grievance, urgent reviews, and IMR.
- Hospital bills, financial assistance and surprise billsCalifornia’s hospital charity care and discount rules, and federal and state surprise billing protections.
- Medical debt protectionsThe credit reporting ban, collection rules for medical bills, and where to complain.
Words to know
- Charity care
- Free hospital care for patients who meet the hospital’s financial criteria.
- Discount payment
- Reduced hospital charges for eligible patients.
- Grievance
- A formal complaint or appeal filed with a health plan.
- Independent Medical Review (IMR)
- A review of a health plan denial by independent doctors, arranged by the state at no cost to the patient.
- Proof of loss
- The documents and information an insurer requests to evaluate a claim.
- Self-funded plan
- An employer health plan regulated mainly by federal law rather than state insurance regulators.