As Philadelphia's Hahnemann University Hospital winds down services and prepares to close, some staff members with employer health coverage through Hahnemann's parent company may face higher out-of-pocket costs, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Thousands of people employed by St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia and Hahnemann are covered under a health plan through the hospitals' owner, Philadelphia Academic Health System. PAHS is owned by American Academic Health System, which is part of El Segundo, Calif.-based Paladin Healthcare.
Hahnemann is the health plan's only adult "Tier 1" hospital, which means it is a preferred hospital for the health plan. Therefore, members pay less out of pocket for services at Hahnemann. St. Christopher's is also considered a Tier 1 hospital, but it only treats children, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The closure, which included an early shutdown of the hospital's maternity ward, has forced St. Christopher's employees like Kathy Lui — a nurse who was planning on delivering her baby at Hahnemann for no out-of-pocket costs — to move their care elsewhere, like Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Thomas Jefferson is a Tier 2 hospital under the insurance plan, meaning Ms. Lui will likely pay at least $2,800 in a deductible and copay for her care, according to the report.
Read more here.
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