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The Patient Advocate Foundation

Who can you turn to when you are having a battle with your health insurance carrier in a health crisis? Included in this category are the battles that ensue if your carrier refuses to pay before or after care has been rendered. The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), a non-profit organization based in Newport New, Va. is the only group of its kind that has a nationwide network to help you deal with health insurance companies. According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health done in 1999 87 %of doctors said their patients have experienced some type of denial of coverage by a health plan over the previous 2 years.

PAF was founded by Nancy Davenport-Ennis in memory of a friend, Cheryl Grimmel, who died of breast cancer after battling the disease and her insurance carrier for 3 years. In 1999 PAF's own case managers resolved about 76% of the cases. If the case manager can't resolve the matter it is turned over to one of the 154 lawyers in its network. Sheldon Weinhaus, Esq. who is headquartered in St. Louis heads the legal side of PAF. Mr.Weinhaus was a member of the Clinton commission that drafted the first version of the Patient's Bill of Rights.

Patients or their representatives can contact PAF via its web site at http://www.patientadvocate.org or by calling 1-800-532-5274. "We become the coach on how to get through the appeals process for the sick patient who says, 'I'm exhausted, I can't take on the battle with the insurance company or my employer', says Ms. Davenport-Ellis. "But basically we do whatever it is the patient needs us to do in their life."

FOR AN INFORMATIVE AND PERSONAL ARTICLE ON PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS WHEN SELECTING A NURSING HOME SEE OUR ARTICLE "How to Select a Nursing Home"

By Allan Rubin
Updated October 1, 2000
http://www.therubins.com

To e-mail: hrubin12@nyc.rr.com or rubin@brainlink.com

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