Leading National Patient Advocacy Group Delivers Warning to U.S. Patients: Having Health Insurance Does NOT Mean Your Medical Needs Will ...( Non-Profit Foundation Has Assiste...),Health

Non-Profit Foundation Has Assisted Over 6 Million Americans Since Its Inception in 1996 With Rejected Insurance Claims and Coverage Denials

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) - a national non-profit organization providing information and services to millions of patients with life-threatening, debilitating and chronic diseases each year who are unable to obtain access to healthcare because of financial issues or insurance denials - warned Americans today that having private or public health insurance does not ensure that their medical needs will be covered.

Over the past 12 years, PAF's expert case managers and medical professionals have helped nearly 20 million patients gain access to healthcare when denied coverage by their insurance provider. In 2007, more than 6.8 million people from all 50 states contacted PAF for information - approximately 44,000 of those requests requiring direct, sustained mediation from PAF. Of those 44,000 cases, 76 percent of the patients had some form of insurance, whether it was private healthcare, Medicare or Medicaid.

"Unfortunately, it is a common misconception in America that just because you have health insurance, you will get the medications and medical care that you need - particularly when faced with a life-threatening, debilitating or catastrophic health crisis," said Nancy Davenport-Ennis, founder, president and CEO of PAF. "We have seen entirely too many patients and family members struggle with rejected claims, denials based on pre-existing conditions and additional insurance coverage challenges that can lead to life-or-death delays in treatment."

Recently featured on CNN for its expertise in helping uninsured and insured patients access healthcare, PAF offers free assistance to hundreds of patients from across the United States each day - including those living with cancer, heart disease, HIV, kidney disease, diabetes and oth
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