Eligibility of emergency department patients for public benefit programs

Screening must be accompanied by interventions that address both immediate and long-term HRSNs. Traditionally, interventions involve referrals to external community organizations. However, new partnerships between health care and social services agencies seek to expand current intervention strategies. For example, medical–financial partnerships (MFPs) are collaborations to co-locate health care and financial services organizations, seeking to expand access to financial resources.

The objective of this study was to survey ED patients to determine the proportion that were eligible for unclaimed public benefits. In addition, we surveyed patients to assess whether screening for benefits eligibility in the ED was appropriate and explore strategies for optimal linkage to application services.

We conducted a cross-sectional, in-person survey in a convenience sample of ED patients at two large, urban, academic hospitals in Philadelphia from May to September 2022. This study used survey methods because information to identify benefits eligibility is not typically available in data on ED populations. We followed specialty-specific recommendations for survey-based research in the design of this study. 

In this study, we found that ED patients with public or no health insurance were often eligible for unclaimed state or federal benefits. Furthermore, participants demonstrated high levels of interest in applying for benefits and receiving help from a hospital-based team. However, patients reported interest in receiving application support after leaving the hospital, suggesting that while the ED may be an appropriate setting for screening, it may not be optimal for completing applications.