Bringing Assurance Through Insurance

Insuring the uninsured is an issue for health care organizations throughout the country. St. Mary Medical Center takes its role in this national effort seriously. In the High Desert, an estimated 11,500 children lack health insurance. In 2006, St. Mary enrolled about 300 of those children in programs, such as the Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan offered by Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP).

The hospital is playing a leading role in a San Bernardino countywide effort to insure every child with health insurance. It's estimated that 46,000 San Bernardino county children are without health insurance. Without these outreach programs, families lacking insurance would further limit their access to health care due to the expense of hospital emergency departments and/or urgent care clinics.