The Affordable Care Act

What You Need To Know About the Affordable Care Act / Medicaid Expansion / Health Insurance Marketplace

Important Information Effective January 1, 2014; updated October 5, 2021

The Affordable Care Act was established to ensure better health insurance coverage for all Americans. The Act has focused on making insurance more affordable through Federal and State marketplace services and Medicare and Medicaid coverage. We encourage you to explore your marketplace options, and our Patient Financial Assistance team will assist you with obtaining Medicare or Medicaid coverage, if appropriate.

Bergen New Bridge offers qualifying patients charity care coverage, but only after other insurance plan options. Please review the information below to better understand your coverage options before scheduling services at the Medical Center.

Please contact the Financial Assistance Department at 201.967.4114 or 201.967.4200.

If you are currently Self Pay due to being ineligible for Charity Care, you need to know the following:

• You may be eligible for Medicaid under Medicaid Expansion or health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
• You will need to complete the application process through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
• Applications can be completed online at www.Healthcare.gov or www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov. If completing online, you will need:
  • An email account
  • A phone capable of accepting text messages
  • A credit or debit card to make payment for the first month’s premium, if applicable.
  • Applications can also be completed through the Health Insurance Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours per day, seven days per week. TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325.
  • Failure to complete this application can result in a tax penalty on your tax returns. This penalty will increase every year that you fail to comply.
  • The Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Financial Assistance staff, located in Room 130 in the Main Building, can assist you in completing this application. You can reach the team at 201-967-4114.

If you are currently Self Pay and are eligible for Charity Care, you need to know the following:

• You may be eligible for Medicaid under Medicaid Expansion or Health Insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
• You will need to complete the application process through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
• Applications can be completed online at www.Healthcare.gov or www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov. If completing online, you will need:
  • An email account
  • A phone capable of accepting text messages
  • A credit or debit card to make payment for the first month’s premium, if applicable.
• Applications can also be completed through the Health Insurance Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours per day, seven days per week. TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325.
• Failure to complete this application process can result in a tax penalty applied to your tax returns. This penalty will increase every year that you fail to comply.
• Failure to complete this application process will require you to complete a Charity Care application for every service date. The application must be approved before any service being rendered. This may lead to delays.
• The Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Financial Assistance staff, located in Room 130 in the Main Building, can assist you in completing this application.
• You can reach the team at 201-967-4114 or Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, Paramus, New Jersey 07652.

If you are currently approved for Charity Care and DO NOT have a Social Security Number, you need to know:

• We will continue to offer Charity Care coverage to you.
• You will need to apply every time your current approval has expired.
• We cannot renew your coverage before your current coverage expires; however, we advise scheduling a renewal appointment the day after or as soon as possible after your current coverage expires to avoid a coverage gap.

If you are currently approved for Charity Care and have a Social Security Number, you need to know the following:

• We may not be able to continue to offer Charity Care coverage to you.
• You may be eligible for Medicaid under Medicaid Expansion or health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
• You will need to complete the application process through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
• Applications can be completed online at www.Healthcare.gov or www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov. If completing online, you will need:
  • An email account
  • A phone capable of accepting text messages
  • A credit or debit card to make payment for the first month’s premium, if applicable.
• Applications can also be completed through the Health Insurance Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours per day and seven days per week. TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325.
• Failure to complete this application process will require you to complete a Charity Care application for every service date. The application must be approved before any service is rendered. This may lead to delays.
• The Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Financial Assistance staff are available to assist you in completing this application.

If you are currently under Medicaid to include Medicaid Plan G, you need to know the following:

• You will be required to enroll in a Medicaid Managed Care plan.
• Bergen New Bridge Medical Center is currently contracted with Aetna Better Health, Amerigroup, Horizon NJ Health, United Community Care/Americhoice and Wellcare.
• To continue receiving services at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, you may select one of the following physicians as your Primary Care Provider.
  • Salvatore Focella, MD
  • Rajashree Kantha-Bhatnager, MD
  • Chitra Kodery, MD
  • Shiri Segal, MD
  • Sunitha Moonthungal, MD
• You must contact your plan directly if you choose to switch your Primary Care Provider (PCP).
• If you decide to change the Medicaid Managed Care plan you are enrolled in, you have 90 days from the enrollment date. Please call the state’s Health Benefits Coordinator at 1-800-701-0710 to complete the change. After the 90 days, if you are still eligible for NJ Family care and wish to switch plans, you may do so during the open enrollment period, October 1 through November 15 each year, if you show good cause. Your good cause will need to be approved by DMAHS (Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services – State of NJ).
• The Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Financial Assistance staff, located in Room 130 in the Main Building, is available to assist you with any questions. The staff can be reached at 201-967-4114.

If you have primary coverage through Medicare or private insurance, you need to know the following:

• Based on your primary coverage, you are in compliance with Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act.
• If you are covered with Charity Care as a secondary plan, this may continue, and we will update you when any changes or further information has been made available.