By Micheal Mcauliff
April 21st, 2022
NewYork-Presbyterian, the top hospital in New York that had refused to accept payments from a federally funded program that aids sick 9/11 survivors, finally relented after the Daily News reported the ongoing bureaucratic challenges for Ground Zero patients seeking treatment.
First established in 2010, the World Trade Center Health Program provides screenings and treatment for more than 100,000 responders and workers suffering from 9/11-related illnesses. Covered conditions range from respiratory diseases, digestive disorders, cancers, and other ailments caused by exposure to toxins that drifted over lower Manhattan for months after the collapse of the Twin Towers.
The idea behind the program is to relieve them from the financial and time-wasting stress of navigating notoriously difficult rules of insurance providers.
Last week, the News spoke with two former patients confronted with confusing paperwork and unwarranted bills from NewYork-Presbyterian for their 9/11-related cancer and lung transplants.
The problem stemmed from the fact that this hospital, unlike all of New York’s other hospital chains, refused to sign what’s known as a master agreement with the World Trade Center Health Program, which covers all medical costs for patients in the program.