II. Need Sharing
A. Only needs eligible for publication in CHCN will be qualified to be published in Save to Share™. The only time a CHCN publishable need would not
qualify for Save to Share™ would be if it was for a condition that developed while a person was a member of SMI, but before they enrolled (or re-enrolled) in Save to Share™, and a
twelve-month period without symptoms, treatment, or medication had not elapsed. This twelve month waiting period also applies to a condition which developed while a person was enrolled in Save to Share™, and the person later dropped out of Save to Share™ and then re-enrolls. NOTE: Members of SMI who joined Save to Share™ prior to January 1, 2004 are able to have published needs from conditions that existed prior to their Save to Share participation but after they became SMI members.
B. Save to Share™ notices will only be published and sent to participants when there is a qualified need to share.
C.
When a CHCN member who participates in Save to Share™ has a publishable need that is more than $100,000, the amount of that need that exceeds
$100,000 will be eligible for publication to other Save to Share™ participants. It will only be the amount of the need over $100,000 that is published even though the CHCN Guidelines
may not have published all of the first $100,000 of the need due to pro-ration or a special limit. See sections VIII.A.7 and IX.
Large needs frequently are the result of the reality that most health care providers charge patients without insurance substantially
more than insured patients. Therefore, Save to Share™ needs are not published until satisfactory negotiations with providers
D. In order to have a Save to Share™ need published, a Save to Share™ participant must have the appropriate amount on deposit in his Save to
Share™ account, must have given to all Save to Share™ needs that have been assigned to him, must be current in sharing with all CHCN needs
assigned to him, and must be a member of SMI in good standing, current with all annual fees.
E. Needs that qualify for publication will be divided among participating households into shares. A single member household will give one share,
couples and single-parent families will give two shares, and two-parent families will give three shares.
Example A:
If a Save to Share™ participant has a publishable need of $145,000 after negotiations, the first $100,000 would be published in CHCN according
to those Guidelines (including implementation of the pro-rata provision if necessary). The remaining $45,000 would be published in Save to
Share™. If there were 500 single member households (500 shares), 500 couples or single parent households (1000 shares), and 1000 two-parent
families (3000 shares), there would be 4500 total shared available, so the amount per share would be $10. Single member households would be
asked to give one share ($10), couples and single parent families two shares ($20), and other families three shares ($30).
F. If the amount qualifying for publication in Save to Share™ exceeds half of the funds for the current year held on deposit by the participants,
only half of these funds will be assigned for sharing. Funds held on deposit from the previous years would then be assigned to the remaining unmet
portion of the need, up to half of these funds.
Example B:
In the situation from Example A, if there were only $72,000 available in deposits for the current year (the past twelve months), then the
amount available for this need from those deposits would be $36,000. The initial amount each household would be asked to share would be:
singles—$8, couples and single-parent families—$16, and other families—$24. The remaining $9000 of the need would be divided in a similar
fashion among those households who had deposits carried over from previous years. Again, no more than half of these funds would be assigned
to any one need.
If at any time there are multiple Save to Share™ needs in process, and the order in which they are published could affect the maximum amount published for a particular
need, then the need given priority for calculating the publishable amount will be the need for which the properly completed
form (and all required documentation) first arrived.
G. The minimum amount that households will be asked to share for a need is singles - $1.00, couples/single parent families - $2.00 and
families - $3.00. To the extent the amount shared exceeds the need, the member in need will be expected to contribute the excess toward the cost
of professionals hired to negotiate reductions in medical bills and may retain amounts that are due to bill reductions from his own negotiation.
H. Method for Processing Checks: Every Save to Share™ participant individually shares with every Save to Share™ need. Since there are potentially
thousands of Save to Share™ members, a member with a need could receive thousands of checks. Cashing and tracking a large number of checks could
be burdensome on a family already overburdened by a health care crisis. Therefore, a member household with a need may choose to have SMI or some
third party process the checks for them. In that event, the shares will all first be sent to SMI or the third party for deposit in a special trust
account for the member with the need, and then transmitted to the member. The opportunity to send a card or note directly, or to be forwarded by
SMI, will continue.
I. Sponsorship—If you desire to participate
in Save to Share™ and are financially unable to set aside the entire amount, or to keep the amount at the required level, contact member services for information about assistance from fellow SMI members
through the sponsorship program. See Section V. C. of the Basic Guidelines. Do not wait until there is a Save to Share™ need to request this assistance as that will not be sufficient lead time to make sure that the obligation has been met and that adequate gifts are available to meet the need.
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Guidelines 