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Member Rights and Responsibilities

Your Member Rights

As a recipient of Medicaid and a Sunshine Health member, you have certain rights. You have the right to:

  • Be treated with courtesy and respect
  • Have your dignity and privacy respected at all times
  • Receive a quick and useful response to your questions and requests
  • Know who is providing medical services and who is responsible for your care
  • Know what member services are available, including whether an interpreter is available if you do not speak English
  • Know what rules and laws apply to your conduct
  • Be given information about your diagnosis, the treatment you need, choices of treatments, risks and how these treatments will help you
  • Say no any treatment, except as otherwise provided by law
  • Be given full information about other ways to help pay for your health care
  • Know if the provider or facility accepts the Medicare assignment rate
  • To be told prior to getting a service how much it may cost you
  • Get a copy of a bill and have the charges explained to you
  • Get medical treatment or special help for people with disabilities, regardless of race, national origin, religion, handicap, or source of payment
  • Receive treatment for any health emergency that will get worse if you do not get treatment
  • Know if medical treatment is for experimental research and to say yes or no to participating in such research
  • Make a complaint when your rights are not respected
  • Ask for another doctor when you do not agree with your doctor (second medical opinion)
  • Get a copy of your medical record and ask to have information added or corrected in your record, if needed
  • Have your medical records kept private and shared only when required by law or with your approval
  • Decide how you want medical decisions made if you can’t make them yourself (advanced directive)
  • To file a grievance about any matter other than a Plan’s decision about your services
  • To appeal a Plan’s decision about your services
  • Receive services from a provider that is not part of our Plan (out-of-network) if we cannot find a provider for you that is part of our Plan
  • Receive information about our Plan, its services, its practitioners and providers and member rights and responsibilities
  • Make recommendations regarding our Plan’s member rights and responsibility policy
  • Get care without fear of restraint or seclusion used for bullying, discipline, convenience, or revenge 
  • Exercise these rights without changing the way Sunshine Health or its network providers treat you 

In addition, LTC members have the right to:

  • Receive services in a home-like environment regardless of where you live
  • Receive information about being involved in your community, setting personal goals and how you can participate in that process
  • Be told where, when and how to get the services you need
  • To be able to take part in decisions about your health care
  • To talk openly about the treatment options for your conditions, regardless of cost or benefit
  • To choose the programs you participate in and the providers that give you care

Your Member Responsibilities

As a recipient of Medicaid and a Sunshine Health member, you also have certain responsibilities. You have the responsibility to:

  • Give accurate information about your health to your Plan and providers
  • Tell your provider about unexpected changes in your health condition
  • Talk to your provider to make sure you understand a course of action and what is expected of you
  • Listen to your provider, follow instructions and ask questions
  • Keep your appointments or notify your provider if you will not be able to keep an appointment
  • Be responsible for your actions if treatment is refused or if you do not follow the health care provider's instructions
  • Make sure payment is made for non-covered services you receive
  • Follow health care facility conduct rules and regulations
  • Treat health care staff with respect
  • Tell us if you have problems with any health care staff
  • Use the emergency room only for real emergencies
  • Notify your case manager if you have a change in information (address, phone number, etc.)
  • Have a plan for emergencies and access this plan if necessary for your safety
  • Report fraud, abuse and overpayment

In addition, LTC Members have the responsibility to:

  • Tell your case manager if you want to disenroll from the Long-term Care program
  • Agree to and participate in the annual face-to-face assessment, quarterly face-to-face visits and monthly telephone contact with your case manager