Dollar For is a national nonprofit that crushes medical bills by helping patients access charity care. We empower patients and advocate on their behalf.
Vision
A medical crisis shouldn’t mean a financial crisis.
Mission
Dollar For crushes medical bills by making charity care known, easy, and fair.
Values
Dollar For commits to a culture defined by abundance, belonging, celebration, compassion, equity, growth, kindness, patient-centeredness, pragmatism, and transparency.
Problem
188 million Americans are living on the edge of poverty. Medical debt pushes people into poverty more than anything else. For many Americans barely making ends meet, a small emergency can push them into poverty. Medical debt is pushing Americans into financial crises. It’s the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US.
Today, Americans owe $195 billion in medical debt. Much of this burden is carried by uninsured adults, women, Black and Hispanic adults, parents, and those with lower incomes. Almost 40 percent of people with medical debt say they were denied a mortgage loan or housing lease. Further, one in four adult Americans avoids medical care due to its cost.
Solution
Charity care is an unknown and underused solution. Mandated in the Affordable Care Act, nonprofit hospitals must reduce or waive bills for lower-income patients. These community benefit programs prevent patients from falling into poverty.
The benefits are real and measurable. When patients get charity care, they report lower stress levels, better health, and improved food access. They pay off other loans or bills and saved for other financial goals.
Yet there is no systematic enforcement of charity care laws. Most Americans aren’t aware of these programs. Instead, patients experience needless financial burdens.
Dollar For simplifies charity care. We’ve proven there’s a better way. Our direct service program has leveraged technology to help 19,929 patients apply for charity care. Since 2021, we have secured $67,541,960 in medical debt relief.
Here’s how we do it:
- Custom database of hospital policies
- Simple instantaneous eligibility screener and intake forms
- Automated completion of hospital applications
- Strong patient advocates to guide patients
We hold hospitals accountable. Our work has also sparked system change. With media highlights in prominent outlets like NYT, WSJ, and NPR, we’re building a narrative that puts this issue on the map. We know the policies on paper and how they look in action, uniquely positioning us to inform policy and hold hospitals accountable.
Our advocacy works. In just a few short years, we have:
- Influenced action on care credit abuse at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
- Published a report and supported the passage of an Oregon law mandating effective screening before collections actions.
- Removed residency requirements for patients in Washington.
- Made maternity services available for patients in Maryland.
- Secured refunds for patients in California.
- Influenced a major hospital system to add refunds to their policy.
- Extended the timeline to apply for patients at another major system.
