You’ll get a letter in the mail when your hospital financial assistance application is approved for full forgiveness or a discount. It might tell you your new balance, or it might tell you that an updated bill is coming soon.
Make sure that your new bill is correct
It’s always a good idea to get an updated bill with your final balance. If you were approved for full forgiveness, ask the hospital for a bill that shows that you do not owe anything. If you were approved for a discount, make sure the final bill has been correctly calculated.
Ask for a refund of any overpayments
If you were approved for full forgiveness and you have already made payments on that bill, call the hospital to ask for a refund. Nonprofit hospitals are legally required to refund you for any payments you have made, and other hospitals might be willing to offer a refund if you ask.
If you still have a balance, negotiate a lower bill
If you only received partial forgiveness and can’t afford the remaining balance, use our negotiation tips and other resources to see if you can lower your bill even more.
Give your approval letter to other providers
You may also be getting bills from other doctors for that same hospital visit, including emergency room providers, anesthesiologists, radiologists, labs, or others. If you have bills from these other providers, show them a copy of your approval letter. They might adjust your bill to match what the hospital offered you. For example, if the hospital waives 100% of your bill, then these providers might too.
Share your success story with us
Dollar For wants to hear about every success story! Use our contact form to tell us about how much debt you were able to get waived.
Consider posting your story on social media. Your story might encourage others to apply for charity care for their own bills.
Look for other ways to save
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You don’t have to do this alone!
Dollar For can check if you are eligible, send you tips on applying, or even submit an application to the hospital for you.