Non-profit hospitals in the United States are required to offer charity care programs in order to keep their non-profit status. These programs forgive or reduce medical bills for patients below certain incomes. That bill for $15,000? It could become $150, or even $0.
Hospitals are required to post their financial assistance policies online and to accept applications for debt forgiveness.
It depends. Each hospital runs its own charity care program. They get to decide how patients must apply and who qualifies..
Some of the things hospitals might consider are:
In general, hospitals offer charity care to lower and middle income patients who are uninsured or underinsured. Learn more about applying for charity care here.
Are you already in the process of applying for financial assistance? Need help with a tricky situation? Use our contact form to ask questions or get help with your case.
While Dollar For does not pay medical bills for patients, we are here to help patients navigate financial assistance programs. Our services are completely free.
Once we confirm you are eligible for financial assistance, we have two great ways to help you.
1) We can submit an application to the hospital on your behalf.
We’ll collect your financial information using our secure application form and handle all the initial paperwork.
It typically takes us about 4 – 8 weeks to submit your application.
Once we have submitted your application, we’ll let you know and send you instructions for following up with the hospital.
2) We can give you instructions, tips and tools to submit the financial assistance application on your own.
We’ll send you emails with instructions for every step of the process.
You can email us anytime with questions or for extra help.
You can get your application submitted as fast as you want – even today.
No matter what you choose, Dollar For is here to help you!
Dollar For is a a US 501(c)(3) public charity, EIN 46-0889864