Spread the word about hospital bill financial assistance programs
Looking to spread the word about charity care and Dollar For? Use these resources to educate people in your community and social circles. Community outreach is how we reach people who need help with medical bills.
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HANG A POSTER
Print these out and make copies to hang around high-traffic areas such as parks, libraries, and places of worship. You can also email these to your favorite local organization to share with its members.
Bilingual
English Only
Spanish Only
POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Download and share these posts on your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social media! Be sure to tag @DollarFor (or @DollarFor_ on Twitter) and link to dollarfor.org/help.
TALK TO PEOPLE
Do you know a friend or a family member with a medical bill they can’t afford? Have 3 minutes to talk about Dollar For at your next community meeting, religious service, or book club? Use these talking points to educate others.
- Dollar For is a national nonprofit that eliminates hospital bills by making charity care known, easy, and fair.
- The Affordable Care Act requires nonprofit hospitals to offer free or reduced-cost care to lower and middle-income patients to keep their tax-exempt status. These charity care, or financial assistance programs, reduce or eliminate medical bills.
- Every hospital has its own unique policy and process for deciding who qualifies for hospital bill forgiveness and how to apply.
- Millions of Americans are trying to negotiate medical bills, set up payment plans, or declare medical bankruptcy for bills they shouldn’t have to pay.
- Dollar For helps patients check if they are eligible for medical debt forgiveness, prepare and submit hospital financial assistance applications, and eliminate medical bills.
- Since 2019, Dollar for has worked with patients to submit thousands of financial assistance applications.
- Dollar For’s services are completely free – no strings attached. Patients can see if they qualify and get help anytime at dollarfor.org/help.
- Dollar For has already crushed $23 million in medical debt. (Tip: Check our home page for the most current impact number. It’s always growing!)
Download a printable version of this script here.
REACH THOSE IN NEED
An estimated one in three Americans have experienced medical debt, and research shows that medical debt disproportionately impacts communities and neighborhoods of color, as well as lower-wage workers. Medical debt is higher, on average, in Southern states and states that did not expand Medicaid.
Dollar For works to address these disparities by making an extra effort to reach out to low-income communities, communities of color, and needy neighborhoods to provide help with medical bills.
Use these tips to reach communities most in need of debt relief:
- Make an additional effort to identify and connect with existing community organizations and hubs in low-income neighborhoods. This could include places of worship, libraries, and community centers in lower-income neighborhoods.
- People will listen and pay more attention if the information is coming from people and businesses they trust. Target and spread the word about Dollar For at trusted community organizations, such as schools and recreational centers (make sure you investigate their rules for advertising before doing outreach), community clinics, food pantries and food banks, grocery stores, hair salons, barber shops, laundromats, and community-owned businesses, local restaurants, or bars.
- Meet with community leaders who are good at connecting people – such as pastors, elected officials, or community club leaders – to tell them about Dollar For and charity care. Encourage them to pass our info on to anyone they meet who needs help. Often, these leaders can do a better job of encouraging people to get help with their medical bills.
- Ask if you can have the floor for 5 minutes at the next service at the local church or Rotary Club meeting, or community town hall.
- Dollar For seeks to empower patients. Remember, not everyone is comfortable talking about their debt and finances. Some individuals may not feel safe giving out sensitive information to a stranger. Assure them that they can always access our services on their own time.
- Don’t make broad assumptions about a person’s financial situation or ability to navigate a complicated system. Not everyone may have a permanent address, a phone number or email, or proof of income. Let them know Dollar For will do our best to help anyways. Encourage them to reach out!
- Speak another language? Try using this skill to reach and speak to communities that may not have English proficiency. Dollar For’s services are entirely bilingual in English and Spanish, but we’ll try to help others when we can.