Dollar For, a nonprofit that helps patients access financial assistance for hospital bills, commends the IRS for its plan to clarify hospital financial assistance regulations. In a letter to the IRS, Dollar For shared key recommendations to ensure hospitals fulfill their responsibility to support patients in need.
Since its founding, Dollar For has helped more than 20,000 patients secure nearly $70 million in medical debt forgiveness through charity care programs. Leveraging a comprehensive database of every U.S. hospital’s financial assistance policies and an easy-to-use online screener, Dollar For empowers patients to access financial relief and reclaim their lives. Based on this extensive experience, the organization has identified systemic barriers that prevent patients from receiving financial assistance and submitted a detailed letter of recommendations to address these issues.
Dollar For’s recommendations to the IRS include:
- Eliminating Residency Restrictions: Many hospitals unfairly restrict financial assistance to patients based on geographic location, a practice Dollar For argues violates 501(r) regulations.
- Prohibiting Insurance-Based Discrimination: With nearly a quarter of Americans underinsured, hospitals must ensure financial assistance policies apply to insured patients as well as the uninsured.
- Improving Public Awareness of Charity Care: Hospitals must do more to widely publicize their financial assistance policies, including prominent placement on websites and conspicuous notices on billing statements.
- Clarifying Application Deadlines: Patients should have the full 240-day period to complete their financial assistance applications without being denied for arbitrary deadlines.
“Patients shouldn’t face crushing debt because of unnecessary barriers to financial assistance,” said Jared Walker, founder of Dollar For. “Our recommendations are grounded in data and real patient experiences, and we’re urging the IRS to incorporate these solutions into their guidance.”
Medical debt remains one of the leading drivers of poverty, bankruptcies, and delayed care in the United States. Dollar For estimates that over $14 billion in charity care goes ungranted annually. By addressing these key issues, the IRS can create a significant impact on communities across the country.
Read Dollar For’s full letter to the IRS here.