Medical bills

People without insurance or with a low income have legal ways to reduce a bill or not pay it at all.

1. Check that it is a bill

   The letter may be an explanation of benefits (EOB) rather than a bill: a document from your insurer showing what it paid. You don't need to pay it.

2. Find out what it is for and whether insurance should have paid

   If you were insured, part of the bill may be your share (a copayment or other cost sharing). If you think a service, such as a preventive checkup, should have been free, contact Community Health Advocates.

3. If you have Medicaid, check whether you could be billed at all

   A doctor or hospital that takes Medicaid may not charge you more than Medicaid paid for covered services. The exception is if you agreed in writing in advance to pay yourself, or you were told Medicaid doesn't cover the service and agreed to pay. If you got such a bill anyway, contact Community Health Advocates.

4. Ask for an itemized bill

   Under the New York State hospital Patients' Bill of Rights, you have the right to an itemized bill and to see your medical record for free.

5. Do not pay with a credit card and do not take a medical loan

   If you pay by credit card, you lose the protections of medical debt: no wage garnishment or liens, no reporting to credit bureaus, capped interest. The hospital must warn you of this, may not demand a card in advance, and may not fill in an application for a medical credit card or loan for you.

6. Apply for the hospital's financial assistance

   If the bill is from a hospital and you have no insurance, or your medical costs are over 10% of your income, apply for the hospital's financial assistance.

State law (Public Health Law, section 2807-k, as amended from October 20, 2024) requires every hospital licensed by the state Department of Health (DOH) to reduce bills for eligible patients for emergency and necessary care. It covers the hospital's own services: inpatient care, the emergency room (ER) and its own outpatient clinics. It does not cover a separate bill from a doctor who is not on the hospital's staff, or branches at other addresses.

1. Ask for the form

   Download the financial assistance application from the hospital's website or ask the billing department for it. Every hospital uses the same form, the Uniform Hospital Financial Assistance Application, and must tell you about the help in writing at admission, registration and discharge.

2. Fill it out without giving more than needed

   The hospital may not demand a tax return, proof of citizenship, a Social Security number, bank statements, proof of assets, or monthly bills and expenses; you may attach them if they help explain your situation. Status cannot be a criterion, and assets (a house, a car) don't count: only family income does. For emergency services you qualify if you live in New York State; for other services, if you live in the hospital's primary service area. The hospital may also help patients from elsewhere.

3. Apply at any time and do not pay while it is considered

   You can apply from the day of service, even after the bill has gone to collections. While it is reviewed, you don't have to pay. The hospital may ask you to apply first for Medicaid, the Essential Plan or other public insurance if your status doesn't rule it out.

4. Arrange a payment plan

   The hospital must offer a payment plan: no more than 5% of your gross monthly income a month, and interest no higher than 2%.

5. Know your rights when a debt is collected

   You cannot be refused necessary care because of an unpaid bill. A lawsuit can come no earlier than 180 days after the first bill, and suits against patients with income below 400% FPL are banned. The hospital may not sell your debt to a third party unless that party plans to forgive it.

6. If the hospital breaks the law, file a complaint

   Fill in the state Department of Health complaint form (available in Russian) and send it to HFAL@health.ny.gov.

• Good Faith Estimate

  Any status

  Without insurance, or if you don't use it, you have the right to a written estimate (Good Faith Estimate) before the visit. If the bill is $400 or more above it, you can dispute it. Planned Parenthood says so outright, but you can ask other clinics for an estimate too.

  plannedparenthood.org

• ACCESS NYC, Medicaid

  Any statusFree

  According to the City's ACCESS NYC guide, in a Medicaid application you can ask it to pay unpaid medical bills from the last 90 days; attach the bills. From January 1, 2027 the period is shorter: 1 month for adults aged 19–64 and 2 months for everyone else.

  access.nyc.gov

• Community Health Advocates (CHA)

  Any statusFree

  Free help from the Community Service Society of New York: bills, insurance denials, where to get low-cost care. The website has a page in Russian. Write to cha@cssny.org. Emails from CHA come only from cssny.org addresses.

  communityhealthadvocates.org

• Access to Benefits Helpline, The Legal Aid Society

  Any statusFree

  The Legal Aid Society's line (free legal help) for public benefits and insurance. If you speak no English, call Legal Services NYC: 917-661-4500, press 3 for Russian, weekdays 9:30 am–4 pm.

  legalaidnyc.org

• Hospital Financial Assistance Law, complaints to the Department of Health

  Any statusFree

  The state Department of Health takes complaints about hospitals that don't follow the financial assistance law. The form is available in Russian.

  healthweb-back.health.ny.gov

• NYC Health + Hospitals Financial Assistance

  Any statusPrice depends on income

  Financial help with bills from City hospitals and clinics. Apply in MyChart (Billing, then Financial Assistance), on a paper form (also in Russian), or with a financial counselor at any H+H hospital. You are not asked to pay while it is reviewed, and no one is refused help for not being able to pay.

  nychealthandhospitals.org

• NYC Care

  Any statusNYC residentsPrice depends on income

  A City program for care without insurance; fees start at $0.

  nyccare.nyc