Your hospital bill could be forgiven or reduced

Most hospitals offer financial assistance programs. Many people can get help. On average, a family of four earning less than $100,000 a year will qualify. 

• Check your eligibility — and get free help applying — from the nonprofit Dollar For.
• Compare the policies at local hospitals, using this tool from the Lown Institute.
• Learn more about financial assistance and charity care in our starter pack.

Find discounts for prescription drugs

The nonprofit Needy Meds has a list of discounts and financial assistance programs for prescription medications. 

For links to more resources — and advice about how to use them — we’ve got a whole playbook for you.

Have a serious or chronic health condition?

You may be eligible for free help from the Patient Advocate Foundation.

They can help get insurance to cover treatment, appeal denied claims, and connect you with benefits that can help. 

Find an action plan for your bills

Answer a few multiple-choice questions on this U.S. government website to learn ways to navigate your situation.

Learn about your rights

You have more than you may think — to dispute surprise bills, fight unfair debt-collection practices, and access care with or without insurance. 

• The Public Interest Research Group has a comprehensive guide.
• A U.S. government website outlines protections under the No Surprises Act.

Uninsured? You may qualify for Medicaid or a low-premium plan

You can find local help through this page at healthcare.gov.

Or you can check here yourself to see if you qualify for Medicaid.

On Medicare and having insurance problems?

Call the Medicare Rights Center: 800-333-4114.

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To learn a ton more

Check out An Arm and a Leg’s “Starter Packs,” with guides to dealing with a giant bill, fighting back if insurance denies your claim, and other tough issues.

AND: This is an ongoing project, and there are LOTS of ways you can help! Learn more here. 

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The team and this project

An Arm and a Leg is a podcast about why health care costs so much and what we can maybe do about it, produced by a team of award-winning journalists. Our First Aid Kit newsletter compiles essential takeaways from our reporting.

This resource list was developed in collaboration with our listeners and readers, including Thomas Sanford, who co-created the first iteration as a handout for patients, and Rosemary Rogers, who developed a user-friendly PDF and customizable template. You can read about how this got developed here and here.