Starter Packs are our best answers to some big questions, and collections of favorite podcast episodes. See them all here.

Starter Pack

How to wipe out your medical bill with charity care

Most hospitals are required by law to provide financial assistance (AKA “charity care”) to a portion of their patients. And more people qualify than know about it.
Copy URL

How to get the help you need

An estimated sixty percent of Americans can qualify for some sort of break on hospital bills. That could be you, or someone you care about. 



First Aid Kit Logo

First, see if you can get your medical bill forgiven

If you’re stuck with a huge medical bill, your hospital’s “charity care” policy could help wipe it away.



An Arm and a Leg Logo

Could billions in medical debt get zapped by a legal strategy from this 60-second video?

How charity care works — and the story of a group dedicated to helping people sign up.



An Arm and a Leg Logo

Why you should ask for "charity care" by name

A pro tip from the charity care experts at Dollar For: If you just ask for “financial assistance,” you could get routed to a payment plan. Instead, ask for it by name: “charity care.” 



First Aid Kit Logo

Advanced tips for getting financial assistance for hospital bills



First Aid Kit Logo

A tool for avoiding hospital bills you can't pay

Different hospitals have different charity care policies. Here’s a tool to find which hospitals in your area have a charity care program for you.

Fight! Advocating for charity care reform

Hospitals could give out at least $14 billion more in charity care every year. Here are stories from our listeners trying to make it happen



An Arm and a Leg Logo

A listener fighting the good fight

Across the country, people are fighting for charity care reform—including one of our listeners.



An Arm and a Leg Logo

New lessons from the fight for charity care

What can states do to help make accessing charity care easier — and make medical debt disappear?



First Aid Kit Logo

A First Aid Kit reader organized a medical-debt clinic

There are people out there who want to help fill your arsenal with tools, so that you can access the charity care you need.

Some history

Calling all history-heads: Here’s how “charity care” became the law of the land. 



An Arm and a Leg Logo

A legendary lawyer sued hospitals for price-gouging their patients. And got his butt handed to him.

A famous attorney fought to get non-profit “charity” hospitals to actually provide charity care.



An Arm and a Leg Logo

The wild backstory of a tiny but crucial Obamacare provision (ft. David Axelrod)

Wait, charity care policies almost didn’t become law?!



An Arm and a Leg Logo

“We just kept right on pushing” … and laws changed

A tragic story helped change charity care policies for the better.



An Arm and a Leg Logo

Wait, that was legal until now?!

When hospitals sued patients, advocates stepped up.

 

Think someone else might find this helpful?
Copy URL

More of our reporting