What is 501(r) / Financial Assistance?

501(r), or Financial Assistance, programs offer help to patients who fall within a certain household size and income. All Non-Profit hospitals are required by law to maintain a financial assistance policy, These must be widely publicized, but a lot of patients either don't know they exist, or assume they don't qualify. Most For-Profit facilities will also have a financial assistance policy.

Typically, you can find the policy by simply searching for it in your favorite search engine, or within the hospital's website. An application should be readily available for you to fill in. The application will look something like this:

Hospitals will ask you to complete the application form, and also supply supporting evidence, to show that your income is within their guidelines. Typically, hospitals will ask for copies of your recent bank statements, paystubs, and most recent Tax Return or W-2.

Goodbill makes this much easier, by making all forms available online, sending it to the facility for you, and then calling the hospital until a determination has been made. This is linked to your Goodbill account, so you can access all documents in one place, which Goodbill will manage for you.