How to Obtain Charity Care

Millions of Americans go without health insurance coverage every year. According to U.S. Census data, about 8.6% of the population was uninsured in 2021.

The uninsured rate is quite a bit lower than it was in 2013, before the bulk of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was implemented. But it's still a significant number of people who don't have health coverage.

This article will help you understand how you can get free or low-cost health care if you don't have health insurance.

Being Uninsured Means Less Health Care

Unfortunately, those without health insurance will have a much more difficult time finding timely and affordable treatment for health issues and overall medical care. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, those without insurance tend to not get preventative care which includes important screenings for diseases.

In fact, nearly half of uninsured adults under the age of 65 reported in 2021 that they hadn't seen a doctor in the past 12 months, versus about 18% of the people who had private health insurance and 13% of those with Medicaid. However, if you are uninsured, you still have several options when you need medical care.

And it's important to note that Medicaid/CHIP enrollment is available year-round. If your income is low, you may find that you're eligible for one of these programs (CHIP is mostly for kids, while Medicaid can be available to both adults and children). And there's no open enrollment period—you can apply anytime. Here's contact information for each state's Medicaid/CHIP program.

Health Care Options for the Uninsured

If you're uninsured, here are some of your options:

• Emergency Rooms: Passed in 1986, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requires emergency rooms (that accept Medicare, which is virtually all of them) across the United States to assess and stabilize anyone who walks through the door, regardless of their healthcare plan or their ability to pay.
  But it's important to understand the limitation of EMTALA: The law only requires the emergency room to assess the patient and stabilize them if necessary. They do not have to provide any other treatment beyond what's necessary for stabilization. So while they can't let a patient bleed to death without intervening, they are not required to provide any sort of treatment after the patient is stabilized. So relying on the ER is not an adequate solution in most circumstances.
  And it's also important to note that the ER can and will generally send a bill for the services they provide under EMTALA. Patients who are unable to pay these bills will often find that the unpaid bills are is sent to collections.
• Federally Qualified Health Centers: These clinics provide services on a sliding fee scale in underserved communities, particularly in rural areas. They receive federal grants to fund their operations (in addition to payments from Medicaid and private insurers, when patients have those forms of coverage) and must meet various federal guidelines. You can use this locator tool to find federally qualified health centers near you.
• Other Free and Sliding Scale Clinics: In addition to federally qualified health centers, there are other free and sliding scale clinics located throughout the United States, often run by churches or non-profit organizations. These clinics provide health care to local low-income residents and needy individuals, and the fees at these clinics typically depend on your income.
• Temporary Free Clinics: Medical and dental professionals sometimes volunteer their time to staff temporary clinics that offer free treatment in underserved areas. These pop-up clinics typically last just a day or two, and can be located in school gyms, churches, fairgrounds, or any other publicly available space, with numerous medical providers assisting a large volume of patients simultaneously.
  Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps is an organization that runs medical, dental, and vision pop-up clinics; you can find more information about their available clinics here. You can also find pop-up dental clinics here, sponsored by the America's Dentists Care Foundation. You can also contact your county public health department to see if there are any free pop-up clinics scheduled for your area in the near future, and to get information about what you'll need to do in order to participate.
• Charity Care: As the name suggests, charity care is just that; charity. Charity care, also commonly referred to as uncompensated health care, is health care provided for free, or at a reduced cost, to people with limited income who would otherwise be unable to pay for their treatment.
  Charity care is available at participating hospitals and similar healthcare facilities (you can search "safety net hospital" and the name of your city to see what hospitals in your area are committed to serving low-income and uninsured patients). Patients generally need to apply for charity care, but some hospitals are required to screen for it before sending patients' bills to collections.
  While a community health center or free clinic primarily treats people with limited ability to pay, charity care is provided at hospitals and facilities that typically treat insured patients and those with the ability to pay, but that agree to also provide a certain amount of charity care to patients who are unable to pay.

How to Obtain Charity Care

If you're in need of care that can't be provided at a free or sliding scale clinic, and you have a fairly low income and are unable to pay for your treatment—either because you're uninsured or because you can't afford your health plan's out-of-pocket costs—you'll want to familiarize yourself with how charity care works at the nearby hospitals, and what state regulations apply.

The Affordable Care Act implemented some new rules that apply to tax-exempt charitable hospitals (26 U.S. Code 501(r)) in an effort to ensure that patients' bills aren't sent to collections until after the hospital determines whether the patient is eligible for charity care.

There are also a variety of state-based laws and regulations relating to charity care. For example:

• Colorado requires hospitals to limit charges to the lowest amount that the hospital has negotiated with any insurance company, as long as the patient's income is less than 250% of the poverty level. (federal poverty level numbers can be found here).
• New Jersey's hospital charity care program applies to all acute care hospitals in the state and provides free or reduced-price medically necessary services to people whose income doesn't exceed 300% of the poverty level, and who have limited assets.
• In California, a patient is eligible for free or reduced care at acute care hospitals if their income doesn't exceed 350% of the poverty level and they're either uninsured or if they are insured, their medical expenses exceed 10% of their income.
• In Illinois, patients can qualify for charity care discounts with income as high as 600% of the poverty level and are eligible for free care if their income doesn't exceed 200% of the poverty level.

The National Consumer Law Center has a good overview of state rules pertaining to hospital financial assistance programs.

But many other states have less generous guidelines and leave more of the details up to the hospitals. And even in states where hospitals are limited in terms of how much they can charge uninsured patients, these requirements typically don't extend to the individual medical providers who practice in the hospital but bill separately for their services.

You can find out more information about the specific requirements in your state by contacting your state's hospital association, reaching out to the state insurance department, or asking to speak directly with a social worker or financial assistance counselor at your local hospital.

If you're applying for financial assistance through the hospital's charity care program, be prepared to provide proof of income and assets, and information about any insurance coverage you may have, including the out-of-pocket costs that you have to pay.

Summary

Free and low-cost health care is a available in a variety of setting for people who don't have health coverage or the ability to pay for the care they need. This includes emergency care (which can still generate a bill, depending on the hospital's approach to charity care and the specific circumstances) as well as care received at clinics that are specifically designed to assist low-income and uninsured patients.

A Word From Verywell

If you're uninsured and unable to pay for health care, know that there are options available that might make it easier for you to obtain the care you need. Medicaid/CHIP enrollment is available year-round, so you should check with your state to see if you're eligible. If not, free or low-cost clinics in your area may be able to provide you with the care you need.