Non-Profit Hospital Systems and Financial Assistance Programs

Many hospitals in the metro Detroit region have a non-profit status. Part of that non-profit status is forgiving medical bills for patients who earn below a certain threshold. So, if you have a low income and you have been hospitalized, and you are unable to pay the bill, you may be eligible for a financial assistance program through your hospital.

Here’s how it works. You can start by Googling your hospital system and their financial assistance policy, let’s take Beaumont Health as an example.

From the Financial Assistance Policy page, you can find the exact dollar amounts you would have to earn to have your medical care forgiven by the non-profit or not-for-profit hospital system. These are based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines. At the hospital in this example, if you earn up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Guideline, you can have 100% of your medical care forgiven. If you earn up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Guideline, you can have 76% of your medical care forgiven. Read this page for the full Financial Policy.

Charity Care Adjustments for 2021 at Beaumont Health, a not-for-profit company.

If you find yourself in this situation, of receiving medical care that you cannot afford while being below 300% of the Federal Poverty Guideline, you can apply for medical bill forgiveness via this form.

This is just one example of how to get this done, as there are distinct hospital systems with distinct Financial Assistance Policies. But, a quick google search and a few forms may help you save a lot of money on a hospital bill.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day,

-Dr. Paul Thomas