Making financial assistance programs equitable and accessible

An estimated 41% of adults in the US are in medical debt because of unpaid medical or dental bills. Medical debt can profoundly disrupt lives; it can lead to bankruptcies and loss of homes or wages and force difficult choices between basic needs and medical bills. To protect vulnerable populations from medical debt, federal law requires all nonprofit hospitals to establish financial assistance policies, but there are several key gaps in this requirement that prevent it from being fully effective. First, it does not apply to for-profit hospitals, which make up approximately a quarter of hospitals in the country. Second, it does not set a minimum threshold for determining who should be eligible for financial assistance. Third, it does not specify how much financial assistance hospitals must provide to eligible patients. Fourth, it fails to standardize the process of applying for financial assistance, making the benefit inaccessible to many who should be eligible for it.
 

This Viewpoint discusses the lack of oversight and uniformity in hospitals’ financial assistance programs and the impact on patient access.