Hospital Financial Assistance

病院財政支援 (byōin zaisei shien)

Hospital financial assistance programs, also called charity care programs, provide free or discounted care to patients who cannot pay their medical bills. Under the ACA, non-profit hospitals must have written financial assistance policies (FAPs), publicize them, make plain-language summaries available, and not charge patients who qualify for assistance more than the amounts generally billed to insured patients. Applications are typically income-based. Hospitals must provide financial assistance applications before sending bills to collections.

Patients should ask about financial assistance at registration or before discharge; many hospitals have financial counselors available to help with applications.

In 9 languages

LanguageTerm
English Hospital Financial Assistance
Japanese (日本語) 病院財政支援
Chinese (中文) 医院财政援助
Korean (한국어) 병원 재정 지원
Portuguese Assistência Financeira Hospitalar
Spanish Asistencia Financiera Hospitalaria
Filipino Hospital Financial Assistance
Thai ความช่วยเหลือทางการเงินของโรงพยาบาล
Vietnamese Hỗ trợ tài chính bệnh viện
Romanization byōin zaisei shien
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Last reviewed: September 2026