Can't afford care? Help exists — most people don't know it.

FQHCs are community health centers that charge on a sliding scale based on your income. For many low-income patients the cost per visit is $0 to $35 — even if you have no insurance. HRSA funds nearly 1,400 health center organizations operating more than 16,000 service sites across the US.

Services include primary care, behavioral health, dental, and often pharmacy. They cannot turn you away for inability to pay. You don't need to be uninsured — many people with high-deductible plans use them to avoid out-of-pocket costs.

Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) hospital organizations are federally required to maintain and publicize a Financial Assistance Policy (FAP). Eligibility and discount amounts are set by each covered hospital’s policy.

Income thresholds vary by hospital, and some policies provide free or discounted care well above the federal poverty line. Federal rules generally preserve an application period through day 240 after the first post-discharge billing statement; check the hospital’s current policy, dates, and provider coverage before relying on it.

Both Lysco charity-care tools are free: first check your income against the hospital’s policy, then fill in the hospital’s application with your own numbers. The hospital, not Lysco, decides eligibility.

About half of adults in households earning under $40,000 (52%) did not take a medication as prescribed in the past year because of cost (KFF Health Tracking Poll, February–March 2026). Most major drug manufacturers run a patient assistance program (PAP) that gives the medication free or at a deep discount to people who meet the program’s income, insurance, and clinical rules.

• Manufacturer programs — Lysco’s free drug-assistance tool looks up the manufacturer’s program for your medication and helps you prepare the application.
• Medicare Extra Help — if you are on Medicare with limited income and resources, the Part D Low-Income Subsidy caps copays at $5.10 for covered generics and $12.65 for covered brand-name drugs in 2026, and at $5.80 and $14.40 from January 2027. Apply at ssa.gov
• 340B pharmacies at FQHCs and participating hospitals offer deep discounts to qualifying patients.

If your insurance is denying the drug specifically (not just making it expensive), Lysco's denial-appeal flow can help.

Marketplace subsidies still exist, but they shrank in 2026. The enhanced premium tax credits that lowered premiums from 2021 through 2025 expired at the end of 2025, so many subsidized enrollees pay more this year. Regular ACA subsidies remain, and many households still qualify for substantial help — check what you would actually pay before assuming you can't afford coverage.

Medicaid covers adults up to 138% of federal poverty level in expansion states (and higher in some). Enrollment is year-round — not just open enrollment. If your income drops for any reason (job loss, reduced hours), check eligibility immediately. Lysco’s free benefits finder screens for Medicaid and other government programs, and the affordability planner helps you estimate what upcoming care will cost before you book it.