Free or discounted hospital care is a federal right. Most people don’t know they qualify.
Under IRS §501(r)(4), every nonprofit hospital in the United States is legally required to have a Financial Assistance Policy — and to tell you about it. Ten states go further and require the same from for-profit hospitals. The average threshold is around 204% of the Federal Poverty Level for free care and 322% FPL for discounted care.
Answer four quick questions below to see if you likely qualify. Nothing is stored — the screener runs entirely in your browser.
This is an estimate, not a decision. Actual eligibility is set by each hospital’s Financial Assistance Policy (FAP). Nonprofit hospitals must maintain one under IRS §501(r)(4); the income thresholds in our sample range from 41% to 600% FPL across hospitals (Health Affairs, 2024).
Federal protections at a glance. §501(r)(6) requires nonprofit hospitals to give you at least 240 days after your first bill to apply, pause collections while your application is pending, and allow you to fix an incomplete application. They must publish the FAP on their website and in billing statements.
We don’t store your answers. The screener runs entirely in your browser.
What §501(r) actually requires
§501(r)(4) requires every nonprofit hospital to publish a written Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) that states who qualifies, what they get (free, discounted, or sliding-scale), and how to apply. The FAP must be posted on the hospital’s website and listed in every billing statement.
§501(r)(6) requires the hospital to give you at least 240 days from the first post-discharge billing statement to apply for financial assistance (the “application period”). While your application is pending the hospital must pause Extraordinary Collection Actions and cannot report you to a credit bureau. (26 CFR §1.501(r)-6, as of May 2026.)
§501(r)(5) requires the hospital to charge FAP-eligible patients no more than the “amounts generally billed” — i.e. the rates commercial insurers pay — not the inflated chargemaster rates that appear on the initial bill.
Despite all of this, most patients never apply — hospitals are inconsistent about telling them, and the forms vary. Lysco drafts the request, cites the rule, and keeps your application from getting lost in billing queues.
Got a hospital bill? Start the request.
Upload or paste your hospital bill. Lysco drafts the §501(r) financial-assistance letter, cites the federal rule, and asks the hospital to pause collections while your application is pending.
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Lysco is an informational tool — not a law firm, financial advisor, or licensed patient advocate. Eligibility is determined by each hospital’s Financial Assistance Policy under IRS §501(r) and applicable state law. Individual outcomes depend on documentation, hospital, and circumstances. This page is not legal, financial, or medical advice.