Hospital bill you can't pay: ask a nonprofit hospital for its financial assistance policy (free or discounted care)

Kentucky and Indiana · Checked 2026-10-28

Get these first

a bill or upcoming care at a tax-exempt (nonprofit) hospital

Ask the hospital (front desk, emergency room or admissions, or billing) for its financial assistance policy and application; paper copies are free.
Or find the policy, application and plain-language summary on the hospital's website.
Fill out the application the way the policy says.

What you can get: The eligibility criteria for financial assistance and whether such assistance includes free or discounted care; Official source
Who can get it: Apply to all emergency and other medically necessary care provided by the hospital facility Official source
What to bring: FAP application form Official source
How to apply: the hospital facility must make paper copies of the FAP documents available upon request and without charge, both by mail and in public locations in the hospital facility, including, at a minimum, in the emergency room (if any) and admissions areas. Official source
Where to apply: widely available on a Web site Official source
Who decides: Section 501(r)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) requires a tax-exempt hospital organization to establish a written financial assistance policy (FAP). Official source
How fast they decide: Not confirmed yet