Q: What does hfa do?
A: hfa helps patients save money on their hospital bills using their hospitals’ Financial Assistance Policies.
Q: How can I get a discount on my hospital bill?
A: Non-profit hospitals offer discounts to patients through their Financial Assistance Policies. If you qualify based on the guidelines laid out in your hospital’s policy, you need to complete and submit your hospital’s Financial Assistance Application in order to receive your discount.
Q: Where can I find my hospital’s Financial Assistance Policy?
A: You can find your hospital’s Financial Assistance Policy at the hospital or on their website.
Q: I just pulled up my hospital’s Financial Assistance Policy, but it’s very long and hard to understand. Where can I find out if I’ll qualify for a discount?
A: You’re right. Even people who work in healthcare often have a hard time decoding these policies. That’s where hfa’s free See If You Qualify tool comes in. Take 1 minute to answer the pre-screening questions and based on the answers given we will give you a high-confidence answer to whether you will qualify for a discount.
Q: Is my information secure?
A: Absolutely. The security of your information is our highest priority. We have several safeguards in place to insure that your information is always secure. For more details, please CLICK HERE to learn more.
Q: The free See If You Qualify tool says that I will likely qualify for a discount, now what?
A: Now you need to fill out your hospital’s Financial Assistance Application. hfa’s EasyApply Now tool walks you through each of the questions your hospital asks in their Financial Assistance Application, allows you to upload any supporting documentation your hospital requires, and sends your application to your hospital for processing.
Q: Wow, my EasyApply application was very easy to use! Now what?
A: Within 30-60 days you should receive a letter from your hospital approving or denying your financial assistance application. It will state the amount of your discount and any remaining balance owed if you did not qualify for a 100% discount.
Q: What if my application gets denied?
A: If your application gets denied because your income or assets are too high, and you have provided all required documentation to the hospital, send us a copy of the denial letter and we will issue you a full refund. More information here.
Q: I have insurance, does that mean I won’t qualify for financial assistance?
A: In most cases, no. Most hospital Financial Assistance Policies apply to patient balances after insurance, too.
Q: My hospital bill isn’t very large, should I still apply for financial assistance?
A: Absolutely. Most hospitals will apply your financial assistance discount to all bills you currently owe them, as well as any future bills for a defined period (often 6 months).
Q: I already have hospital bills in collections, will my discount apply to those accounts as well?
A: In most cases, yes. The law states that you have 240 days from the day your first statement is sent to apply for financial assistance, however, most hospitals will apply your discount to all accounts you owe them, whether they are in collections or not.
Q: I already paid my hospital bill. If I qualify for financial assistance, will I get a refund?
A: Yes. The law requires nonprofit hospitals to refund patient overpayments on accounts where financial assistance has been granted.
Q: What if I recently lost my job? Will the hospital base my discount on current income or last year’s income?
A: Since hospital policies on this matter vary, we recommend that you answer all application questions based on your current situation. If your hospital denies your application hfa will issue you a full refund.
Q: Does the hospital take my assets into account as well like home equity, bank accounts, and retirement savings?
A: Most hospitals do take assets into considering when approving or denying a financial assistance application. For example, if you have a $2,000 hospital bill and $50,000 in your checking account, depending on the terms of the policy they may deny your application regardless of your income. We still recommend taking a few minutes to apply due to the significant potential savings.
Q: Can I apply for financial assistance directly at the hospital?
A: Yes. We created the EasyApply Now application service to simplify the application process for patients, so that more people who qualify for these discounts apply because the process isn’t so hard, frustrating, and taboo. You certainly do not need to use EasyApply in order to apply for financial assistance, but if you try doing it yourself and get stuck, we’re happy to help!