Help with medical bills when you don't have insurance
Without insurance, you still have rights: estimates before care, discounts, and financial help. These guides show you how to use them.
Lower your medical bill
- Bills after surgery: facility, surgeon, anesthesia, and moreSurgery often brings 4 or more bills. Learn who sends each one, what the law protects, and how to check every bill against your EOB before you pay.
- Emergency room bills: check it, fix it, lower itAn ER visit can bring 3 or 4 bills. See what each covers, which federal rules protect you, and how to check and lower an ER bill that seems too high.
- Hospital charity care: do you qualify and how to applyHospital charity care can lower or cover your bill. See who qualifies, the 2026 poverty guidelines, your rights at nonprofit hospitals, and how to apply.
- How to get an itemized hospital bill (script and letter)Your hospital bill shows only totals? Here's how to get an itemized bill, with a phone script, a short letter, your rights, and what to check first.
- How to lower your medical bills: the complete guideLower a medical bill in the right order: check for errors, fix insurance problems, then ask for charity care, discounts, and an interest-free payment plan.
- How to negotiate a hospital bill (what to say, what to ask for)Learn how to negotiate a hospital bill: what to check first, what to ask for, how to use the hospital's own posted prices, and a script you can use today.
Avoid surprise bills
- Good faith estimates and the $400 dispute rulePaying for care yourself? See what a good faith estimate must show, and how to dispute a bill that's $400 or more above it within 120 days of the bill.
- How to avoid surprise medical billsMost surprise medical bills can be prevented. Use this routine before care: check networks, get approval and a price estimate, and know your rights.
Can't afford a medical bill
- Can't afford your medical bills? Every option, in orderCan't afford a medical bill? Here's every option in order, from checking the bill and charity care to payment plans, collections rights and your credit.
- Interest-free medical payment plans: how to askHow to ask for an interest-free medical bill payment plan: a phone script, how to pick a monthly amount, and what to get in writing before you agree.
- Medical bill in collections: your rightsA medical bill in collections isn't the end of the road. Learn your rights, how to dispute the debt, and how to ask for help or a plan you can afford.
- Medical debt and your credit report: current rulesDo medical bills affect your credit? Here are the credit reporting rules as of September 2026, how to check your reports free, and how to dispute an error.
- What happens if you don't pay a medical bill?What happens if you don't pay medical bills? Here's the calm, step-by-step timeline, from reminders to collections and credit, and what to do instead.