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Medical Bill Map

Medical bills: get free or discounted care, check your rights, fight a wrong bill

Pick your state to see whether hospitals must give free or discounted care, whether medical debt can hurt your credit and how long a bill can be collected.

Charity care means free or discounted care for people with low income. Hospitals also call it financial assistance.

Checked against official sources: October 30, 2026.

Can I get my bill reduced?Is my debt too old?Can they sue me or report it?Free help

Pick your state

State charity-care law
No state charity-care law
Not covered yet

Tap a state to see whether it has a charity-care law and whether it bans medical debt on credit reports.

States not covered yet

We have not finished checking these states against official sources. Until then, use the help below:

Free help

Your state page lists free help near you. These national services can help too:

Free tools, letters and checklist

Poverty-level calculator

Your income as a percent of the 2026 federal poverty level.

Is my medical debt too old?

Dates from your bill: credit-report limit, time limit to sue, waiting periods.

Letter: ask for an itemized bill

A request to the billing office for every charge on its own line.

Letter: apply for financial assistance

A cover letter for the application that asks the hospital to pause collection while it decides.

Letter: dispute a bill

To the hospital, or to a collector, with the federal rules for verification.

Checklist: what to gather

Bills, itemized bill, EOB, estimate, proof of income and collection letters.

Compare states

Charity care by state

Credit reporting by state

Time limits by state

Ground ambulance bills

Guides

Hospital financial assistance

The No Surprises Act

Good faith estimate dispute

Medical debt and credit reports

Itemized bills and billing errors

Insurance denials and appeals

All state guides

Alabama

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Alaska

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Arizona

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Arkansas

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

California

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 400% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

Colorado

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 250% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Partial limit

Connecticut

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 250% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

Delaware

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 400% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

District of Columbia

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Florida

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: Partial limit

Hawaii

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Idaho

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: Partial limit

Illinois

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 600% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

Indiana

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Iowa

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Kansas

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Kentucky

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Louisiana

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Maine

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 200% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

Maryland

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 300% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

Massachusetts

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 300% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Michigan

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Minnesota

Charity-care law: Yes

Credit-report ban: Full ban

Mississippi

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Missouri

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Montana

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Nebraska

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Nevada

Charity-care law: Yes

Credit-report ban: Partial limit

New Jersey

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 500% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Partial limit

New Mexico

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

New York

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 400% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

North Carolina

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

North Dakota

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Ohio

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 100% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Oklahoma

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Oregon

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 400% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

Pennsylvania

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Rhode Island

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 300% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

South Carolina

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

South Dakota

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Texas

Charity-care law: Yes

Credit-report ban: Partial limit

Utah

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Vermont

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 400% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

Virginia

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: Full ban

Washington

Charity-care law: Yes, up to 400% of the poverty level

Credit-report ban: Full ban

West Virginia

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Wyoming

Charity-care law: No

Credit-report ban: No state limit

Common questions

Which states require hospitals to give free or discounted care?

18 of the 47 states we cover have a state charity-care law: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Washington. Nonprofit hospitals in every state must also follow federal rules.

Which states ban medical debt on credit reports?

13 states have a full ban in their state law: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington. Courts and the federal government are deciding how far state bans can be enforced; see each state page.

How long can medical debt stay on my credit report?

A collection account generally cannot be reported for more than 7 years. The 7 years start 180 days after the date you first fell behind on the bill.

What if my bill is much higher than my estimate?

If one provider's or facility's bill is at least $400 more than its good faith estimate, you can use the federal patient-provider dispute resolution process. You must start within 120 calendar days of the date on the first bill. An independent reviewer decides what you pay.

Does the No Surprises Act cover ambulances?

Ground ambulance services are generally not covered by these federal protections, unless a state law has different rules.

National rules that apply in every state

Nonprofit hospitals (federal rules)

Each nonprofit hospital must have a written financial assistance policy (FAP).
Law: 26 U.S.C. 501(r)(4); 26 CFR 1.501(r)-4
Before any ECA, the hospital must tell you about financial assistance and wait at least 120 days from the first bill sent after you left the hospital.
Law: 26 CFR 1.501(r)-6(c)(3)
You can apply for at least 240 days from the first bill sent after you left the hospital.
Law: 26 CFR 1.501(r)-1(b)(3)
If you apply during the application period, even with an incomplete application, the hospital and its collectors must stop starting or continuing ECAs until the hospital decides, or until you fail to send requested information within a reasonable time.
Law: 26 CFR 1.501(r)-6(c)(8)
Once you are found eligible, the hospital cannot charge you more than the amounts generally billed (AGB) to people with insurance for emergency or other medically necessary care, and must charge less than its full gross charges for other covered care.
Law: 26 U.S.C. 501(r)(5); 26 CFR 1.501(r)-5

Surprise bills (No Surprises Act)

With most private health plans (job-based plans, Marketplace and other individual plans), you are protected from surprise out-of-network bills for emergency care, for non-emergency care at an in-network hospital, hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgical center, and for air ambulance services.
Law: 42 U.S.C. 300gg-111, 300gg-131, 300gg-132, 300gg-135
For protected services, you can't be charged more than your in-network cost-sharing (copay, coinsurance, deductible).
Law: 42 U.S.C. 300gg-131, 300gg-132
Ground ambulance services are generally not covered by these federal protections, unless a state law has different rules.
Law: CMS, Know your rights when using insurance
If you don't have insurance or won't use it, providers and facilities must usually give you a written good faith estimate.
Law: 42 U.S.C. 300gg-136; 45 CFR 149.610
If one provider's or facility's bill is at least $400 more than its good faith estimate, you can use the federal patient-provider dispute resolution process.
Law: 45 CFR 149.620(a)(2)(ii), (c)(1)

Credit reports

A collection account generally cannot be reported for more than 7 years.
Law: 15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(4), (c)(1)
For a veteran's medical debt (care authorized by the VA from a non-VA provider, or a bill the VA charged in error), nationwide credit bureaus may not report it until 1 year after the care, and may not report it once it is fully paid or settled, when they know it is a veteran's medical debt.
Law: 15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(7), (8); 15 U.S.C. 1681a
If a medical debt on your credit report is wrong, you can dispute it with the credit bureau for free.
Law: 15 U.S.C. 1681i(a)(1)

National help