Medical bills in Massachusetts: free care, credit reports and your rights
Massachusetts has a law that requires hospitals to give free or discounted care to people with income up to 300% of the federal poverty level.
Massachusetts has no state law that keeps medical debt off credit reports; the federal 7-year limit still applies.
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.
Federal rules for nonprofit hospitals apply in every state. Free help can review your bill.
Can I get my bill reduced in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has a law that requires hospitals to give free or discounted care to people with income up to 300% of the federal poverty level.
| Income (% of poverty level) | What you get | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 150% | Free care | If your household income (counted the MassHealth way) is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, the Health Safety Net pays for eligible services at the hospital or health center, with no deductible. You may still owe small copays for some services such as pharmacy. |
| 150% to 300% | Discount | If your household income is above 150% and up to 300% of the federal poverty level, you are 'Health Safety Net - Partial': you pay a yearly deductible first (the greater of the lowest ConnectorCare premium, adjusted for family size, or 40% of the difference between your family's income and 200% of the poverty level), and the Health Safety Net pays for eligible services above it. |
These are the income levels written in the law. Each hospital decides using its own policy.
- The law
Health Safety Net
Law: 101 CMR 613.00; 101 CMR 613.02, 613.04, 613.05, 613.08 (M.G.L. c. 118E)
- Which hospitals
All acute care hospitals and community health centers that are paid by the Health Safety Net, including for-profit hospitals. Hospital-licensed health centers and satellite clinics are included.
- Who can get help
Massachusetts residents. Uninsured people can get Health Safety Net - Primary and people with other insurance can get Health Safety Net - Secondary. You apply through the MassHealth application.
- The most you can be charged
If you are a Low Income Patient, the hospital or health center may not bill you for Health Safety Net-covered services from your eligibility period except copays and deductibles.
- Deadline to apply
Low Income Patient status lasts up to 1 year from the date it is approved and covers services from that date on. A Medical Hardship application can include bills from the 12 months before you apply.
Law: 101 CMR 613.02, 613.04, 613.05, 613.08 (M.G.L. c. 118E)
Check your income level
Find out what percent of the federal poverty level your household income is, and compare it with the income levels in Massachusetts law.
Is my debt too old in Massachusetts?
| Kind of agreement | Time limit to sue |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 6 years |
| Open account | 6 years |
| Oral (spoken) agreement | 6 years |
Lawsuits on contracts, written or oral, express or implied, must be filed within 6 years after the claim arises.
- What can restart the clock
An acknowledgment or new promise restarts the time limit only if it is in a writing signed by you. Under Attorney General rules, a collector seeking payment on a debt it knows is too old to sue on must give you a notice that warns a payment may renew the debt.
- When the clock starts
When the cause of action accrues.
Law: M.G.L. c. 260, §§ 2, 13; M.G.L. c. 940 CMR 7.07(24)
A time limit to sue can differ by kind of agreement, and when it starts and what restarts it can differ; a court decides.
Can they sue me or report it in Massachusetts?
- Credit reports
No state limit
Massachusetts does not currently have a law that keeps medical debt off credit reports. The Department of Public Health has proposed a rule that would bar licensed health care facilities and providers, and collectors working for them, from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus. It is not final.
Law: Proposed 105 CMR 95.00 (Department of Public Health)
- Waiting rules
If you are a Low Income Patient, hospitals and health centers may not take any collection action (bills, letters, calls, collection agencies or lawyers) for Health Safety Net-covered services from your eligibility period, except for copays and deductibles. People enrolled in MassHealth, and children in the Children's Medical Security Plan at or below 300% of the poverty level, may be billed only for required copays and deductibles. If you qualify for Medical Hardship, the provider may not collect more than your hardship contribution, and if a provider helping you fails to send your completed hardship application within 5 business days it may not collect the bills that would have been covered. All written collection notices must say financial assistance is available.
- Interest
Payment plans that hospitals and health centers must offer to Low Income Patients and Medical Hardship patients must be interest free.
- Liens on your home
A hospital or health center (or its agent) may not seek legal execution against the home or car of a Low Income Patient without the express approval of its Board of Trustees, decided case by case.
- Wage garnishment
Massachusetts protects the greater of 85% of your gross weekly wages or 50 times the higher of the federal or state hourly minimum wage for each week (not for support orders).
Law: 101 CMR 613.05(2), 613.08(1)(b), (1)(e), (1)(g), (3); M.G.L. c. 246, § 28
Payment plans and interest in Massachusetts
- Hospitals must offer a payment plan
- Interest-free
If you are a Low Income Patient or qualify for Medical Hardship, the hospital or health center must offer an interest-free payment plan. For a balance of $1,000 or less (after any deposit), the plan must last at least 1 year with a minimum monthly payment of no more than $25. For more than $1,000, it must last at least 2 years. Deposits are limited (Low Income Patients: 20% of the deductible, up to $500; Medical Hardship: 20% of the contribution, up to $1,000), and no deposit may be required for emergency care or from Low Income Patients before treatment.
Law: 101 CMR 613.08(1)(g)
Surprise bills and ambulance bills in Massachusetts
- State law
Massachusetts provider network-status disclosure law
- Which plans it covers
Patients with health benefit plans regulated by Massachusetts. Self-funded employer plans are regulated by federal law.
- What it adds
When you schedule non-emergency care, a provider must find out whether it is in your plan's network. If it is out of network and the care was scheduled more than 7 days ahead, it must tell you orally and in writing at least 7 days before.
- Ground ambulance
No state limit listed
Massachusetts has no state limit on ground ambulance bills that we list here. The federal No Surprises Act generally does not cover ground ambulances either, so ask the ambulance company about financial assistance and a payment plan.
Law: M.G.L. c. 111, § 228
Itemized bills and price estimates in Massachusetts
Massachusetts law gives you a right to an itemized bill.
Under the Massachusetts patients' rights law, a patient at a hospital, clinic or other licensed facility can ask for an itemized bill showing lab charges, pharmacy charges and insurance credits, and a copy of any itemized bill sent to an insurer. A patient can also ask a physician for an itemized bill including insurance payments, no matter who pays. The law does not set a number of days.
Law: M.G.L. c. 111, § 70E
Price estimates
If your provider is in your plan's network, you can ask for the allowed amount and any facility fees for a scheduled admission, procedure or service, and the provider must tell you within 2 days. If the provider is out of network, it must tell you its charge and facility fees when you schedule, and that you may owe what your plan does not cover.
Law: M.G.L. c. 111, § 228(b)
Health coverage and Medicaid in Massachusetts
MassHealth is Massachusetts's Medicaid program. Apply for it here:
Where to complain in Massachusetts
- Hospital bills and financial assistance: Health Safety Net Office (Executive Office of Health and Human Services) · 1-877-910-2100
You disagree with a Health Safety Net or Medical Hardship decision, or a hospital or health center billed you when the rules say it should not. - Attorney general: Massachusetts Attorney General, Health Care Division Helpline · 617-963-2100
Problems with medical bills, health insurance or health care providers. - Health insurance: Massachusetts Division of Insurance, Consumer Services Unit · 1-877-563-4467
Problems with a Massachusetts-regulated health insurance plan. - Debt collectors: Massachusetts Attorney General, Consumer Advocacy and Response Division · 617-727-8400
A debt collector broke state debt collection rules.
Free help in Massachusetts
Free tools, letters and checklist
Good to know in Massachusetts
- Medical Hardship: any Massachusetts resident whose allowable medical bills exceed a share of income (10% at up to 205% of poverty, rising to 40% above 605%) can ask the Health Safety Net to pay hospital and health center bills above that share.
Law: 101 CMR 613.05
- Hospitals and health centers may not bill a Low Income Patient for care related to medical errors or for claims the primary insurer denied because of an administrative or billing error.
Law: 101 CMR 613.08(3)(e)
- Hospitals and health centers may not require a deposit before admission or treatment from people who need emergency care or from Low Income Patients.
Law: 101 CMR 613.08(1)(g)
Changes in 2024–2026
April 1, 2024: current version of the Health Safety Net regulation took effect. June 30, 2026: the Department of Public Health proposed 105 CMR 95.00 to bar licensed providers and their collectors from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus (public hearing July 27, 2026; not final). October 9, 2026: an emergency amendment to 101 CMR 613.00 applied MassHealth adult dental limits (including a $1,750 yearly maximum shared with MassHealth) to Health Safety Net adult dental services from August 1, 2026. Medical debt bills (for example H.4809) and emergency ambulance surprise-billing bills (S.799, H.5042) of the 194th General Court had not been enacted.
Law: 101 CMR 613.00
Questions about medical bills in Massachusetts
Does Massachusetts require hospitals to give free or discounted care?
Massachusetts has a law that requires hospitals to give free or discounted care to people with income up to 300% of the federal poverty level.
How long can a medical bill be collected or sued on in Massachusetts?
Lawsuits on contracts, written or oral, express or implied, must be filed within 6 years after the claim arises.
Can a medical debt lead to wage garnishment or a lien on my home in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts protects the greater of 85% of your gross weekly wages or 50 times the higher of the federal or state hourly minimum wage for each week (not for support orders).
Do I have a right to an itemized bill in Massachusetts?
Under the Massachusetts patients' rights law, a patient at a hospital, clinic or other licensed facility can ask for an itemized bill showing lab charges, pharmacy charges and insurance credits, and a copy of any itemized bill sent to an insurer. A patient can also ask a physician for an itemized bill including insurance payments, no matter who pays.
Can I get a payment plan for a hospital bill in Massachusetts?
If you are a Low Income Patient or qualify for Medical Hardship, the hospital or health center must offer an interest-free payment plan. For a balance of $1,000 or less (after any deposit), the plan must last at least 1 year with a minimum monthly payment of no more than $25.
More help
Nearby states
Sources
- 101 CMR 613.00: Health Safety Net Eligible Services (effective April 1, 2024), mass.gov
- DPH: Medical Debt Reporting Requirements (proposed 105 CMR 95.00)
- Governor Healey press release, June 30, 2026
- M.G.L. c. 111, §§ 70E, 228
- M.G.L. c. 260, §§ 2, 13; c. 246, § 28
- Mass.gov: How to file a HSN grievance
- Mass.gov: File a health care complaint (AG Health Care Division)
- CMS: Massachusetts Consumer Assistance Program
- Bill H.4809 (194th), An Act alleviating the burden of medical debt (status page)