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Medical debt is an important issue in Los Angeles County, affecting one in ten adults. Angelenos across the county have bills they can’t pay for many reasons. They might have welcomed a new baby, found a worrying lump, had an accident, been rushed to an emergency room after a heart attack, or been prescribed expensive medication.

If you have a medical bill that you can’t pay or did not expect, help is available - please see the resources below. This page also includes resources on how to access no-cost or low-cost healthcare and guidance on how to navigate the complex medical billing and collections system.

To learn what the County of Los Angeles is doing to try to prevent and reduce medical debt for Angelenos, visit this page or sign up for our newsletter.

Get Help With a Medical Bill

If you have a medical bill that you cannot pay or did not expect, help is available.
Apply for free or discounted hospital services (charity care)

All hospitals offer discounts or bill forgiveness based on income. On average, a family of 4 earning less than $100,000 a year will qualify. You can apply for financial assistance before or at the time of your hospital treatment or service. You do not need to wait for a bill. You can also apply after you've received a bill - there is no time limit.

Dollar For is a national non-profit organization that provides services for free.
This is how it works:

  • You visit their website to see if you qualify for a discount or bill forgiveness and fill out the form.
  • They prepare your application and send it to the hospital.
  • They work with you and the hospital to try to get you medical debt relief.
dollarfor.org (website available in English and Spanish)

Legal Advice & Assistance

Legal Aid organizations provide free legal services related to medical debt to vulnerable and low-income individuals and families. They represent clients, as well as help with insurance denials, appeals, and negotiating medical bills. Services are delivered in multiple languages, including Arabic, Armenian, Bangla, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Dari, English, Farsi, Filipino, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSA) provides free legal services and healthcare referrals. NLSA’s Health Consumer Center represents clients with medical debt and helps with questions about healthcare programs such as Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covered California, County health programs, and in-home supportive services.
Hotline: (800) 896-3202
nlsla.org/services/healthcare

Bet Tzedek provides free legal services related to medical debt for low-income individuals and families.

Hotline: (323) 939-0506

bettzedek.org/get-help/

Health Consumer Alliance is a partnership of nonprofit legal services organizations across California that offer free assistance to consumers in understanding and navigating health insurance and medical debt.
Hotline: (888) 804-3536
healthconsumer.org

Consumer Counseling

The LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) serves consumers, businesses, and communities through education, advocacy, and complaint resolution. DCBA counselors offer information and answer questions to help you resolve a problem. They can answer questions about purchases, credit, landlord/tenant disputes, car sales, debt, and other consumer issues. Services are provided in multiple languages.

Counselors also provide direct referrals for matters related to medical debt, including incorrect billing, lawsuits filed by a debt collector, or wage garnishment, liens, and levies resulting from a lost court case. Free one-on-one service with a DCBA counselor is available. Make a telephone appointment or an in-person appointment.
Helpline: (800) 593-8222 
dcba.lacounty.gov

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Financial Counseling

Free financial resources to help with managing debt, boosting income, and restoring financial stability can be found at GetAheadLA.org.

Tips for dealing with billing and collections
infographic about navigating medical bills Navigating medical bills in the U.S. $88 billion of outstanding medical bills are currently in collections – affecting one in five Americans. Medical bills are rife with errors, and billing systems are complex. Confirming an unpaid bill often depends on whether you contact the provider, the billing department, or the insurance company. Follow these tips to navigate the complex medical billing and collections system. How did you hear about the debt? If you heard about the debt from your credit report or a credit check, learn how to review your reports and dispute errors at consumerfinance.gov/credit. If you heard about the debt from a debt collector, learn your rights at consumerfinance.gov/debt-collection. If you heard about the debt from a health care provider, do you recognize the bill and service? If you do not recognize the bill and service, contact your health care provider to request an itemized list of services and providers from your care. If the provider or service is not listed, this debt may not be yours or it may be an old debt. Contact your provider to get more information. If you recognize the bill and service but it is an unexpected bill, you may have protections under the No Surprises Act: cms.gov/nosurprises. If you recognize the bill and service and the provider or service is listed, do you believe this service should have been covered by your insurance? If you believe the service should have been covered by your insurance, contact your insurer for an explanation of benefits and an itemized list of payments. If you do not believe this service should have been covered by your insurance, did you already pay the bill? If you did pay the bill, call your provider with documentation that the bill has been paid. If you do not believe the service should have been covered by your insurance, and you can pay your medical bill, then you should pay it. If you do not believe the service should have been covered by your insurance, but you are unable to pay the bill yourself, find out if payment plans, charity care, or other assistance programs are available through your provider, state, or advocacy groups. If you cannot pay your bill, do you qualify for charity care? If you do not qualify for charity care, but believe you should qualify, see if you can appeal the decision, enter into a payment plan, or find other payment assistance programs in your local community. If you do qualify for charity care, follow the steps to enroll. Keep copies of all of your bills, correspondence, and paperwork. Follow up on your charity care application. If you are still contacted by a debt collector, tell them you’ve applied for charity care. You may also tell them to stop contacting you while your application is pending. If you are experiencing a problem with debt collectors or credit reporting, submit a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. CFPB: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau To learn more, visit consumerfinance.gov/medicaldebt

For more information about how to deal with medical bills and collections visit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC)
To dispute a dispute a bill, make a complaint or express a concern about medical debt or health insurance, contact the DMHC. You can get information on your rights and protections as a consumer related to medical debt.
Hotline: (888) 466-2219
dmhc.ca.gov

Find Low-cost Care

Healthcare Providers
Medi-Cal

Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid healthcare program that provides comprehensive health coverage for people with low or no income. Medi-Cal benefits cover most medically necessary care. This includes, but is not limited to, doctor appointments, hospitalization, preventive care, pregnancy related services, prescription drugs, vision care and dental care.

In January 2024, the State of California expanded Medi-Cal to individuals regardless of immigration status. They also changed the asset rules, so bank accounts, cash, vehicles, and homes are no longer counted for eligibility. If you have limited income and need health benefits for you and your family, you can apply for Medi-Cal anytime throughout the year through Covered California (CoveredCA.com) or by visiting benefitscal.com or calling 1-866-613-3777.  If your income is too high for you to be eligible for free or low-cost Medi-Cal, you can ask to be evaluated for other programs.

In LA County, Medi-Cal is administered by the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS). For more information visit the DPSS healthcare webpage (English I Spanish).

Get Involved

Sign up for Newsletter

To keep up with new developments related to medical debt, including programs and policies, resources, and news of community led activities and public and private efforts to address the problem, sign up to receive our Medical Debt in LA County newsletter.




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