BrightBill

Hospital financial assistance in New York

New York law requires hospitals to reduce or write off bills for patients whose household income falls below set levels. This is usually called charity care. Below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level the bill must be written off in full. Brightbill tracks 192 New York hospitals and shows the statute behind every answer.

Check my New York hospital bill

Free and anonymous: no account, no sign-in, no bill number.

Free-care income limits in New York (2026 guidelines)

Annual household income at 200% of the Federal Poverty Level: at or below these figures, New York law requires the bill to be written off in full.

Household of 1
$31,920
Household of 2
$43,280
Household of 3
$54,640
Household of 4
$66,000
Household of 5
$77,360
Household of 6+
$88,720

Discounts and payment protections continue above this level, up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Hospitals in New York

  • Up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level

    Bill written off in full

    N.Y. Public Health Law § 2807-k(9-a)

  • 200%–300% of the Federal Poverty Level

    You can be charged no more than 10% of what Medicaid would have paid for the same service

    N.Y. Public Health Law § 2807-k(9-a)

  • 300%–400% of the Federal Poverty Level

    You can be charged no more than 20% of what Medicaid would have paid for the same service

    N.Y. Public Health Law § 2807-k(9-a)

What New York nonprofit hospitals reported to the IRS

Nonprofit hospitals that file IRS Form 990 report their financial assistance policy every year on Schedule H. These are the income limits each one reported in its most recent filing, as a percentage of the Federal Poverty Level. Where New York law sets a higher limit, the law applies. Policies can change after a filing, so the hospital's current written policy decides.

Financial assistance limits reported on IRS Form 990 Schedule H by New York nonprofit hospitals
HospitalFree care up toDiscounted care up toAsset testPresumptive eligibilityTax year
Adirondack Medical Center-Saranac Lake SiteSaranac Lake200%400%Not statedYes2024
Arnot Ogden Medical CenterElmira200%400%YesYes2024
Auburn Community HospitalAuburn100%300%Not statedNot stated2024
Bertrand Chaffee HospitalSpringville200%300%Not statedNot stated2024
Blythedale Children's HospitalValhalla400%400%Not statedYes2024
Brookdale Hospital Medical CenterBrooklyn100%300%Not statedNot stated2024
Brooklyn Hospital Center - Downtown CampusBrooklyn400%400%YesYes2024
Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc.Dunkirk100%400%YesYes2024
Canton-Potsdam HospitalPotsdam100%300%Not statedNot stated2024
Cayuga Medical Center at IthacaIthaca100%400%Not statedNot stated2024
Chenango Memorial Hospital IncNorwich200%Not statedYesYes2024
Clifton Springs Hospital and ClinicClifton Springs200%400%Not statedNot stated2024
Corning HospitalCorning200%400%YesYes2024
Crouse HospitalSyracuse100%400%Not statedNot stated2024
Ellis HospitalSchenectady300%Not statedNot statedYes2024
F.F. Thompson HospitalCanandaigua100%400%Not statedNot stated2024
Flushing Hospital Medical CenterFlushing100%300%Not statedNot stated2024
Garnet Health Medical CenterMiddletown200%350%Not statedYes2024
Garnet Health Medical Center - CatskillsHarris200%350%Not statedYes2024
Geneva General HospitalGeneva100%200%YesYes2024
Guthrie Cortland Medical CenterCortland200%400%YesYes2024
Hospital for Special SurgeryNew York500%700%Not statedYes2024
Jamaica Hospital Medical CenterJamaica200%400%Not statedYes2024
Kenmore Mercy HospitalKenmore200%400%Not statedNot stated2024
Maimonides Medical CenterBrooklyn300%300%YesYes2024
Mercy Hospital of BuffaloBuffalo200%400%Not statedNot stated2024
Montefiore Mount Vernon HospitalMount Vernon100%500%Not statedYes2024
Montefiore New Rochelle HospitalNew Rochelle100%500%Not statedYes2024
Mount Sinai HospitalNew York100%400%Not statedYes2024
Nathan Littauer HospitalGloversville200%400%Not statedNot stated2024
New York-Presbyterian Hospital - Allen HospitalNew York100%600%Not statedYes2024
Newark-Wayne Community HospitalNewark200%400%Not statedNot stated2024
NewYork-Presbyterian/QueensFlushing100%600%Not statedYes2024
Niagara Falls Memorial Medical CenterNiagara Falls100%200%Not statedYes2024
Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial HospitalDansville200%400%Not statedYes2024
NYU Langone HospitalsNew York600%800%Not statedYes2024
Olean General HospitalOlean400%400%YesNot stated2024
Richmond University Medical CenterStaten Island100%400%YesYes2024
Rochester General HospitalRochester200%400%Not statedNot stated2024
Rome Memorial Hospital, IncRome100%400%Not statedNot stated2024
Samaritan Medical CenterWatertown200%400%Not statedNot stated2024
Sisters of Charity HospitalBuffalo200%400%Not statedNot stated2024
St Catherine of Siena HospitalSmithtown300%400%YesYes2024
St. Francis Hospital & Heart CenterRoslyn300%400%YesYes2024
St. James HospitalHornell200%400%YesNot stated2024
St. Joseph HospitalBethpage300%400%YesYes2024
St. Joseph's Hospital Health CenterSyracuse200%400%Not statedYes2024
St. Mary's HealthcareAmsterdam200%400%Not statedYes2024
St. Peter's HospitalAlbany200%400%Not statedYes2024
Strong Memorial HospitalRochester200%400%YesYes2024
Sunnyview Hospital and Rehabilitation CenterSchenectady200%400%Not statedYes2024
UPMC Chautauqua at WCAJamestown300%400%Not statedNot stated2024
White Plains Hospital CenterWhite Plains100%500%Not statedYes2024
Wyckoff Heights Medical CenterBrooklyn100%400%Not statedNot stated2024

Source: IRS Form 990 Schedule H, Part V, from the IRS e-file data, most recent filing since 2022 for each hospital. "Presumptive eligibility" means the hospital reported deciding eligibility for some patients without an application before starting collection actions. "Not stated" means the filing gave no figure or left the box unchecked.

New York hospitals covered in detail

144 New York hospitals with their own page.

Every other New York hospital is in the checker too, including hospitals in Albany, Amherst, Amsterdam, Auburn, Batavia, Bay Shore, Bethpage, Binghamton.

If a New York hospital does not follow the law

New York complaints are handled by New York State Department of Health: Centralized Hospital Complaint Program. Brightbill will soon prepare that complaint for you, free.

Common questions

Who qualifies for free hospital care in New York?

Under N.Y. Public Health Law Section 2807-k(9-a), a household with income up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level qualifies to have the bill written off in full. Using the 2026 federal poverty guidelines, that is about $31,920 a year for a household of one and about $66,000 a year for a household of four.

What if my income is above the free-care limit in New York?

New York rules still reach higher incomes. 200%–300% of the Federal Poverty Level: you can be charged no more than 10% of what medicaid would have paid for the same service. 300%–400% of the Federal Poverty Level: you can be charged no more than 20% of what medicaid would have paid for the same service. The protections run up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Which New York hospitals have to offer financial assistance?

Brightbill tracks 192 hospitals in New York. The New York rule applies to hospitals in the state, and nonprofit hospitals nationwide must also have a written financial assistance policy to keep their federal tax exemption.

Is the New York eligibility check free?

Yes. The Brightbill eligibility check is free and anonymous. It needs no account and no sign-in, and never asks for your name, hospital records, bill number or contact details. Coming soon: Brightbill will do it for you, free: the financial assistance application to the hospital and any surprise bill dispute, followed through to the answer. Leave your email after your check and we'll tell you when it opens.

Can I still apply after my New York bill has gone to collections?

Often yes. Many state charity-care laws let you apply after the bill is issued, and applying can pause collection activity or lead to a refund if you already paid more than the law allows. The exact window is set by N.Y. Public Health Law Section 2807-k(9-a), and New York State Department of Health: Centralized Hospital Complaint Program handles complaints when a hospital does not follow it.

Does the No Surprises Act protect me in New York?

Yes. The federal No Surprises Act applies in every state, including New York. If you have health insurance, it protects you from surprise out-of-network bills for emergency care, for care from out-of-network doctors at an in-network hospital or surgery center (unless you signed a valid consent for certain non-emergency care), and for air ambulance flights: you owe only your in-network share. If you are uninsured or paying yourself, you can ask for a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduled care, and if the final bill is at least $400 more than that estimate you can dispute it through the federal process within 120 days of the bill. Brightbill's free check covers both charity care and these protections.

Can Brightbill send the letters for me?

Soon. Brightbill's full service opens soon, and it will be free. When it opens: Brightbill applies to the hospital for financial assistance, follows up, reads the reply and checks the decision against the law and the hospital's own policy. For a surprise bill or a bill above your Good Faith Estimate, it walks you through the government dispute form step by step, writes any letter your case needs, sends it with your approval and tracks the deadlines. It sends by email first. If an office only accepts mail, Brightbill mails it at no cost (the application and one follow-up for each provider). For charity care, you check and sign once and Brightbill sends the application, follows up and asks you before any appeal or complaint. For a surprise bill, you approve each letter before it is sent. Letters go from a secure case address, so the reply comes back to you and into your case. The free check stays free and anonymous.

Does Brightbill give legal advice about New York hospital bills?

No. Brightbill is an eligibility estimate to act on, not legal advice, and it is not affiliated with any hospital. It shows the statute behind every result so you can check it yourself; the hospital's financial assistance office makes the final decision.

Check my New York hospital bill

Takes about two minutes.

§

Legal basis: N.Y. Public Health Law Section 2807-k(9-a) requires New York hospitals to offer charity care and discount payment to eligible patients.

This is an estimate, not legal advice. Each hospital's financial assistance office makes the final decision. Terms · Health Data Privacy Policy.