Get Help with Medical Bills and Expenses

 Mediate a Medical Dispute

If you can't resolve the medical bill with your provider or have another medical issue, the Maryland Attorney General's Health Education and Advocacy Unit (HEAU) may be able to mediate the situation for free. They can help with:

• medical billing disputes
• surprise medical bill from an out-of-network emergency care facility or provider at an in-network hospital or surgery center
• received a bill higher than the good faith estimate
• billed for an outpatient facility fee by a Maryland hospital but didn't get a disclosure about the fee prior to the medical appointment
• medical equipment disputes
• inability to get medical records or copies of them
• private health plan coverage denial for all or part of care
• navigating a hospital's financial assistance program
• denied financial assistance or reasonable payment options from a Maryland hospital
• termination of private health plan
• denied enrollment in a Qualified Health Plan or denied Advanced Premium Tax Credits or Cost-Sharing Reductions by Maryland Health Connection

Find out if your medical situation qualifies for free mediation services.

Chronic and rare diseases financial help

If you expect to incur ongoing medical expenses due to a chronic or rare disease, you can apply for assistance through your provider and also reach out to national nonprofit organizations that may help.

The PAN Foundation helps federally and commercially insured patients get the medication and care they need for life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases. The organization helps with out-of-pocket prescription drug costs and also treatments.

Since 2004, they've provided $4 billion in financial assistance to more than a million underinsured patients.

The HealthWell Foundation can also help eligible individuals with copays, premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pockets costs for surgeries, supplements, and supplies. The organization has a number of Disease Funds that support individuals with certain diseases.

CancerCare also provides financial assistance and works with organizations throughout the country that can help with the costs of cancer care. Financial programs vary based on the type of cancer you have and by region. The co-payment assistance program covers certain cancer diagnoses.

You can also ask your provider if they have a financial assistance policy to cover ongoing care costs.

Free Medical Equipment

Durable medical equipment can be expensive if you have to buy it. When you only need it for a short time, it may not be worth buying it, or you may not be able to afford the cost if your insurer doesn’t cover it.

When medical equipment is needed long-term, Medicare, Medicaid, your insurer should help offset the cost.

If that's not the case, you can get used and refurbished medical equipment through the Maryland Durable Medical Equipment Re-Use Program (DME). It's run by the Department of Aging, but it's available to everyone in Maryland, regardless of age.

The Maryland Department of Aging discussed how this program works on Episode 16 of What's the 211? podcast.

The agency said it uses occupational and physical therapists to match the equipment with an individual properly. They ensure the size is proper for an individual based on their need, height, weight and any other factors. That helps ensure safety.

You can request equipment like canes, crutches, walkers, bed rails, shower chairs, wheelchairs, mechanical lifts, power scooters and home hospital beds. Inventory varies, so you have to submit a request.

Find Maryland DME locations and request forms for the equipment.