Patient's Financial Aid Law (FAL)
Effective October 20, 2024 Section 2807-k of the Public Health Law was amended to limit what hospitals in New York can charge eligible patients for emergency and medically necessary services.
All hospitals in New York licensed by the Department of Health (DOH) are covered by this law and are required to use the Uniform Hospital Financial Assistance form, regardless of participation in the Indigent Care Pool. Nothing limits a hospital's ability to establish patient eligibility for payment discounts at income levels higher than those specified below and/or to provide greater payment discounts for eligible patients than those required by Public Health Law. Additionally, immigration status shall not be an eligibility criterion for the purpose of determining financial assistance.
The following individuals are eligible:
- Low-income individuals without health insurance; or
- underinsured individuals (out-of-pocket medical costs accumulated in the past twelve months that amount to more than ten percent of such individual's gross annual income); or
- those who have exhausted their health insurance benefits, and who can demonstrate an inability to pay full charges; or
- at the hospital's discretion, individuals who can demonstrate an inability to pay their co-pay and/or deductible can request a reduced or discounted payment.
Individuals up to 400% of the federal poverty level are eligible for financial assistance. To view the current federal poverty chart please see Poverty Guidelines.
For any questions please contact: HFAL@health.ny.gov
Complaints? Please complete the HFAL Complaint Form. If you prefer to email it to the Department, a fillable PDF is also available in several languages. Send completed forms to HFAL@health.ny.gov.
