Medical bills are so expensive. Hospitals in Indy have options to help you pay them, but it can be hard to know where to start.
Each hospital has people who will walk you through the programs and help you apply. At Community Health Network, those people are called patient financial advocates.
First, they’ll see if you can apply for state or federal programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare and Marketplace. If you have insurance, they can also help explain what your plan offers.
Next, they’ll tell you about the three ways Community Health can help you pay for your medical bills or prescriptions.
Reach out to Community Health’s billing department: Email billing@community.com or call 317-355-5555.
This is part of a series of stories on how Indianapolis hospitals can help patients pay their medical bills. Here are guides to financial aid in the other Indianapolis hospital systems.
Finance your bill with zero-interest payment plans
“One thing I hear from patients often today is, ‘I don’t want to do the payment plan because I don’t think I will qualify,’ and ‘I don’t want to pay the interest, or I don’t want to pay the fee,’” said Chad Bills, vice president of revenue cycle at Community Health.
Community Health does not screen patients for the payment plans it offers, which gives patients the chance to make small payments toward their bill over time. Everyone immediately qualifies, and there is no interest on those loans.
You’ll also get support and follow-ups: text messages, MyChart notifications and phone calls about paying your balance.
Ask for financial assistance to pay your bill
Depending on your income level and household size, your bill can be reduced. Community Health uses a chart to explain how those two factors connect to how much you will pay.
Bankruptcy and household assets are sometimes considered when they decide how much aid you can get.
Get free or discounted medications
Medication assistance coordinators will help you understand how to pay less for your medications.
- Some brand-name medications have programs that provide free medicine to people who can’t afford it. The coordinator will find out if you qualify and help you apply.
- If you can’t get free medications, they can refer you to low-cost programs or give you coupons.
- They might also recommend changes to medicines you take, such as switching to a generic version to save money or switching to a brand-name version that has an assistance program.
Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
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