How can I lower the risk of medical debt before and after care?

How do I check that every provider is in my network?

Ask before the care, not after. A hospital can be in your plan's network while some of the doctors who treat you there are not, and each of them may bill you separately.

1. Call your health plan. Use the number on your insurance card. Ask whether the hospital or clinic is in network, and then ask about each doctor who will treat you: the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the lab and the radiologist.
2. Ask the provider's office too. Ask the same questions and write down who answered and when.
3. Read anything you are asked to sign before planned care. Ask about anything you don't understand, especially a form that mentions an out-of-network provider, and ask whether an in-network provider is available instead.

If you have insurance, the No Surprises Act protects you from most surprise out-of-network bills for emergency care, for non-emergency care connected to a visit to an in-network hospital or surgery center, and for air ambulance services Source 11. Ground ambulance rides were left out of that federal ban, though some states protect you Source 22.

Can I get a price or an estimate before planned care?

Yes, and how depends on whether you use insurance.

• No insurance, or paying yourself. You usually have the right to a good faith estimate of the expected charges when you ask for one, or when you schedule care far enough ahead. The minimum notice is 3 business days (CMS, published October 5, 2026). If the final bill is much higher than the estimate, you may be able to dispute it. The bill must be higher by at least $400 (CMS, published October 2, 2026).
• With insurance. Ask your plan what your share will be: your deductible, copay or coinsurance. Ask whether the service needs prior authorization, and make sure the provider gets it before your care.

You can also look up a hospital's prices yourself. Every US hospital must publish its standard charges, including a consumer-friendly list of services you can plan ahead for Source 44. Use the posted price as a starting point for your questions to the hospital and your plan.

Should I ask about financial assistance before a planned procedure?

Yes. You don't have to wait for a bill. Every nonprofit hospital must have a financial assistance policy that covers emergency care and other medically necessary care Source 55, and it must make the policy and the application free to get, online and on paper Source 55.

Asking early helps in two ways. You learn what you would owe before you agree to the care, and if you qualify, the help can be in place before the first bill. Some hospitals can even decide you qualify from information they already have, such as enrollment in a public benefits program Source 77.

If you are not sure you qualify, apply anyway. A nonprofit hospital must keep accepting applications for a long time after the first bill. That time is at least 240 days (IRS, published July 2, 2026). Our guide to charity care explains how.

I lost my coverage or can't afford insurance. What are my options?

• A Marketplace plan. Losing job-based coverage or COBRA can open a special enrollment period, so you can buy a plan outside the yearly open enrollment. The time you have, before or after the loss, is 60 days (HealthCare.gov, published 2026). If you lost Medicaid or CHIP, you may qualify for up to 90 days (HealthCare.gov, published 2026) after the loss.
• Medicaid and CHIP. They give free or low-cost coverage to eligible people with low incomes. Income limits, coverage and costs differ by state, and in some states CHIP covers children and pregnant women in families that earn too much for Medicaid Source 99. Apply through your state Medicaid office or HealthCare.gov.
• Bills from before you applied. In many states, Medicaid can also cover care from the months before you applied, if you would have qualified then. That look-back is getting shorter under a recent federal law, so apply soon and ask your state Medicaid office how far back it can go Source 1111,Source 1010.
• Keeping your coverage. Under a recent federal law, many adults covered through the Medicaid expansion will need to show work, community service, a work program or school each month, or a matching income, with some exceptions Source 1010. Open every letter from your Medicaid office and answer it by the date it gives.

If you can't get coverage, ask the hospital about financial assistance before care, as described above, and ask about a self-pay discount.

I'm on Medicare. What can help with costs?

• Medicare Savings Programs. Your state runs them. They help people with limited income and savings pay Medicare Part A and Part B premiums, and some also pay deductibles, coinsurance and copays. States may use higher limits than the federal ones, so Medicare tells people to apply even if they think they don't qualify Source 1212.
• The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program. If you are in it, Medicare providers may not bill you for Part A or Part B cost-sharing, and they should take such bills back from collections and refund what you paid Source 1313.
• Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap). Private companies sell these policies to help pay out-of-pocket costs in Original Medicare. You generally need Part A and Part B to buy one Source 1414.

Should I pay with a credit card or a medical credit card?

Try other options first. Once a bill is on a card, you owe the lender instead of the provider.

Medical credit cards and loans need extra care. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that many use deferred interest: if any balance is left when the promotional period ends, interest is charged for the whole time since the purchase. It also found that patients who should qualify for financial assistance may be signed up for a card instead Source 1515. In its research, the typical interest rate on a medical credit card was 27% (CFPB, 2015 to 2020). For general credit cards it was about 16% (CFPB, 2015 to 2020).

Ask the provider about financial assistance and an interest-free payment plan before you sign up for any card. Our guide to payment plans has the questions to ask.

What should I keep after every visit?

Keep a folder, on paper or on your phone, with:

• the explanation of benefits your insurer sends for each claim;
• every bill, and an itemized bill for any large one. Your right to see your health records covers billing records too Source 1616;
• receipts for everything you pay;
• notes of every call: the date, the name of the person and what they said.

Then compare each bill with the explanation of benefits before you pay. If you had Medicaid when you got the care, a provider that takes Medicaid must accept Medicaid's payment, plus any allowed cost-sharing, as payment in full Source 1717.

Even careful people get medical bills they can't pay: among insured adults, the share who reported medical debt was 25.7% (Urban Institute, December 2025). If a bill arrives that you can't pay, call the billing office before it goes unpaid. Our guide on what medical debt is explains what happens next and what you can do.