Got a hospital bill you cannot pay? Here is what to do.

Read this first

• This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state and by hospital.
• It is for hospital and medical bills in the United States.
• If you have been sued over a bill, do not wait. Answer the court papers by the date they give, and contact free legal aid now: find legal aid near you. If you do not answer, the court can rule against you without hearing your side. (CFPB)
• Your own bill, notice or court papers come first. If a date on them is earlier than a date here, use theirs.

Your bill, step by step

Answer a few questions. We will show what to do, in order, with real deadlines. You can skip any question.

Your dates

We count from the dates you typed in questions 4 and 5. That is the safe choice: you got the letter a few days after the date printed on it, so your real deadline may be a little later. If your letter gives a date, your letter comes first.

Write your letters

Fill in what you know. Empty boxes show as [brackets] in the letter so you can fill them in by hand. The letters are short, firm and polite. The ones that fit your answers are shown.

Your letter

Before you send it

• Sign it and keep a copy.
• Send copies, not originals, of the bill or the collector's letter.
• If you mail it, ask the post office for proof that it was delivered.
• Write down the date you sent it.

What to say when you call

Call the billing number on the bill. Have the bill in front of you. Write down the date, the time and the name of each person you talk to.

A call is a good start, but send the important things in writing too. A letter leaves a record.

Where every rule and number comes from

We read each of these on November 13, 2026. Every deadline, dollar amount, percentage and phone number on this page traces to one of them. Our full research log, with the exact rule, who it applies to, a short quote and what we could not verify, is public: research-log.txt.