How to apply for Mass General Brigham financial assistance
Mass General Brigham is a nonprofit health system (Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's, Wentworth-Douglass) with hospitals in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Federal law requires it to have a written policy for reducing or writing off bills by income. Its policy is the Financial Assistance and Uninsured Patient Discount Policy. This is what it says.
Free care
150%
of the federal poverty level or below. The bill is written off in full.
Some help up to
300%
of the federal poverty level. Above the free line the policy discounts or caps the bill.
Apply within
Any time
The policy says applications are accepted at any time. Discounted payment plans need to be requested within two months of the first bill.
What that means in 2026 dollars, gross household income per year
| Household | Free care, up to | Some assistance, up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $23,940 | $47,880 |
| 2 people | $32,460 | $64,920 |
| 3 people | $40,980 | $81,960 |
| 4 people | $49,500 | $99,000 |
2026 federal poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and DC (91 FR 1797 (15 January 2026), effective 13 January 2026); each extra person adds $5,680. Alaska and Hawaii use higher tables. Where the policy differs by state, the state line applies, see below.
What the Financial Assistance and Uninsured Patient Discount Policy gives at each level
| Household income | What you get | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 150% FPL | Free | Acute care hospitals |
| Up to 250% FPL | 85% off | 150.1 to 250% FPL |
| Up to 300% FPL | 70% off | 251 to 300% FPL |
“Capped” means the policy limits the bill to the amounts the hospital generally bills insured patients (AGB) rather than naming a percentage. AGB by look-back on prior-year Medicare and commercial ratios. FY2025 hospital AGB rates run 45.9% to 69.8% of charges.
State differences
New Hampshire: Wentworth-Douglass Hospital (Dover, NH) gives free care at or below 250% FPL and no discount above it. Free care there is at or below 250% FPL.
Against state law, and against the other systems
Massachusetts
Massachusetts law (Health Safety Net, 101 CMR 613.00) requires every hospital to give free care at or below 300% of the poverty level, which is higher than the 150% line in the policy we read. If Mass General Brigham's hospital is covered by the statute, the state minimum applies; ask for it by name. Statute
Among the systems on this site with Massachusetts hospitals, Mass General Brigham's 150% free-care line is below Trinity Health (200%).
New Hampshire
New Hampshire has no state charity care law, so the only requirement is the federal one: a written policy and a cap at amounts generally billed. The lines here are Mass General Brigham's own.
State law figures come from our state-by-state charity care table, each with its statute. A state minimum is a floor under the hospital's policy, never a ceiling.
The other ways in
Medical hardship
Medical hardship: patients above 300% FPL qualify if annual medical expenses exceeded 30% of income (40% above 600% FPL). Massachusetts residents are also routed to MassHealth and the Health Safety Net (full through 150% FPL, partial to 300%).
Without an application
Patients with Massachusetts Health Safety Net status are presumptively eligible at the physician organizations and other non-HSN entities.
With insurance
The policy applies to what you owe after insurance: deductibles, copays and coinsurance. Having a plan does not rule you out.
Check your household against the poverty line
Tell the checker your state, household size and rough income. It tells you your percentage of the federal poverty level, which you can read against the Mass General Brigham lines above, and what the law in your state requires on top. Free, no account, and your answers are not sent to advertising platforms.
Before tax, everyone in the household combined. Policies define the household themselves and the definition can move you a whole row, since a dependent who lives elsewhere may still count.
The calculation runs in your browser. Your income, household size and state are not stored, not put in the address bar, and not sent to an advertising platform. There is no account and this page carries no ad pixels or session recording.
Applying to Mass General Brigham
- 1
Get the application. PDF application.
- 2
Gather proof of income for everyone in the household: recent pay stubs, last year's tax return, or a benefits letter. If you have no income, the form will ask you to say so in writing.
- 3
Fill in every line. An incomplete application is the most common reason for a delay, and the hospital has to tell you what is missing rather than deny it outright.
- 4
Send it, keep a copy, and note the date. Ask the billing office to put the account on hold while the application is reviewed; under federal rules they cannot send it to collections during that time.
- 5
If you are turned down, ask for the reason in writing and ask about hardship review. Then check whether your state's law requires more than the hospital's policy.
Financial assistance reduces the bill by income. It does not check whether the bill was right in the first place. For $49, a mediloop specialist reviews the itemized bill and EOB, if available, flags charges to dispute, and prepares a plan for the balance, including what to say to the financial assistance office.
Get the plan for your billThe general guide: how hospital charity care works and how to apply.
People also ask
Does Mass General Brigham have to offer financial assistance?
Yes. As a nonprofit hospital system it must have a written financial assistance policy under section 501(r) of the tax code, tell patients about it, and limit what it charges eligible patients to the amounts it generally bills insured patients. Mass General Brigham's policy is the Financial Assistance and Uninsured Patient Discount Policy.
What is the income limit for free care at Mass General Brigham?
In most of its hospitals, a household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level qualifies for a 100% write-off under the policy. For a single person in the 48 contiguous states that is about $23,940 a year in 2026; for a family of four about $49,500. Some regions differ; see the table on this page.
Can I apply for Mass General Brigham financial assistance if I have insurance?
Yes. The policy covers the amounts you owe after insurance (deductibles, copays and coinsurance), subject to the limits described on this page.
How long do I have to apply?
The policy says applications are accepted at any time. Discounted payment plans need to be requested within two months of the first bill. Federal rules require the hospital to consider an application received within 240 days of the first bill after discharge.
Where this came from
Read from Mass General Brigham's own published policy documents on 2026-09-14. Nothing on this page comes from a third-party summary.
- Mass General Brigham, Financial assistance
- Mass General Brigham, Financial Assistance and Uninsured Patient Discount Policy (FY2026)
What we could not confirm
- The free-care line here (150% FPL) is lower than most large systems because Massachusetts runs a state Health Safety Net alongside it. Apply to both.
This page summarises a hospital policy. Eligibility is decided by the hospital against the full policy and your application; nothing here is a determination that you qualify, and the policy may have changed since we read it. mediloop is not affiliated with Mass General Brigham.