Why the language list is the story here
Most hospital financial assistance pages tell you to call a number. The number answers in English, and if English is not your language the conversation about your income, your household and your documents happens through whoever you brought with you.
Maimonides staffs its financial counseling in thirteen languages. That is not a translation of the form; it is people who can walk you through it.
The practical consequence: do not bring a relative to interpret a financial conversation you could have directly. Ask for a counselor in your language when you call or when you arrive:
“I need help with a financial assistance application, and I speak [language]. Do you have a counselor who speaks it?”
This is separate from your interpreter right for clinical conversations, which applies everywhere and always. How that right works.
Serving Borough Park, Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge, this hospital sits at the intersection of the city’s densest set of language communities. What that means in the neighborhood.
Who the program reaches
The published program covers emergency services for low-income residents of New York State, and medically necessary non-emergency services for low-income residents of New York City.
That second half is worth noticing. The law’s minimum for non-emergency care is the hospital’s primary service area; a citywide reach is broader than required. If you live in the city and were treated here for something that was not an emergency, you are inside the program rather than arguing about geography. Why primary service area matters.
There is also a case-by-case route for patients who do not meet the financial criteria but face extraordinary costs. Nobody offers that unprompted, so ask.
How to apply
- Get the three documents from the hospital’s paying-for-care page: the policy, the uniform application, and the plain-language summary.
- Call financial services and ask for a counselor in your language. The hospital publishes (718) 283-7790 for this.
- Gather what the application asks for: proof of income such as pay stubs or a tax return, proof of household size, and the bill itself. If you are paid in cash, say so rather than giving up; there is a route for it.
- Submit it by mail or in person to Patient Financial Services, as the hospital’s own instructions direct.
- Ask for the account to be held while the application is pending, and get that in writing.
- Get the decision in writing. You are entitled to one within 30 days.
The floor that applies regardless
Whatever a hospital’s own policy says, New York’s law sets a minimum every hospital must meet:
- At or below 200% of the federal poverty level: nothing out of pocket for medically necessary care
- 201% to 300%: no more than 10% of the Medicaid rate
- 301% to 400%: no more than 20%
- No asset test. Immigration status may not be considered. A written decision in 30 days. No lawsuit below 400%. Payment plans capped at 5% of monthly income, interest at 2%. 180 days before collections.
- Applications accepted at any stage, including after an account goes to an agency.
If the hospital’s answer is less than this, cite the law as amended in October 2024 and ask for the policy in writing. The Attorney General’s Health Care Bureau Helpline takes that complaint at 800-428-9071.
Before you negotiate the number
A self-pay balance often means a coverage screening never happened. Before discussing the amount, ask:
“Was I screened for coverage for the date of service, and was I screened for Emergency Medicaid?”
Emergency Medicaid exists for people who meet the Medicaid income rules but not the immigration rules, it covers treatment of an emergency condition including childbirth, and it is arranged at the hospital, usually after the care happened. The full procedure.
Questions people ask
Where is Maimonides’ financial assistance policy?
On the hospital’s paying-for-care page, which carries the policy, the state’s uniform application and a plain-language summary.
Can I get help with the application in my language?
Yes. The hospital staffs financial counselors in thirteen languages and publishes (718) 283-7790 for financial services.
Do I have to live in Brooklyn?
The published program covers emergency services for low-income New York State residents and non-emergency services for low-income New York City residents, which is broader than the legal minimum.
I am slightly over the income limit. Is that the end?
Not necessarily. The hospital describes case-by-case consideration for patients facing extraordinary medical costs. Ask about it specifically.
My bill already went to collections. Is it too late?
No. Financial assistance applications are accepted at any stage under state law, including after an account goes to an agency.
Does immigration status affect this?
No. State law bars immigration status from being considered in hospital financial assistance.
Sources
- Maimonides Health — paying for care (checked 2026-09-13)
- NYS Department of Health — hospital financial assistance, information by hospital (checked 2026-09-13)
- NY Health Access — NYS Hospital Financial Assistance Law (checked 2026-09-13)
More in Hospital Financial Assistance in New York: Who Pays Nothing, Who Pays 10%
- Hospital for Special Surgery: Apply Before Your Care, and Approval Lasts Two Years — HSS's own policy lets you apply before scheduled care, keeps an approval for two years, and reaches U.S. residents well beyond New York. How to use it.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering: Financial Assistance for Patients Anywhere in the U.S. — MSK's own policy opens its financial assistance program to patients who live anywhere in the U.S., with two conditions for new patients. How it works.
- Northwell Bills and Financial Assistance — An appointment at a health system office can be billed as a hospital outpatient visit with a facility fee attached. How to check which one you are booking.
This page explains how the system works. It is not medical advice. More.