Get Help
Whether you’re facing a bill you can’t pay, a denied claim, a new diagnosis, or a loved one who needs care, these organizations help patients and families directly. Every one is free to contact.
Looking for the Patients Rising Patient Helpline? It is no longer running. The organizations below offer the kinds of help it used to, and many offer more. They are independent of Patients Rising, so please contact them directly.
If you need help right now
For a medical emergency, call 911.
If you or someone you love is in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time. Veterans can press 1 after dialing.
If you’d rather text, text HOME to 741741 to reach Crisis Text Line, 24/7.
For a possible poisoning or medication overdose, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Find help near you
FindHelp.org is a free search tool listing local programs for food, housing, transportation, bills, medical care, and more. Enter your zip code to see what’s available in your area.
Start with what you need
Choose the situation closest to yours to jump to the right help.
I can’t pay a medical bill
Help lowering, disputing, or erasing medical bills, and a case manager when debt starts to pile up.
First step: Before you pay anything, ask the hospital for its financial assistance policy. Nonprofit hospitals are required to have one, and many people qualify for a reduced or erased bill without knowing it.
Patient Advocate Foundation: TotalAssist
Financial assistance funds for more than 130 conditions, plus free case managers who help with medical debt, insurance denials, and job issues. Now includes the former PAN Foundation.
Financial aid 866-512-3861Case managers 800-532-5274
totalassist.org
Dollar For
Free help finding out whether you qualify for a hospital’s charity care program, and applying to reduce or erase the bill.
No Surprises Help Desk (federal)
For surprise out-of-network bills, or a bill far higher than the estimate you were given. Help in more than 350 languages, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. ET, seven days a week.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
If a debt collector is calling about a medical bill you don’t owe or don’t recognize, you can file a complaint.
I can’t afford my treatment or medication
For people who can’t keep up with copays, premiums, or out-of-pocket costs for their care.
First step: Assistance funds open and close throughout the year. If a fund for your condition is closed, ask to be put on its waitlist and check the other foundations below, since each covers different conditions.
HealthWell Foundation
Grants toward copays, premiums, deductibles, and travel for treatment, organized by condition.
The Assistance Fund
Financial help with treatment costs and premiums for people with serious and chronic illnesses.
Good Days
Copay, premium, travel, and diagnostic testing assistance for people with chronic disease, cancer, and other serious conditions.
NeedyMeds
A free directory of assistance programs, savings programs, and low-cost clinics, with a helpline to walk you through it.
Medicare Extra Help (Social Security)
If you have Medicare and limited income, Extra Help lowers what you pay for prescriptions. Apply through Social Security.
I have an insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid problem
Free, unbiased help understanding your coverage, choosing a plan, or appealing a denial.
First step: If your plan denies a claim or treatment, ask for the denial in writing with the reason. You have the right to appeal, and many denials are overturned. Patient Advocate Foundation can help you with the appeal.
State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
Free one-on-one Medicare counseling in every state. The national line connects you to your state’s program.
Medicare (1-800-MEDICARE)
Questions about Medicare coverage, claims, and enrollment, answered by Medicare directly, 24 hours a day.
Medicare Rights Center
A national helpline for Medicare problems, including denials and appeals.
HealthCare.gov
Marketplace coverage, Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, and help paying premiums.
I need care I can afford
Places that see patients regardless of insurance or ability to pay.
Community health centers
Federally funded health centers offer medical, dental, and behavioral care on a sliding fee scale, whether or not you have insurance.
Free and charitable clinics
More than 1,400 free and charitable clinics across the country serve people without insurance or with high costs.
Hill-Burton free and reduced-cost care
Some hospitals and clinics that received federal construction funding must provide a set amount of free or reduced-cost care.
I need help getting to treatment or with daily needs
Rides, flights, lodging near treatment, and local help with food, rent, and utilities.
Mercy Medical Angels
Free gas cards, bus and train tickets, and flights for patients who need to travel for medical care. Apply online.
American Cancer Society: rides and lodging
Road To Recovery rides to cancer treatment and free Hope Lodge stays near treatment centers, where available. Call 24/7 to check what’s near you.
211
Connects you to local help with food, rent, utilities, and transportation to appointments. Call or text.
I’m worried about my job, benefits, or legal rights
Free guidance on time off, accommodations, disability benefits, and legal questions that come with an illness.
Job Accommodation Network
Free, confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and your rights under the ADA, for employees and employers.
Cancer Legal Resource Center
Free, confidential information on cancer-related legal issues, including employment, insurance, and medical leave.
Triage Cancer
Free guides, webinars, and tools on insurance, employment, finances, and disability benefits for people with cancer and caregivers.
Social Security disability benefits
If you can’t work because of a serious illness, you may qualify for disability benefits. Apply online or by phone.
I need someone to talk to
Free, confidential support for patients and families carrying a lot.
NAMI HelpLine
Free peer support, information, and referrals for mental health, weekdays 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET. Text “NAMI” to 62640. In a crisis, call or text 988.
CancerCare
Free counseling from oncology social workers, support groups, and some financial help for people affected by cancer.
Cancer Support Community Helpline
Staffed by licensed mental health professionals, for patients and the people who love them.
Help for a specific condition
Helplines staffed by people who know your diagnosis. Many also know about financial help specific to your condition.
Cancer
National Cancer Institute: Cancer Information Service
Answers about cancer types, treatment, and clinical trials from the federal government’s cancer agency.
Blood Cancer United (formerly LLS)
Oncology social workers and nurses who help with blood cancer questions and financial and social support, weekdays 9 a.m.–9 p.m. ET.
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
Patient navigators who help you find a myeloma specialist and understand your options, weekdays 9 a.m.–7 p.m. ET.
Rare diseases
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
Help finding specialists, clinical trials, and assistance programs for rare diseases.
Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America
The MG Patient Helpline connects you with trained counselors and resources.
National Scleroderma Foundation
The HOPE Line offers information and support, weekdays 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. ET.
Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA
Family support counselors available 24 hours a day, every day.
Other conditions
Alzheimer’s Association
A 24/7 helpline for people living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia and their caregivers, in more than 200 languages.
Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline
Parkinson’s specialists who answer questions about symptoms, treatment, finding care, and coping, for people with Parkinson’s and their families.
Michael J. Fox Foundation: Parkinson’s 360
Free online guides for every stage of Parkinson’s, from a new diagnosis to caregiving, plus ways to join research studies.
National Psoriasis Foundation: Patient Navigation Center
One-on-one help for people living with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Choose option 1.
Arthritis Foundation Helpline
Help with arthritis questions, managing pain, and finding resources.
National MS Society
MS Navigators who help with treatment questions, insurance, employment, and support.
American Kidney Fund
Help for people with kidney disease, including financial assistance for dialysis and transplant patients.
American Diabetes Association
Answers about diabetes, insurance, and your rights at work and school.
I’m caring for someone
Caring for someone is its own kind of hard. These lines are for you.
Caregiver Action Network: Caregiver Help Desk
Caregiving experts by phone, email, or chat, weekdays 8 a.m.–7 p.m. ET.
Family Caregiver Alliance
Information, fact sheets, and support programs for family caregivers.
Eldercare Locator
Connects older adults and caregivers to local services, including in-home help, meals, and transportation.
NAMI Family Caregiver HelpLine
Support for people caring for someone with a mental health condition. Call and press 4, or text “Family” to 62640.
Before you call, have these ready
Your insurance card, the bill or denial letter you’re calling about, your diagnosis and the names of your treatments, and a rough idea of your household income. Many programs ask for these to check eligibility, and having them on hand can save you a second call.
When you’re ready to change the system
Many of the problems on this page, from surprise bills to denied coverage, are shaped by policy. Patients Rising prepares patients and caregivers to make their case to the lawmakers who can fix them.
Phone numbers and links checked October 2026. If a number has changed or you know a resource we should add, please tell us at hello@patientsrising.org.