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Health Care Consumer Protection
County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Health Care Consumer Protection
241 N. Figueroa Street, #275
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: 213-288-7236
Email: hccp@ph.lacounty.gov
Medical debt is money that is owed or past due for health services, and can come from a variety of sources such as:
Medical debt is an important issue in Los Angeles County, affecting one in ten adults, with an alarming total of over $2.9 billion in medical debt as of 2022. Medical debt disproportionately affects families with children, lower-income, Latino, Black, American Indian, and Pacific Islander residents, and people with chronic health conditions. For many individuals and families this burden leads to physical and mental health problems, and financial instability. They may have difficulty paying for basics like food and housing and skip or delay needed medical care. Even with insurance, costs can add up quickly and lead to significant debt.
All hospitals offer discounts or bill forgiveness based on income. On average, a family of 4 earning less than $100,000 a year will qualify. In most cases, patients need to apply for financial assistance after they get a bill.
Dollar For is a national non-profit organization that provides services for free.
This is how it works:
Legal Aid organizations provide free legal services related to medical debt to vulnerable and low-income individuals and families. They represent clients, as well as help with insurance denials, appeals, and negotiating medical bills. Services are delivered in multiple languages, including Arabic, Armenian, Bangla, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Dari, English, Farsi, Filipino, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSA) provides free legal services and healthcare referrals. NLSA’s
Health Consumer Center represents clients with medical debt and helps with questions about healthcare programs such as Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covered California, County health programs, and in-home supportive services.
Hotline: (800) 896-3202
nlsla.org/services/healthcare
Bet Tzedek provides free legal services related to medical debt for low-income individuals and families.
Hotline: (323) 939-0506
Health Consumer Alliance is a partnership of nonprofit legal services organizations across California that offer free assistance to consumers in understanding and navigating health insurance and medical debt.
Hotline: (888) 804-3536
healthconsumer.org
The LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) serves consumers, businesses, and communities through education, advocacy, and complaint resolution. DCBA counselors offer information and answer questions to help you resolve a problem. They can answer questions about purchases, credit, landlord/tenant disputes, car sales, debt, and other consumer issues. Services are provided in multiple languages.
Counselors also provide direct referrals for matters related to medical debt, including incorrect billing, lawsuits filed by a debt collector, or wage garnishment, liens, and levies resulting from a lost court case. Free one-on-one service with a DCBA counselor is available. Make a
telephone appointment or an in-person appointment.
Helpline: (800) 593-8222
dcba.lacounty.gov
Financial Counseling
Free financial resources to help with managing debt, boosting income, and restoring financial stability can be found at GetAheadLA.org.
For more information about how to deal with medical bills and collections visit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC)
To dispute a dispute a bill, make a complaint or express a concern about medical debt or health insurance, contact the DMHC. You can get information on your rights and protections as a consumer related to medical debt.
Hotline: (888) 466-2219
dmhc.ca.gov
Help bring the problem to light by sharing your experience with medical debt. If you or someone you know has dealt with medical debt, share your experiences through our public comment form (also available in other languages) . By adding your voice, you are contributing to a better understanding of how medical debt impacts our community and helping to support meaningful solutions.
To keep up with new developments related to medical debt, including programs and policies, resources, and news of community led activities and public and private efforts to address the problem, sign up to receive our Medical Debt in LA County newsletter, here.
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Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.
