Financial Assistance

What If I Can't Afford to Pay My Bill?

Atlantic General Hospital and Health System is committed to providing quality care, personalized service and education to improve individual and community health. We continuously seek to be the leader in promoting access to our services for the residents and visitors of Worcester County and the surrounding region.

Payment of our services can be made in any number of ways. Our primary source of payment is through patients' insurance coverage. It is important for you to understand the terms of your insurance coverage. Familiarizing yourself with your insurance coverage will help you better understand your hospital bill. If you have a bill or a balance that you cannot afford, this page outlines some options available to you.

Need Insurance?

Maryland Health Connection provides access to reduced cost health plans made possible through the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA).

Financial Help Options

Financial help can be made available to you through a variety of resources:

1. Family Assistance
   If you have a balance remaining after your insurance has paid or if you do not have health insurance and cannot afford your bill, rest assured that we will exhaust every effort possible to resolve your bill. We have financial counselors who will work with you to investigate if there is private funding available, family to help, and/or credit cards that can be used.
2. Payment Arrangements
   If family assistance is not available as an option for you, we have experienced patient accounting staff on hand to assist you in arranging a payment plan. Please call (866) 905-2100 for more information.
3. State Medical Assistance
   • Medicaid - If you cannot afford to pay your bill and if you meet the minimum requirements of Medicaid, we have trained staff available to help you in the application process. Or you can call (800) 492-5231 or access Medicaid services on their website.
4. Maryland Children's Health Program (MCHP)
   Children under the age of 19 or pregnant women may qualify for MCHP. Patients who qualify for this program will need to apply with the Worcester County Health Department. Call (410) 632-1100. Assistance in completing the application will be provided.
5. Financial Assistance
   If no other financial avenue is available to you, you may qualify to have your medical bills for medically necessary services paid under our Financial Assistance policy. Below are some important documents to assist you:

• Click here for the Financial Assistance Plain Language Summary (Click here for Spanish version)
• Read our Financial Assistance Policy (Click here for Spanish version) and Credit and Collection Policy (Click here for Spanish version) for further information.
• Check our financial assistance income guidelines (Click here for Spanish version) for reference.
• You will need to complete the Financial Assistance application (Click here for Spanish version), which can be found at any of the AGH/HS facilities or by calling (410) 629-6025.
• Click here for the list of providers who participate in the financial assistance program.

Financial assistance approvals are active for up to 6 months from the date of approval of your application. If there are additional bills during this period of time, they may be included in your original approval.

Why Do I Need to Look for Other Options of Funding Before I Receive Financial Assistance?

Patients in need of financial assistance should first utilize all resources for which they are eligible and if no other financial avenue is available to you than this ensures AGH resources will be available to patients who don’t qualify for other financial help.

What Factors Determine the Financial Assistance that I Will Receive?

Patients are asked to pay on a sliding-fee scale depending on household income, household size, and other personal circumstances. For more information see the guidelines for your reference.

When Will I Know Whether I Will Receive Financial Assistance and How Much I Will Receive?

Within two business days of receiving a request for financial assistance, AGH will make a temporary decision of a patient's "probable eligibility" and communicate this to the patient. This decision will be made based on an interview with the patient or the patient's representative to discuss family size, insurance information and income.

A final decision for financial assistance will be made once a completed application packet for financial assistance is received from the patient or the patient's representative. This decision will be communicated, in writing, to the applicant within two business days after receiving the application packet.

Additional Questions?

If you would like to confidentially discuss any of this information, please feel free to contact one of the following:

AGH Patient Accounting
(410) 641-9101

AGH Financial Assistance Program
(410) 629-6025

Maryland Medical Assistance (Medicaid)
(800) 492-5231 or (410) 767-5800

Maryland Children's Health Program
(855) 642-8572