Mass General Brigham income limits
| Household size | Free care: yearly income up to 150% | Discounts: yearly income up to 300% |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $23,940 | $47,880 |
| 2 people | $32,460 | $64,920 |
| 3 people | $40,980 | $81,960 |
| 4 people | $49,500 | $99,000 |
| 5 people | $58,020 | $116,040 |
| 6 people | $66,540 | $133,080 |
- Free care
- Up to 150% of the federal poverty guidelines: about $49,500 a year for a family of four in 2026.The policy says: “0 to 150% 100%” (page 12)
- Discounts
- Up to 300% of the guidelines: about $99,000 a year for a family of four.The policy says: “Discounts based solely on income are generally limited to patients with family incomes less than or equal to 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG)” (page 6)
- Sliding scale
- Acute care hospitals except Wentworth-Douglass: 0% to 150% gets 100% off, 150.1% to 250% gets 85% off and 251% to 300% gets 70% off. Uninsured patients may also get a flat 25% discount at any income without applying (40% at Wentworth-Douglass).
- With insurance
- Underinsured patients who live in Massachusetts or New Hampshire may get help with copays, coinsurance and deductibles if income or medical costs fit. Insurance is billed first, and care is typically left out if they knew their plan would not cover it and could have gone elsewhere. (Policy, pages 3, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 15.)
- Savings and assets
- Savings or other assets may count.
- Large bills
- Above 300%, a discount may apply if medical expenses in the past 12 months were over 30% of income (income of 300.1% to 600%) or 40% (over 600%): 70% off at acute care hospitals except Wentworth-Douglass, 60% off at Spaulding post-acute hospitals, Home Care and McLean, and none at Wentworth-Douglass. Massachusetts residents may also apply to the state Health Safety Net Medical Hardship program when out-of-pocket costs are generally more than 30% of household income.
How to apply for Mass General Brigham financial assistance
- Without a full application
- Some patients may be approved without a full application.
- Time to apply
- Patients may ask for help at any time, including during the billing and collections cycle.The policy says: “Patients may request financial assistance at any time during pre-registration, registration, inpatient stay, outpatient service, or throughout the course of the billing and collections cycle.” (page 13)
- How to apply
- Ask for the free paper or PDF application, or work with a patient financial counselor or Patient Billing Solutions customer service. Massachusetts residents may also be helped to enroll in MassHealth or the Health Safety Net.
- Differences by state
- Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire has its own column: free care up to 250% and no discount at 251% to 300%. Patients must live in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, unless they are treated for an emergency.
- Also good to know
- Automatic approval is described only for Massachusetts Health Safety Net patients. The website, plain language summary and policy differ on some points, so ask the hospital which applies to you.
Common questions about Mass General Brigham financial assistance
What is the income limit for Mass General Brigham financial assistance?
Mass General Brigham’s policy lists free care up to 150% of the federal poverty guidelines and discounts up to 300%. With the 2026 guidelines for the 48 states and Washington, DC, that is for free care, a yearly income up to about $23,940 for one person and $49,500 for a family of four; for discounts, a yearly income up to about $47,880 for one person and $99,000 for a family of four. The policy has differences by state or hospital, so check it for your hospital. Mass General Brigham decides from its own application; only the hospital can confirm what you may get.
How do I apply for Mass General Brigham financial assistance?
Ask for the free paper or PDF application, or work with a patient financial counselor or Patient Billing Solutions customer service. Massachusetts residents may also be helped to enroll in MassHealth or the Health Safety Net. Time to apply: Patients may ask for help at any time, including during the billing and collections cycle.
Source
Financial Assistance Policy / Uninsured Patient Discount Policy, Fiscal Year 2026, Effective 01/01/2026 (next review 01/01/2027). Read with AI reading tools on November 1, 2026, and checked by a second one against the same document. There is also a plain language summary.
We are not part of Mass General Brigham. Policies change, and the hospital decides from its own form. If what you read here differs from the current policy, the policy counts.
Ask in writing
The free financial assistance letter asks the hospital for its policy, the application and the plain language summary. Already paid? How applying after you have already paid works. Compare other systems on the hospital list.
Have insurance? See what 38 policies say about patients with insurance.
In Massachusetts? Find your hospital by name or town (78 Massachusetts hospitals).
In New Hampshire? Find your hospital by name or town (27 New Hampshire hospitals).
Check the bill itself
Financial assistance may lower what you owe, but it does not look at the charges. Open your bill in MedBillCheckup: it is read on your device, never uploaded, and the free check shows how many things are worth asking the billing office about, and names the first. The full list, with the exact questions to ask, is $6.99 for one bill, or included with Pro at $9.99 a month.
Check my bill, freeMedBillCheckup provides informational assistance only. It does not determine whether a charge is medically necessary, fraudulent, illegal, or definitively incorrect, and it is not a substitute for advice from a lawyer, doctor, insurer, or certified medical billing specialist.