Dollar For: How Patients Get Hospital Bills Reduced—or Erased

The Hospital Bill Escape Hatch.

I’m Pete Stevenson, founder of Evolvv Health, and as a cancer survivor, I learned the hard way that many patients are sitting on bills that never should’ve been charged in the first place. One of the most powerful tools I’ve found is a nonprofit called Dollar For.

Let’s break this down simply.

What Dollar For Is

Dollar For is a nonprofit that helps patients access hospital charity care—programs hospitals are legally required to offer but rarely advertise.

They don’t lend money.
They don’t negotiate payment plans.
They help get bills reduced or fully erased.

How Hospital Charity Care Works

Most U.S. hospitals—especially nonprofit hospitals—must offer free or discounted care based on income.

This is called:

• Charity care

• Financial assistance

• Hospital financial aid

Same thing. Different names.

Income-Based Forgiveness Rules

Each hospital sets its own thresholds, but many forgive bills if your household income is:

• Under 200–300% of the Federal Poverty Level (sometimes more)

• Or if medical costs are a large portion of your income

Even middle-income families often qualify during cancer.

Yes, You Can Apply Retroactively

This is huge.

Many hospitals allow applications for:

• Bills from the past 12–24 months

• Sometimes longer

If you’ve already paid, you may even get refunds.

Documents You’ll Need

Most hospitals ask for:

• Proof of income (tax return or pay stubs)

• ID

• Proof of address

• A short application form

That’s it. No medical essays required.

Common Hospital Pushback

Hospitals may:

• “Forget” to mention charity care

• Push payment plans instead

• Say it’s “too late”

It’s often not true.

Why Patients Don’t Know This Exists

Because hospitals:

• Bury it deep on their websites

• Don’t mention it at billing time

• Train staff to prioritize collections

Dollar For exists because this system is broken.

Success Stories

I’ve seen:

• $40,000 wiped out

• $120,000 erased

• Collections stopped overnight

Not rare. Just hidden.

Limits of Charity Care

It usually:

• Applies only to hospital bills (not private doctors)

• Doesn’t cover everything

Still, it’s often the biggest win available.

How Evolvv Helps

At Evolvv, we:

• Identify eligible hospitals

• Coordinate applications

• Track deadlines

• Push back when hospitals stall

You shouldn’t have to fight while you’re sick.