I owe quite a bit to the hospital and realized I’m not eligible for their financial assistance, due to my income bracket. What happens if you were to lie to the billing department, what they find out? I know you’re not supposed to lie when it comes to seeking assistance from federal programs/welfare/etc since they quickly find out, but would a hospital find out too?
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That would be fraud, which is a crime.
If you want charity care or financial help from a hospital, they usually need proof of your income, like your tax returns.
Changing your tax returns to get charity care would also be fraud.
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Would a non-profit hospital really prosecute over something like this?
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Even if they didn’t prosecute, you still wouldn’t get the assistance, so you’d be back where you started.
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Non-profit doesn’t mean they don’t turn a profit
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Yes, even if they don’t make a profit, they still want to cover the cost of your care.
Why try to hide your income? You can just call them and ask for a payment plan.
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Don’t commit a crime.
They’ll probably ask you to prove your income. Even if they don’t, they might have a system to check your income. I don’t think anyone would trust you completely without proof.
They usually ask for your tax returns or your last month’s paycheck. But they might even ask for your bank statements.