UW Hospitals and Clinics, Madison, 2020 Community Benefit

Financial Assistance Relieves Stress

When a person becomes ill, their first priority should be their physical well-being. UW Health’s uncompensated care program is there to work with patients who experience financial hardship related to their medical bills. 
To help patients better focus on their health instead of financial situation, UW Health is proud to offer a financial assistance program to patients who are unable to pay for the care provided at UW Health. Patients work with dedicated staff members to apply for financial assistance to cover all or a portion of their bill. In FY19, UW Hospital and Clinics’ financial assistance program provided $16 million of charity care at cost.
This assistance comes as a major relief to these patients who have already gone through the stress of a medical problem. As one former patient wrote, “I knew I needed to seek medical help, but I didn’t know how I could pay for it. I am so grateful for UW Health’s financial assistance program for helping me with my medical bills. This removed so much stress from my life, and I was able to better focus on my health.”