Rights
What you're entitled to in a New York health care setting — an interpreter, your records, an appeal, and protections that don't depend on your immigration status.
Most of what people think of as favors in a hospital — an interpreter, a copy of your chart, a second look at a denied claim — are entitlements. They tend to arrive faster when you name them precisely.
What an Emergency Room Must Do for You
Federal law requires screening and stabilization regardless of insurance, payment or immigration status. What that covers, what it does not, and what to do about the bill.
You Have the Right to an Interpreter — Here's How to Use It
Hospitals and clinics receiving federal funds must provide free interpretation. What that covers in New York, why family members shouldn't translate, and what to say when you're refused.
Immigration Status and Medical Care in New York: What Is Protected
What immigration status does and does not affect when you seek care in New York — emergency treatment, hospital financial assistance, NYC Care, and what hospitals ask.
How to Appeal a Denied Claim in New York
What to do when a plan denies prior authorization or refuses to pay a claim in New York: written denial, peer-to-peer review, internal appeal, external appeal.
Getting Your Medical Records in New York
Why you want them before you need them, how to request them, what to do when a practice stalls, and how records settle billing disputes.
When a Medical Bill Goes to Collections
What a collection agency can and cannot do in New York, why a financial assistance application still works at this stage, and the letter that changes the conversation.
What to Say: Scripts for the Front Desk, Billing and Your Plan
The exact sentences that move things in a New York health care setting — asking for an interpreter, financial assistance, an itemized bill, a pause on collections, a written denial.