Health Care for Everyone
Hudson Headwaters welcomes all patients regardless of insurance status. We participate with most major insurers, including Medicare and Medicaid, and offer financial and billing assistance as described below. Hudson Headwaters is a National Health Services Corps member and serves all patients. Learn more here.
Billing Services
Hudson Headwaters keeps a record of all financial transactions related to your health care. You are responsible for paying in full for any non-covered services, co-payments or unmet deductibles at the time of your visit. Payment in full is also expected at the time of your visit if Hudson Headwaters does not participate with your insurance plan. See the insurance carriers we participate with here: Hudson Headwaters Insurance Carriers. Our 2024 charge schedules can be found here.
Please be aware that you may receive services at a Hudson Headwaters facility from providers, practices or others who are not employed by Hudson Headwaters. In these cases, you may receive a separate bill from them for the services they provided to you in our facility. In the event you need to address a billing concern, please contact those providers or practices directly.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment and hospital fees. Click here for the Surprise Billing Protection Form.
For questions about Hudson Headwaters billing, or if you would like to discuss setting up a budget/payment plan, please call our patient support services team at 518-623-2094 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For dental billing questions, please call 518-623-3918.
Sliding Fee Program
Hudson Headwaters offers a Sliding Fee program that discounts the cost of medical and dental care at our health centers (including primary and specialty care, many dental services, prescriptions and X-rays). You may be eligible for the program based solely on your household/family size and how much you earn. This is not an insurance plan, so there’s no monthly premium, and you can apply for Sliding Fee whether you have insurance or not. 8 out of 10 people who apply get approved.
How Do I Apply?
Download the Sliding Fee Program Application. Once you’ve filled out the application, you can:
- Return the completed application and supporting documentation to any Hudson Headwaters health center
- Fax the completed application and supporting documentation to 518-824-2309
- Email the completed application and supporting documentation to [email protected]
You can also apply online. For an online application, click “apply for the sliding fee program” in the box to the right and fill out the required information. If you’re viewing this page on a mobile device, click the blue circle with the speech bubble in the bottom right corner to open the online application window.
Does My Household Qualify?
Your eligibility and what you’ll pay is based on your family size and household income. We’ve provided three examples of how that works below. Click here for our complete 2024 Sliding Fee Discount Schedule. If you have questions, need an application or help filling it out, contact our Sliding Fee Program staff by phone at 518-824-8640, or by email: [email protected].
Example 1
Family Size: 4
Household Income: up to $46,800/year
Eligible for: Category G
Patient Responsibility:
Medical/Pharmacy: $10
Imaging: 22% of cost
Preventative Dental: $33
Specialty Dental: 55% of cost
Example 2
Family Size: 6
Household Income: up to $73,430/year
Eligible for: Category H
Patient Responsibility:
Medical/Pharmacy: $15
Imaging: 31% of cost
Preventative Dental: $43
Specialty Dental: 60% of cost
Example 3
Family Size: 9
Household Income: up to $116,200/year
Eligible for: Category I
Patient Responsibility:
Medical/Pharmacy: $20
Imaging: 40% of cost
Preventative Dental: $53
Specialty Dental: 65% of cost
RX Assist Pharmacy Assistance Program
With RX Assist, you may be eligible to receive brand name medications for free. Qualifying factors include lack of insurance or prescription coverage, high prescription co-pays or deductibles, low-to-moderate family income and ongoing medication needs.
Brand name medications are typically available for patients with ongoing medical conditions such as: diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety/depression, asthma, COPD and high cholesterol.
For more information, contact our pharmacy assistance staff by phone at 518-824-8640 or by email at [email protected].
Other Payment Assistance Programs
Patient Discounts and Payment Plans
We believe that no one should delay seeking needed medical care because they lack insurance or have high medical costs. That’s why we offer discounts and payment plans to eligible patients.
Hudson Headwaters can also help you enroll in other programs for low-income patients. Please call our patient support services team at 518-623-2094 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Download our Financial Assistance Brochure today to read more about our services.
Adirondack Health Institute EASE
The EASE (Enrollment Assistance Services and Education) program helps individuals, families and small business owners enroll in health insurance coverage through the NY State of Health Marketplace. The program serves eight counties: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington. Call 1-855-650-0112 or click here to learn more.
Paying By Credit Card?
We need to inform patients about the risks of paying for medical services with a credit card. In New York, there are specific protections for medical debt, but these do not apply to debt charged to a credit card. Here are the key risks:
1) The Fair Medical Debt Reporting Act protects medical debt from being reported to credit agencies. If you pay with a credit card, this protection no longer applies.
2) Health care providers cannot put liens on your home or garnish wages for medical debt. However, if you pay with a credit card, these protections do not apply.
3) The time limit for a provider to collect medical debt is 3 years. If paid with a credit card, this limit is longer.
Hudson Headwaters offers financial services, including payment plans and discounts, to help you manage health care costs. To learn more, review the information on this page or call our patient support services team at 518-623-2094. For dental billing questions, please call 518-623-3918.
