New Mexico program
Help with a UNM bill (UNM Care and Out-of-County Care)
UNM Health has two assistance routes, with the route depending on where in New Mexico you live.
What it is
UNM Health has two assistance routes, with the route depending on where in New Mexico you live.
UNM’s own assistance may help with its bills. Your county determines the route. Patient Financial Services can explain the policy and how it applies to your bill.
Eligibility rules
- UNM Care serves Bernalillo and Sandoval County residents. Out-of-County Care serves residents of other New Mexico counties.
- UNM’s handout shows 2026 monthly reference ranges reaching $5,410 for two people, $8,250 for four and $11,090 for six. Patient Financial Services confirms the current policy dates, discount and any hardship review.
- UNM’s current FAQ includes insured and uninsured patients. The program reviews the household and countable assets as well as income; its FAQ lists a $30,000 bank-and-investment limit and exclusions for the home, car and uncashed retirement funds. The printed income range is guidance, not a verified promise of free care. Patient Financial Services can provide the written discount decision and explain hardship review.
What you get
- Help with UNM Health bills through a county-based assistance route.
What this includes
- Assistance concerns medically necessary UNMH care, covered clinics and selected UNM pharmacy prescriptions, not every outside or separately billed service. The FAQ lists excluded clinics and services, including ambulance and outside equipment. UNM Care generally lasts one year and Out-of-County Care six months; eligible earlier UNMH bills may be reviewed back six months. The written decision should identify the bills, dates and discount covered.
- Ambulance, outside equipment and a few UNM clinics are not included; ask the counselor whether every bill you have is covered.
If you decide to apply
- Ask Patient Financial Services for an appointment at 505-272-2521 or 877-909-6661.
- Have proof of household income, your New Mexico address and bills ready. Ask for the financial assistance policy and application.
UNM Health Patient Financial Services · 505-272-2521 · Official page ↗
After you apply
- The written decision should identify covered bills, the discount, approval dates and when another review is needed. A six-month review of earlier bills is separate from how long assistance lasts.
- The FAQ gives 15 days for a decision after a complete application and 30 days to provide requested missing documents. UNM’s appeal form allows 45 days after denial to request review, with a committee response within 30 days of receipt. Patient Financial Services at 505-272-2521 can confirm where to send the request and any further review. The balance is not automatically erased during review, but the separate New Mexico collection-pause rule still matters.
Good to know
UNM looks at savings as well as income: bank and investment accounts under $30,000, with the home and a car left out. Ask for the discount decision in writing.
Other details
- New Mexico’s low-income collection protection is separate from the hospital’s own discount program. A pause in collections does not itself cancel a balance.
- UNM says its own payment plans have no interest. Other creditors or financing products can have different terms, which the counselor can explain before you agree.
Federal background: Hospital financial assistance.
Official sources
- UNM — How to find out if you qualify
- UNM Care and Out-of-County Care FAQ
- UNM Care enrollment information
- UNM — Application questions
- UNM Health — Billing and Insurance
- .7 definitions, .8 screening/pause and .9 indigency; effective December 28, 2021
- 45-day appeal request; 30-day committee response
- Official program information
- Official program information
“Could UNM’s assistance reduce our bill? What are the benefits and drawbacks for us, and could you help us apply under the right county route if you recommend it?”
Why I’m asking: We want to understand the written discount policy before making a payment plan.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Book the appointment and take income proof for everyone in the house.
Your social worker
Financial services screen you and say which route applies.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- UNM Health Patient Financial Services.
- Ask the billing office
- “Which route does my county put us in, and can I have the written financial assistance policy and its income lines?”
How to apply
First step: Call 505-272-2521 or 877-909-6661 and book a financial services appointment.
- Call 505-272-2521 or 877-909-6661 and book a financial services appointment.
- Ask which route your county puts you in.
- Ask for the written financial assistance policy and its income lines.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Call 505-272-2521 or 877-909-6661 and make an appointment. Ask for the financial assistance policy itself, not the handout.
What to gather
- Proof of income for everyone in the house
- The bills so far
- Proof of your New Mexico address
How long: The FAQ gives 15 days after a complete application and 30 days for requested documents. The appeal form gives 45 days after denial to request review and a committee response within 30 days of receipt.
What a yes looks like
A written decision naming the route and the discount.
What a no looks like, and the next move
A no with no policy attached. Ask for the policy and the appeal route in writing.
Watch out
- The sheet the hospital hands out is a guide, not the policy. Ask for the policy itself.
- Insured patients can seek assistance under the current FAQ; covered bills, assets and the written discount decision still matter.
Each hospital’s own policy
The federal rule sets the floor; each hospital’s policy sets the actual numbers. “Unknown” means the policy could not be read yet: call the number and ask.
| Hospital | Free care up to | Discounts up to | Insured families | Financial counselor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNM Children's Hospital · policy | unknown | unknown | yes | 505-272-2521 |
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
The hospital’s own handout lists gross monthly income ranges up to $8,250 for four people and $11,090 for six.
- $8,250/month — Top of the printed gross monthly income range, household of 4
- $11,090/month — Top of the printed gross monthly income range, household of 6
- $5,410/month — Top of the printed gross monthly income range, household of 2
Covers: Assistance with UNM Health bills through one of two county-based routes
What it costs the family: Unknown: the discount schedule was not published where we could read it.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Residency
- Bernalillo or Sandoval County for UNM Care; any other New Mexico county for Out-of-County Care
- Income
- the handout prints gross monthly ranges by household size; the policy ceiling is unknown
- Insurance
- unknown whether an insured family can apply
The trap: UNM’s current FAQ includes insured patients and a $30,000 bank-and-investment asset limit with home, car and uncashed-retirement exclusions. Its printed income range is not a verified free-care or maximum-policy ceiling. The written discount and hardship decision controls.
Where I read this
- UNM — How to find out if you qualify — University of New Mexico Health, read September 10, 2026
- UNM Care and Out-of-County Care FAQ — University of New Mexico Health, read September 10, 2026
- UNM Care enrollment information — University of New Mexico Health, read September 10, 2026
- UNM — Application questions — University of New Mexico Health, read September 10, 2026
- UNM Health — Billing and Insurance — University of New Mexico Health, read September 10, 2026