in the USA, very low-income patients who receive health care free or at reduced prices; criteria for eligibility differ from state to state, hospital to hospital, and physician to physician. Providers of charity care may be reimbursed through *Medicaid, *Medicare, or other government programmes. So-called medically indigent patients may also be eligible for help. These are patients who earn too much to qualify for charity care but not enough to afford health insurance, and who may incur medical bills that are far beyond their means. The *Affordable Care Act 2010 was intended largely to help those in this position.
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