Upload a medical bill or EOB and get, in about a minute: likely billing errors, a fair-price check, the protections that apply to you with their deadlines, and ready-to-send letters. Debt-collector and credit-report letters are free too. You send every letter yourself; we never contact anyone for you and we do not store your bill.
| Tool | How we offer it | Where | Legal basis |
|---|
| Itemized-bill request | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | Hospital/provider itemization on request; Medicare: SSA 1806 (42 USC 1395b-7); state laws e.g. Fla. Stat. 395.301, Minn. Stat. 144.591 (no fee), Colo. HB22-1285 (no collection until itemized) source · open the letter |
| HIPAA right of access (billing + medical records) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 45 CFR 164.524: copy within 30 days (one 30-day extension); billing records are in the designated record set (164.501); reasonable cost-based fee only source · open the letter |
| Billing-error dispute (duplicates, unbundling, upcoding, EOB mismatch) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | CMS NCCI procedure-to-procedure and MUE edits; your EOB patient-responsibility line source · open the letter |
| Fair-price check | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | Hospital price transparency 45 CFR part 180 (machine-readable file + 300 shoppable services); Medicare fee schedules; FAIR Health Consumer; RAND round 5 (commercial = 254% of Medicare inpatient, 279% outpatient) source |
| No Surprises Act balance-billing protection | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 42 USC 300gg-111, 300gg-131/-132; 45 CFR 149.410-.440: emergency care and out-of-network clinicians at in-network facilities may bill only in-network cost sharing. Help desk 1-800-985-3059 source · open the letter |
| No Surprises Act patient-provider dispute (uninsured/self-pay) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 45 CFR 149.610 good-faith estimate; 149.620 dispute when billed >= $400 over the GFE, start within 120 days of the bill, $25 fee, no collections during the dispute source · open the letter |
| Nonprofit hospital financial assistance (incl. retroactive refunds) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 26 CFR 1.501(r)-4 (FAP), -5 (charges limited to AGB), -6 (240-day application period, ECAs suspended, refund of payments above the FAP amount) source · open the letter |
| State charity-care / uninsured-discount laws | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | State table in bill_ai.CHARITY_CARE (verified flags per row) source |
| Prompt-pay / self-pay discount request | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | Hospital self-pay policy (no general statute; uninsured-discount laws in some states) source · open the letter |
| Insurer internal appeal (EOB denial) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 45 CFR 147.136; 29 CFR 2560.503-1: 180 days from the denial to appeal; 72 h urgent / 30 d pre-service / 60 d post-service source · open the letter |
| External review after a final internal denial | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 45 CFR 147.136(c)-(d): request within 4 months of the final internal denial source · open the letter |
| Medicare / Medicaid appeals | Referral (official / free channel) | All 50 states + DC | 42 CFR 405 subpart I; official channel 1-800-MEDICARE / state Medicaid agency / SHIP counselors (free) source |
| Human advocate: report-only error audit (marketplace scope B) | Paid (optional) | 32 states | Flat fee, advocate never contacts the provider (BILLADVOCATE.md scope B) source |
| Pro follow-up assistant (AI drafts replies, tracks deadlines) | Paid (optional) | 31 states | Flat $9 per bill; software only; consumer sends source |
| Tool | How we offer it | Where | Legal basis |
|---|
| Retention-department negotiation script | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | Contract/plan terms; no statute source · open the letter |
| Competitor-offer leverage + promo stacking checklist | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | Published competitor prices source · open the letter |
| Cancel / auto-renewal letter | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | State auto-renewal laws, e.g. Cal. Bus. & Prof. 17602 (online cancellation); FTC click-to-cancel rule vacated (8th Cir. 2025-07-08) source · open the letter |
| FCC informal complaint (phone, internet, TV) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 47 CFR 1.716-1.718; carrier must respond in writing within 30 days source · open the letter |
| State utility commission (PUC) complaint | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | State PUC rules; NARUC directory source · open the letter |
| Lifeline phone/internet discount | Referral (official / free channel) | All 50 states + DC | 47 CFR 54.400-.423 (135% FPL; $9.25/mo) source |
| Utility hardship: LIHEAP, shutoff protections, budget billing | Referral (official / free channel) | All 50 states + DC | LIHEAP (42 USC 8621); NEAR line 1-866-674-6327; state winter/medical-certificate shutoff rules source |
| Human advocate negotiates a lower future rate (marketplace scope A) | Paid (optional) | 31 states | Paid only from verified savings (BILLADVOCATE.md scope A) source |
| Pro recurring-bill assistant | Paid (optional) | 30 states | Flat $9 per bill or 15% of verified first-year savings (cap $45) source |
| Tool | How we offer it | Where | Legal basis |
|---|
| Debt validation / dispute letter | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 15 USC 1692g(b); 12 CFR 1006.34, 1006.38: dispute in writing within the validation period and the collector must pause until it mails verification. Third-party collectors only (Henson v. Santander, 582 U.S. 79 (2017)) source · open the letter |
| Cease-communication letter | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 15 USC 1692c(c); 12 CFR 1006.6(c). Does not erase the debt; a lawsuit is still possible source · open the letter |
| Call log + Reg F complaint (7 calls in 7 days, 8am-9pm) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 12 CFR 1006.14(b)(2) call-frequency presumption; 1006.6(b)(1) inconvenient times; 15 USC 1692k ($1,000 statutory + fees) source · open the letter |
| Time-barred debt notice (no suit or threat of suit) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 12 CFR 1006.26(b); state statutes of limitation (a payment can restart the clock in some states) source · open the letter |
| Hardship-program request (card issuer, lender, utility) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | Creditor hardship programs; no statute source · open the letter |
| State medical-debt protections notice | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | State table in bill_ai.STATE_MEDICAL_DEBT source · open the letter |
| CFPB / state AG / insurance department complaint | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | consumerfinance.gov/complaint (855-411-2372); NAAG AG directory; NAIC insurance directory; HHS OCR (HIPAA, 180 days) source · open the letter |
| Tool | How we offer it | Where | Legal basis |
|---|
| Credit-report dispute to the bureaus | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 15 USC 1681i: reinvestigation within 30 days (45 with new info) source · open the letter |
| Direct dispute to the furnisher | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 15 USC 1681s-2(a)(8); 12 CFR 1022.43 (30 days); 1681s-2(b) duties after a bureau dispute source · open the letter |
| Method-of-verification request | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 15 USC 1681i(a)(6)(B)(iii), (a)(7): description of the reinvestigation procedure within 15 days of request source · open the letter |
| Identity-theft block (FCRA 605B) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | 15 USC 1681c-2: bureau blocks within 4 business days with an identity theft report (IdentityTheft.gov) source · open the letter |
| Medical-debt reporting dispute | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | Equifax/Experian/TransUnion policy: paid medical collections removed (2022-07), none reported in the first year, under $500 not reported (2023-04); the CFPB 2025 medical-debt rule was vacated (Cornerstone Credit Union League v. CFPB, E.D. Tex. 2025-07-11); state laws vary source · open the letter |
| Goodwill adjustment letter (accurate late payment) | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | No statute: a request; the furnisher may refuse (FCRA allows accurate data to stay) source · open the letter |
| Pay-for-delete request | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | No statute: a lawful request, but CDIA/Metro 2 guidance discourages deleting accurate data, so many refuse. Get it in writing before paying source · open the letter |
| Tool | How we offer it | Where | Legal basis |
|---|
| IRS first-time penalty abatement request | Free self-service | All 50 states + DC | IRM 20.1.1.3.3.2.1 (no penalties in the prior 3 years); taxpayer's own request. Complex cases: enrolled agent / CPA / LITC source · open the letter |
| IRS payment plan | Referral (official / free channel) | All 50 states + DC | IRS Online Payment Agreement (long-term up to $50,000; short-term 180 days) source |
| Offer in compromise screening | Referral (official / free channel) | All 50 states + DC | IRS pre-qualifier tool, Form 656 ($205 fee, waived for low income); preparation referred to an EA/CPA/attorney or LITC source |
| Find an enrolled agent / CPA / Low Income Taxpayer Clinic | Referral (official / free channel) | All 50 states + DC | Circular 230 practitioners source |
| Tool | How we offer it | Where | Legal basis |
|---|
| 'Accepted for value' / A4V, UCC 3-104 'discharge', strawman, bill of exchange, 'common law' debt elimination | Not offered | none | Rejected by courts: Bryant v. Washington Mutual Bank, 524 F. Supp. 2d 753 (W.D. Va. 2007); Gravatt v. United States, 100 Fed. Cl. 279 (2011); Meads v. Meads, 2012 ABQB 571 (Alta.). Using them can bring sanctions or fraud charges source |
| Negotiating a balance you owe / debt settlement for a fee | Not offered | none | Debt adjusting / debt settlement / UDMSA licensing (BILLADVOCATE.md scope C/D, closed in all 51) source |
| Paid credit repair | Not offered | none | Credit Repair Organizations Act 15 USC 1679b(b) advance-fee ban + state CSO bonds: our credit tools are free instead source |
| Contacting creditors/collectors on your behalf | Not offered | none | Acting as intermediary on a debt is the debt-adjusting trigger in most states source |
| Drafting court answers or filings | Not offered | none | Unauthorized practice of law; referred to legal aid source |
We do not prepare 'accepted for value' / A4V, UCC 3-104 'discharge', strawman, bill-of-exchange or 'common law' debt letters. Courts reject them, and using them can lead to sanctions or criminal charges: Bryant v. Washington Mutual Bank, 524 F. Supp. 2d 753 (W.D. Va. 2007) (a 'bill of exchange' does not pay a debt); Gravatt v. United States, 100 Fed. Cl. 279 (2011) (sovereign-citizen/strawman claims frivolous); Meads v. Meads, 2012 ABQB 571 (catalogue of these schemes). Lawful tools that work instead: debt validation (15 USC 1692g), credit-report disputes (15 USC 1681i), hospital financial assistance (26 CFR 1.501(r)), No Surprises Act protections.
This is general information and a letter you send yourself, not legal advice. BillAdvocate does not contact anyone for you. BillAdvocate is not a law firm and is not your lawyer: letters are drafted by software (and, only if you ask, reworded by an AI service) from what you enter, and no lawyer has reviewed them. Check every fact, amount and date before you send, and talk to a lawyer or legal aid office if you are being sued or a deadline is close. These letters are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.