September 9, 2026

Medical financial assistance helps Julian get needed care

We help eligible patients pay for care, prescriptions, and other medical expenses.

Watch Julian Kaufmann explain the support he received through our Medical Financial Assistance program.

When Julian Kaufmann, 94, started having problems with his eyes, he quickly scheduled an appointment with his Kaiser Permanente doctor.

After his visit, Kaufmann learned he had macular degeneration.

The condition made the middle of his eyesight fuzzy.

“It’s like looking through a fog,” said Kaufman, who has been a Kaiser Permanente member for more than 50 years.

Kaufmann needed monthly eye injections. Living on a fixed income, he worried about how he would pay for them.

That’s when his doctor told him about Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Financial Assistance program.

Medical financial assistance helps fill the gaps

Our Medical Financial Assistance program helps eligible patients pay for their health care from Kaiser Permanente.

The program is generally for:

  • People with limited incomes
  • People with high medical costs compared to their incomes

Patients who qualify may receive help with some or all of their medical costs, regardless of whether they have health insurance.

In 2025, we invested $1.2 billion to support more than 1.2 million people through our Medical Financial Assistance program.

As a nonprofit health care organization, we invest in programs like Medical Financial Assistance to support the communities we serve.

Help when it mattered

Kaufmann called to apply.

The program covered the cost of his treatment. He could protect his vision. Most importantly, he could stay independent.

“It gave me great relief,” Kaufmann said. “It changed my life.”

Learn more about our Medical Financial Assistance program.