Editorial Policy
Everything on this site is meant to give you an accurate, honest answer about where you can get affordable care and how community health centers work. Here's where our information comes from and how we keep it correct.
Our data source
Clinic listings come from the HRSA Health Center Program dataset — the official record of federally funded community health center service-delivery sites, maintained by the Health Resources and Services Administration. We don't add clinics by hand or take listings from users; the data is the government's, and we organize it by state, city, and individual clinic.
What "treats everyone" means here
When we say a clinic treats you regardless of insurance or ability to pay, that isn't our opinion — it's the law that defines these clinics. Every site in the HRSA data is part of a Health Center funded under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act, which requires it to serve all patients regardless of ability to pay and to run a sliding-fee discount program. Being in this directory is the evidence.
What we verify by calling, not claiming
The HRSA site-level data tells us a clinic's name, address, phone, hours, and location — but not which specific services each individual site offers. So we never claim a particular clinic has dental, behavioral health, or a pharmacy unless we can back it up. Instead we describe what community health centers commonly offer and tell you to call the site to confirm. We'd rather send you with the right question than a wrong assumption.
How we keep program figures current
Program facts — the sliding-fee scale, the federal poverty guidelines that set it, Medicaid rules — are set by the federal government and change on a schedule (the poverty guidelines update every January). We re-verify these against HRSA, CMS, and HHS sources at least once a year and note a "Last reviewed" date on each guide.
Health content standards (YMYL)
Health information affects real decisions, so we hold it to a higher bar. We link to official sources, we don't give medical advice or diagnose, we don't quote a specific price for a visit (it depends on your income), and we distinguish clearly between what's guaranteed by law and what varies by clinic or state.
Corrections
If you spot something wrong — a closed clinic, a bad phone number, an outdated figure — use the thumbs-up / thumbs-down feedback box at the bottom of any page. Reports go to a reviewed queue, and clinic or data errors trigger a re-check against the HRSA records. See our contact page for how that works.
Independence
LowCostClinics.org is an independent site, not affiliated with HRSA, HHS, or any clinic or government agency. We link to official sources so you can confirm anything for yourself.