<p>I was in the hospital earlier this year for 3 weeks and their on a payment plan with the hospital was at. They pretty much figured out how much money we could give them to live and no money for anything else aka college. I believe the final bill is somewhere around $160,000.</p>
<p>Luckily this year, I'll be a high school senior and not a freshman but still, I was wondering how this will affect my EFC (hopefully for the better).</p>
<p>The FAFSA actually does not have a section where you can list your medical bills and such, so your EFC will still reflect what the government determines your family can pay based on their income, assets, etc. Basically, you will have a higher EFC than you'd like. There is good news, however. After you've filed your FAFSA and receive your financial aid package from your school, you can ask the school's financial aid office for a revision request or aid revision form (it may be called something different at your chosen university). On this form, you should list all the additional expenses that were not visible in your FAFSA but that significantly affect your family's financial situation. After that, they'll review it and you should have a better looking financial aid package.</p>
<p>I have had to have 3 operations in the past two years, costing upwards of $200,000 so I empathize completely. If you follow what I've written above (and discuss with a financial aid officer if possible), then you should be fine. You should definitely apply for as many scholarships as possible though throughout your senior year. Your hospital stay may even be an advantage when you write your essays. PM if you need any additional help. Good luck!</p>
<p>You should provide each director of financial aid of the college's to which you will apply a special circumstances letter along with documentation of the medical bills and payment plan. Yes, as advised above apply for a lot of college based and local scholarships.</p>