Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, we automatically log certain technical information when you visit, including your browser type, device type, operating system, approximate location derived from your IP address, the pages you view, how you arrived at the site, and timestamps of activity. This is typically collected through cookies, pixels, and similar technologies, or through server log files.

Information you provide directly

If you use our charity care eligibility calculator, you may enter information such as household size, approximate income range, insurance status, and the hospital where you were treated. If you email us, we receive whatever you choose to include in that message. We don't ask for your Social Security number, full account numbers, or other highly sensitive identifiers, and you should never need to provide them to use this site.

2. Cookies & similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for a few purposes: remembering your display preferences (such as light or dark mode), understanding aggregate traffic patterns through analytics, and supporting the advertising described below. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings; blocking cookies may affect how parts of the site function.

3. Advertising on this site

CharityCareCheck displays ads served through third-party advertising networks, including Google AdSense. These networks may use cookies or similar technologies to show you ads based on your visits to this and other websites. We don't control the specific ads you're shown or the data practices of these networks beyond what their own policies describe.

• Google's use of advertising cookies is described at policies.google.com/technologies/ads.
• You can review and adjust the ads Google shows you through Google Ads Settings.
• You can opt out of many third-party advertising networks' interest-based ads at aboutads.info/choices (Digital Advertising Alliance) or optout.networkadvertising.org (Network Advertising Initiative).

4. Analytics

We may use analytics services to understand how visitors use this site in aggregate — for example, which pages are most read or where visitors encounter errors. Analytics data is generally used in de-identified or aggregated form for improving the site, not to identify individual visitors.

5. How we use information

• To operate, maintain, and improve this website and the calculator tool
• To understand which content is useful so we can prioritize updates and corrections
• To detect, investigate, and prevent abuse, fraud, or security issues
• To respond if you email us directly
• To support advertising that keeps this site free, as described above

We do not use anything you enter into the calculator to contact you, and we do not sell calculator responses to hospitals, debt collectors, or financial-assistance vendors.

6. How we share information

We don't sell your personal information for money. We may share information with:

• Service providers who help us run the site (such as hosting and analytics providers), under obligations to protect that data
• Advertising networks, to the extent described in Section 3
• Legal authorities, if required by law, subpoena, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of CharityCareCheck, our users, or others
• A successor entity, if this site is ever transferred as part of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets — subject to this policy or a comparable one

7. Your privacy choices & rights

Browser controls. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies, or browse in a private/incognito mode. Some site features, like remembering your theme preference, depend on cookies or local storage to work.

California residents (CCPA/CPRA). If you're a California resident, you may have the right to know what personal information we've collected about you, request deletion or correction of that information, and opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising — a broad definition under California law that can include certain advertising-cookie activity described in Section 3. We won't discriminate against you for exercising these rights. To make a request, contact us using the details in Section 12.

EEA/UK visitors (GDPR). If you're located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict our use of your personal data, and to object to certain processing, including for advertising purposes. We rely on legitimate interest and, where applicable, consent as the basis for processing described in this policy. Contact us using the details in Section 12 to exercise these rights.

Do Not Track. Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" signal. Because there's no common industry standard for responding to it yet, this site does not currently change its behavior in response to that signal.

8. Children's privacy

This site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we'll take steps to delete it.

9. Data retention

We retain automatically collected technical data only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described above, after which it's deleted or aggregated in a way that no longer identifies you. Information you enter into the calculator is processed to generate your estimate and is not retained beyond what's needed for that session unless you separately contact us.

10. Data security

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to protect information from unauthorized access, alteration, or loss. No website can guarantee perfect security, so we encourage you not to share highly sensitive identifiers (like a full Social Security number) with us or through this site.

11. Links to other sites

This site links to government agencies, hospitals, and other third parties (for example, the IRS, HHS, and state health agencies) so you can verify our sources directly. Those sites have their own privacy practices, which we encourage you to review — this policy doesn't apply to them.

12. Contact us

Questions about this policy, or requests related to your personal information, can be sent to privacy@charitycarecheck.com.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. We'll update the effective date above when we do, and material changes will be reflected directly on this page.