<human>: Hi r/pf,

My daughter recently had heart surgery. I'm employed and have insurance, but the surgery and associated diagnostics and care basically left us responsible for our insurance policy's out of pocket maximum. According to the income guidelines from the hospitals financial assistance program, we do qualify for aid. 

However, the wrinkle is that since last year when my wife and I had twins, we've been living with my in-laws. We previously owned a home and had some equity when we sold it. We're planning to use this equity to buy another home next year, but at the moment it's mostly in a savings account. It's plenty to cover the hospital bills, but it wouldn't count against us with the hospital's financial assistance formulas if it were in the form of home equity - can we do something with this cash to protect ourselves from losing a substantial chunk of our funds? 

My other questions are about the implications of receiving assistance  - if we receive financial assistance from the hospital, will that reduce the amount that counts towards our OOP max, or is that relief simply between us and the hospital?

Condense the text into a few key points
<bot>: qualify for hospital financial assistance based on income but have savings from a recent house sale that have not yet been transferred into a new home - can I shelter these? Also, does receiving assistance increase my OOP max?