Charity care is a hospital’s financial-assistance program that reduces or erases a bill based on your income. Nonprofit hospitals are generally required to offer it and to tell patients it exists. You apply with proof of income, and eligibility often extends well above the poverty line.
The law: A tax-exempt (nonprofit) hospital must have a written financial assistance policy, publicize it widely (including on billing statements), and accept applications for at least 240 days after the first post-discharge bill — 26 CFR 1.501(r)-4 and 1.501(r)-1(b)(3). For-profit hospitals are not covered by these rules.
Many people pay hospital bills they could have had reduced or wiped out through charity care. Nonprofit hospitals — most hospitals in the country — are generally required to maintain a written financial-assistance policy and to make patients aware of it. Eligibility is based on income and household size, and the thresholds are often more generous than people expect, sometimes covering families well above the federal poverty line. The catch is that you usually have to ask and apply; it is rarely offered automatically.
Not necessarily. Many hospital policies offer full assistance below one threshold and partial discounts on a sliding scale well above it. Apply even if you are unsure.
Often yes. Many hospitals accept applications for a period after service, and some even after a bill has gone to collections. Ask about the deadline.
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