The mission of College Hospital is to develop, manage and promote a continuum of health care services to meet the behavioral needs of our community. This includes offering financial assistance or services at a discounted price to those who qualify.
College Hospital provides our patients the option to qualify for Financial Assistance. This Financial Assistance policy is a means through which College Hospital will work to meet the behavioral needs of its patients by offering services at no charge or at a nominal charge for qualified patients. While County government has the responsibility for providing services to the indigent, College Hospital assists in carrying out that responsibility. Helping to meet the needs of the uninsured and underinsured is an important element in our commitment to the community. The charity care and discount qualifications are based on the Federal Poverty Level guidelines and are contingent upon the completion of the required documentation. You can apply for either charity care or discount payments by completing the Financial Assistance application. Scroll to “How to Apply” and download the application and follow the instructions on the cover page for submission.
View our full Financial Assistance policy and procedure here: English | Spanish
Qualifying for Financial Assistance
Eligibility: To qualify for financial assistance; for either the entire hospital bill (charity care) or a portion of the hospital bill (discounted payments), the following criteria must be met:
Coverage – The services being provided are not covered/reimbursed by Medi-Cal or any other third party, the patient is self-pay, the patient has medical expenses which exceed 10% of the family income, and/or patient has family income at or below 400% of the FPL.
Charity Care: If the patient’s income is 400% or less of the FPL, the entire hospital bill will be written-off, regardless of net worth or size of bill.
Discount Payment: If the patient’s income is between 401% and 450% of the FPL, then a portion of the hospital bill is written off based upon a sliding scale, regardless of net worth or size of bill, as follows:
- 401% – 425% = 80% write-off, with maximum liability of $5,000 (annually in the case of multiple hospital stays)
- 426% – 450% = 60% write-off, with maximum liability of $7,500 (annually in the case of multiple hospital stays).
To view the current Federal Poverty Level guidelines, please visit https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines
How to Apply
Download and print the Financial Assistance Application and instructions here: English | Spanish
If you have questions regarding the application, please contact your Patient Financial Representative at (562) 904-3998, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) or email charitycare@chc.la
Hospital Bill Complaint Program
The Hospital Bill Complaint Program is a state program, which reviews hospital decisions about whether you qualify for help paying your hospital bill. If you believe you were wrongly denied financial assistance, you may file a complaint with the Hospital Bill Complaint Program. Go to HospitalBillComplaintProgram.hcai.ca.gov for more information and to file a complaint.
