Financial assistance

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Financial relief may be available to patients who have received non-elective care and do not qualify for state or federal assistance and are unable to establish partial payments or pay their balance. In most cases, this will apply to patients who fall between 0 - 250% of the Federal Poverty Level. Federal Poverty Levels based on total household income, with sufficient supporting documentation provided by the patient, will have a 100% Charity discount processed.

For patients whose documented income is between 251 and 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, we have an expanded financial assistance policy that may reduce the amount you owe. To determine if non-elective services you received could be eligible for either full charity or partial charity, please contact your hospital for details on how you may see if you are eligible to receive assistance.

Some locations may have identified additional criteria for charity eligibility besides the Federal Poverty Levels as noted above (i.e., high medical costs, more lenient income levels, etc.). To verify your eligibility for assistance under this policy, we recommend you contact the hospital.

A validation must be completed by the hospital to ensure that if any portion of the patient's medical services can be paid by any federal, or state governmental health care program (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, Champus, Medicare secondary payor), private insurance company, or other private, non-governmental third-party payor, that the payment has been received and posted to the account. No charity discount can be applied to any account with any outstanding payer liability.

All Medicare accounts and all non-Medicare inpatient accounts will be required to have supporting income verification documentation. Medicare requires independent income and resource verification for a charity care determination with respect to Medicare beneficiaries (PRM-I § 312).

For Medicare beneficiaries, in addition to thorough completion of the Financial Assistance Application, the preferred income documentation will be the most current year's Federal Tax Return. Any patient/responsible party unable to provide his/her most recent Federal Tax Return may provide two pieces of supporting documentation from the following list to meet this income verification requirement:

• State Income Tax Return for the most current year
• Most Recent Employer Pay Stubs
• Written documentation from income sources
• Copy of all bank statements for the last three months
• Current credit report

All Self-Pay patients, excluding elective cosmetic procedures and facility designated self-pay flat rate procedures , will receive discount similar to managed care, referred to as an "uninsured discount". The Uninsured Discount is limited to patients who have no third party payer source of payment or do not qualify for Medicaid, Charity or any other discount program the facility offers. The amount of the discount offered may vary by location based on state requirements, patient income levels, and local rates.

At the time of service, patients will be asked to make payment in full or establish monthly payment arrangements on the patient liability amount.

Patients confirmed to be uninsured (or their responsible party) will be presented with an Uninsured Patient Information document that provides information on the Uninsured Discount Policy and other available discounts and payment options. This document will outline the process for uninsured discounts and inform the patient of additional account resolution options (i.e. monthly payments). The patient/responsible party will be asked to sign and date the document at the time of service. If a patient is determined to be eligible for assistance under our financial assistance policies, the patient has the option to enter into an appropriate payment plan. A patient who agrees to a payment plan may request and have an opportunity to renegotiate such payment plan, which will include opportunity for a new financial assessment of the patient's financial status.

Learn more about HCA Healthcare's Patient Financial Support policies and programs.

Patient Financial Information

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Hospital Discounted Care Uniform Application

Your rights as a patient

What is Hospital Discounted Care?

Hospital Discounted Care is a Colorado law. It limits how much hospitals can charge some patients. It offers lower costs and payment plans. For patients whose income is at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, the limits to how much the hospital can charge must follow the rules of Hospital Discounted Care.

Contact HealthOne at (866) 551-6004 to see if you qualify.

Overview:

• You may qualify if your income is low. Your gross household income must be 250% of the federal poverty guidelines or less. The hospital will help you see if you qualify.
• If you qualify:
  • Hospitals and providers must limit your bills.
  • You can get a payment plan. The plan is based on your income.
• You may qualify even if you:
  • Are not a citizen.
  • Are an immigrant.
  • Have health insurance.

Your Rights

• You have the right to ask the hospital to:
  • See if you can get Hospital Discounted Care or other help.
  • See if you can get Health First Colorado (Colorado Medicaid).
  • See if you can get other programs.
  • Create a payment plan if you qualify.
• The hospital must give you information about your rights. The information must be in the language you prefer.
• To see if you qualify or ask questions, call (866) 551-6004 or visit the Hospital Discounted Care webpage.

The Law About Bills from Hospitals and Providers

• You may get a bill from your hospital. You may also get bills from physicians who saw you in the hospital.
• If you qualify, any bill you get because of a hospital visit is limited. The bills cannot be more than Hospital Discounted Care allows.
  • You can look up the amounts for health care services at your hospital.
• Your bills must be split into monthly payments.
  • The amount you pay will depend on your income.
• For more information, please visit the Hospital Discounted Care webpage
• You do not owe any more money after:
  • You make 36 monthly payments, or
  • You pay the full discounted amount in your payment plan.

Public Health Coverage and Discounts

• If you do NOT have health insurance:
  • The hospital must see if you qualify for:
    • Public health coverage and discount programs, like Health First Colorado, Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), Emergency Medicaid, and hospital discounts.
      • These can cover all or most of your health care bills.
  • The hospital must check to see if you qualify within 45 days of when you got care.
  • You can refuse to let the hospital see if you qualify. If you refuse:
    • You cannot sue the hospital for not giving you discounts.
    • You cannot sue the hospital for not checking for programs that can help you.
• If you have health insurance:
  • You must ask the hospital to see if you can get help with your bills.
  • The hospital has 45 days to see if you can get help after you ask them.

Determination and Appeals

• After you complete an application, the hospital must tell you if you qualify within 21 days.
• If you disagree with their decision, you can appeal:
  • You must ask the hospital in writing for your case to be checked for mistakes.
  • You must file your appeal within 30 days of the date the hospital gave you their decision.
• For more information on how to appeal, call (866) 551-6004 or visit the Hospital Discounted Care webpage.

Bill Collection with Hospital Discounted Care

• Before sending your bill to collections, the biller must:
  • Do what is listed above.
  • Explain all the services and fees on your bill. They must do this in the language you prefer.
  • Bill your insurance (if you have insurance) before making a payment plan.
  • Tell you in writing 30 days before they send you to collections.
• If your bill is sent to collections without doing all the steps listed above, you can file a complaint. You can also take legal action.

Hospital Discounted Care Complaints

• You can file a complaint if you feel any of your rights have not been met.
• Complaints may include:
  • Poor communication from the hospital financial assistance office.
  • Bills that are not properly discounted.
  • Missing or late paperwork or applications.
  • Not getting the Patient Rights document.
  • Anything else you want to tell us.
• If you have a billing complaint or issue, call the hospital billing department at (866) 551-6004
• You can file a complaint with your hospital or provider. Call (866) 551-6004
• You can file a complaint with Health Care Policy and Financing. Call (303) 866-2580 or email hcpf_HospDiscountCare@state.co.us.