Antelope Valley Hospital
Acute care hospital in Lancaster, CA.
Verified from the hospital's own policy
Antelope Valley Hospital likely gives free care to households with a yearly income up to $31,920 for 1 person, $43,280 for 2, $54,640 for 3, $66,000 for 4, $77,360 for 5 or $88,720 for 6. It likely gives a discount to households with a yearly income up to $63,840 for 1 person, $86,560 for 2, $109,280 for 3, $132,000 for 4, $154,720 for 5 or $177,440 for 6.
The hospital makes the final decision.
| People in household | Free care up to | Discount up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $31,920 | $63,840 |
| 2 | $43,280 | $86,560 |
| 3 | $54,640 | $109,280 |
| 4 | $66,000 | $132,000 |
| 5 | $77,360 | $154,720 |
| 6 | $88,720 | $177,440 |
Discount steps
- 0% to 200% of poverty level, you pay $0 (Charity Care) for uninsured patients
- 201% to 400% of poverty level, you pay Uninsured: no more than the amount Medicare or Medi-Cal would pay, whichever is greater
- 0% to 400% of poverty level, you pay Underinsured patients with high medical costs: discounted care, capped at the amount Medicare or Medi-Cal would pay, whichever is greater
How to apply
- Call (661) 949-5000 and ask for financial assistance.
- Application form
- Patient Financial Assistance (Antelope Valley Medical Center policy PFS.RI.1, effective 11/30/22 and 1/1/25, last revised 8/13/26)
- Bring recent pay stubs or income tax returns, the application asks for tax returns from the last 12 months and 4 pay stubs within 6 months of the first bill.
- We do not have the deadline yet. Apply as soon as you get a bill, and ask the billing office to pause collections while you apply.
- Residency
- None. Help is available regardless of where you live.
- Very large bills
- Out-of-pocket costs over 10% of family income. Above 400% of the poverty level, patients with uninsured catastrophic costs that would significantly reduce their net worth may be considered.
- Languages
- English, Spanish
If you have insurance
Insured patients can also apply for help with deductibles and copays. Keep your insurance. Financial assistance covers bills from this one place only.
What is covered
- Covered
- Medically necessary care at Antelope Valley Medical Center. Billable trauma care is classified as charity care and not billed.
- Not covered
- Emergency doctors and all other medical staff bill separately and are not covered. Emergency doctors must give their own discounts up to 400% of the poverty level.
State program in California
Hospital Fair Pricing Act (Health and Safety Code 127400 et seq.)
Every licensed general acute care, acute psychiatric, and special hospital in California must have a charity care policy and a discount payment policy. A patient can ask for help if they are uninsured (self-pay) or have high medical costs, and their family income is not more than 400% of the federal poverty level. Hospitals may choose to help people with higher incomes. With a discount, the bill is capped at about what Medicare or Medi-Cal would pay, whichever is greater. You can apply at any time, even after a bill goes to collections. Immigration status does not affect eligibility.
Income levels in the program are discount up to 400% of poverty level.
Applies to each licensed general acute care hospital, acute psychiatric hospital, and special hospital in California.
Apply to the hospital's financial assistance office. Each hospital's policies and applications are posted on its website and on HCAI's Hospital Fair Pricing Policy Lookup (https://hcai.ca.gov/affordability/hospital-fair-billing-program/hospital-fair-pricing-policy-lookup/).
Is a self-pay patient OR a patient with high medical costs; AND Patient's family income is not more than 400 percent of the federal poverty
Program source, checked 2026-11-10
Hospital Bill Complaint Program (HCAI)
A free state program at HCAI. If a hospital wrongly denied you financial assistance, did not tell you about its programs, or sent you to collections the wrong way, you can file a complaint online (English and Spanish) or by mail (many languages). You must have applied to the hospital first for HCAI to review an eligibility decision. If HCAI finds you paid too much, the hospital must refund you within 30 days. It covers problems on or after January 1, 2022. It does not handle general billing disputes, price transparency, Good Faith Estimates, or bills from emergency room doctors.
Applies to complaints about any hospital covered by the Hospital Fair Pricing Act.
File online through the Patient Complaint Portal (https://hcai.ca.gov/affordability/hospital-fair-billing-program/hospital-bill-complaint-program/should-i-file-a-complaint/) or mail the Patient Complaint Form to Department of Health Care Access and Information, Hospital Bill Complaint Program, 2020 West El Camino Avenue, Suite 1101, Sacramento, CA 95833.
If you believe you were wrongly denied financial assistance, you may file a complaint with the Hospital Bill Complaint Program.
Program source, checked 2026-11-10
Emergency physician discount rule
Most hospital policies cover only the hospital's own bill. Emergency room doctors often bill separately. California law also requires an emergency physician to give discounts to uninsured patients and patients with high medical costs whose family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level. Ask the doctor group's billing office for its discount policy. HCAI's complaint program does not handle emergency doctor bills.
Income levels in the program are discount up to 400% of poverty level.
Applies to emergency physicians who provide emergency medical services in a California hospital that provides emergency care.
Ask the emergency physician group named on the bill for its discount payment policy.
an emergency physician who provides emergency medical services in a hospital that provides emergency care is also required by law to provide discounted care
Program source, checked 2026-11-10
Notes
Free care at or below 200% of the poverty level if you have no insurance. From 201% to 400% uninsured patients pay no more than Medicare or Medi-Cal would pay. Insured patients with high medical costs up to 400% get a discount. One later line in the policy says charity care goes up to 400% of the poverty level, which conflicts with the 200% rule above it, so ask. The policy gives no end date to apply. Collections are paused while an application is being completed. A decision generally comes within 30 days. Approval lasts 6 months. Appeals go to the Director of Patient Financial Services. The policy does not say whether savings count up to 400%. To request an application by phone, call (661) 949-5781. HCAI's 'Application for Charity Care' file for this hospital is an older copy of the policy, not an application form, so we link the discount payment application.
Sources
- Free care level
Uninsured patients receiving medically necessary services whose gross family income is between 0% and 200% of FPL at the time the patient is first billed
- Discount level
whose gross family income is above 200% of FPL and up to and including 400% of FPL
- Discount steps
AVMC will limit the expected payment for medical necessary services provided to a patient at or below 400% of the FPL
- Insured patients
Under-insured patients receiving medically necessary services with high medical cost whose gross family income is between 0% and 400% FPL
- Residency
financial assistance is available to all individuals regardless of where they live for medically necessary services
- Very large bills
Total annual out-of-pocket medical expenses that exceed 10% of the patient’s Family income
- What is not covered
The AVMC FAP does not include professional services provided by our emergency physicians or any other medical staff.
- Documents
In all cases, the minimum verification shall include recent pay stubs or income tax returns.
- Languages
AVMC shall translate financial assistance program documents, including the full financial assistance policy and applications, into Spanish
- Financial counseling phone
Our financial counselors can be reached Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at (661) 949-5000
Last checked. 2026-11-10
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