Stanford Health Care
Nonprofit acute care hospital in Stanford, CA.
Verified from the hospital's own policy
Stanford Health Care likely gives free care 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. We have not found a discount for incomes above the free care level.
The hospital makes the final decision.
| People in household | Free care up to | Discount up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $63,840 | not found |
| 2 | $86,560 | not found |
| 3 | $109,280 | not found |
| 4 | $132,000 | not found |
| 5 | $154,720 | not found |
| 6 | $177,440 | not found |
Discount steps
- 0% to 400% of poverty level, you pay $0 (uninsured, or insured with high medical costs: 100% waiver)
- 401% to % of poverty level, you pay uninsured only: 60% off hospital charges and 50% off professional charges
How to apply
- Call (800) 549-3720 and ask for financial assistance.
- Application form
- Financial Assistance Policy (Stanford Health Care, last approval March 2025)
- Bring recent pay stubs or recent income tax returns (bank statements, W-2s and 1099s are not accepted).
- 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.
- Savings and property
- The policy looks at income only, not savings or property.
- Very large bills
- Insured patients at or below 400% of the poverty level whose yearly out-of-pocket medical costs are over 10% of family income get a 100% waiver.
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 in the hospital and its clinics, and from physicians on its covered provider list.
- Not covered
- Services that are not medically necessary, such as infertility care, cosmetic surgery, hearing devices and vision correction. Physicians who are not on the covered provider list. Services already sold at a special cash or discount price.
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 400% of the poverty level for uninsured patients. Insured patients at or below 400% whose yearly out-of-pocket costs are over 10% of family income also get free care. Uninsured patients above 400% get 60% off hospital charges and 50% off professional charges, with no top income limit. There is no deadline to apply. Approval lasts 12 months and also covers past bills. Applying for Medi-Cal or other programs is not required. For scheduled care that is not an emergency, Stanford may send you to your county hospital if it offers the service. Savings and other monetary assets are not counted. You can ask for a review of a denial by calling Customer Service Billing. The phone number is Stanford Health Care Customer Service Billing, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sources
- Free care level
Uninsured Patients and Patients with High Medical Costs with annualized Family Incomes not in excess of 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines may be eligible
- Discount steps
Uninsured Patient Discount 1.Patient is an Uninsured 50% discount off
- Insured patients
A Patient with High Medical Costs is an Insured Patient with (i) a Family Income that is at or below 400%
- Asset test
shall not consider Patients' monetary assets when determining eligibility for Financial Assistance
- Very large bills
Annual out-of-pocket expenses that exceed 10 percent of the patient's Family Income, if the patient provides documentation
- What is not covered
Professional/physician services delivered by a provider who is not a Covered Provider are not covered by this Policy.
- Documents
Proof of Income (based on recent pay stubs or income tax returns) and health benefits coverage.
- Financial counseling phone
contacting the Customer Service Billing department at (800) 549-3720
Last checked. 2026-11-10
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