To learn more about financial assistance for your hospital visit, contact the financial assistance or billing department of the hospital where you received care. Ask for an application to apply for a charity care discount. Contact information can be found on the hospital website or on a billing statement you received from the hospital. Charity care applications can also be found on each hospital’s website.
If you don’t have health insurance at all, contact www.wahealthplanfinder.org. There are a broad variety of plans available, and if you qualify for the state’s Apple Health program, you may be able to get coverage for bills already incurred—even though you didn’t have insurance at the time you were in the hospital. Every hospital’s charity care policy is available on the Washington State Department of Health’s website.
You can also contact the Washington State Department of Health, which regulates hospitals. See their webpage here call 360-236-4210 or email CharityCare@doh.wa.gov.
Resources for Patients
- Hospital charity care policies (from the Department of Health)
- Department of Health Annual Charity Care Report
- Department of Health Charity Care Rulemaking Website
- Current Federal Poverty Guidelines (from U.S. Health and Human Services)