US Nonprofit Hospitals Have Widely Varying Criteria To Decide Who Qualifies For Free And Discounted Charity Care

US nonprofit hospitals are required by law to have a charity care policy, but hospitals have significant discretion in determining specific eligibility criteria. Using a novel national database, this analysis revealed that nonprofit hospitals have chosen widely varying charity care eligibility guidelines. Among hospitals that offered free care, income limits ranged from 41 percent to 600 percent of the federal poverty guideline. Many hospitals considered assets when determining eligibility for charity care, and a significant minority also had residency requirements and restrictions for insured patients. Hospitals generally allowed charity care in cases of hardship, with a median cutoff of a given hospital bill being 20 percent of the patient's income. Hospitals in counties with lower levels of poverty and uninsurance had more generous eligibility policies. The wide variation in requirements for hospital financial assistance poses barriers to equitable access to care.