Billing: Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance

• Please inform the hospital if the patient has health insurance coverage; Medicare, Healthy Families, Medi-Cal, coverage offered through the California Health Benefit Exchange, or other coverage.
• If the patient does not have health insurance coverage, he or she may be eligible for Medicare, Healthy Families, Medi-Cal, coverage offered through the California Health Benefit Exchange, California Children’s Services program, other State or county-funded health coverage, or charity care.
• Patients may obtain applications for the Medi-Cal program and the Healthy Families Program, coverage offered through the California Health Benefit Exchange, or other state or county funded health coverage programs by calling the customer service number listed below. If the patient does not indicate coverage by a third-party payer or requests a discounted price or charity care, the hospital will provide these applications prior to discharge for inpatients or to patients receiving emergency or outpatient care. The hospital shall also provide patients with a referral to a local consumer assistance center housed at legal services offices upon request.

• Patients who qualify may receive assistance with hospital bills for services provided by Stanford Health Care and physician bills for physicians employed by Stanford University. Services may include inpatient and outpatient care, emergency services, co-pay and deductible amounts, non-covered charges, denied days and stays, and other special circumstances. Elective services may be covered for patients in the communities we serve if those services are determined to be medically necessary by the Stanford Health Care Medical Staff and/or when the provision of services supports the teaching and research missions of the institution.
  
• If the patient lacks, or has inadequate, insurance, and meets certain low- or moderate-income requirements, the patient may qualify for discounted payment or charity care.
• If a patient applies, or has a pending application, for another health coverage program at the same time that he or she applies for a hospital charity care or discount payment program, neither application shall preclude eligibility for the other program.
  

State and federal law require debt collectors to treat you fairly and prohibit debt collectors from making false statements or threats of violence, using obscene or profane language, and making improper communications with third parties, including your employer. Except under unusual circumstances, debt collectors may not contact you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. In general, a debt collector may not give information about your debt to another person, other than your attorney or spouse. A debt collector may contact another person to confirm your location or to enforce a judgment.  For more information about debt collection activities, you may contact the Federal Trade Commission by telephone at 877-FTC-HELP (382-4357) or online at www.ftc.gov. Nonprofit credit counseling services may be available in the area.