# California — State minimum standards for hospital financial assistance (charity care)

For California, statute is HSC 127405; highest income the rule still protects is at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level; which hospitals must comply is Each hospital shall maintain an understandable written policy regarding discount payments for financially qualified patients as well as an understandable written charity care policy; deadline to apply is A hospital shall not impose time limits for applying for charity care or discounted payments, nor deny eligibility based on the timing of a patient’s application; basis for the income test is federal poverty level, verified against its source on 2026-08-30.

- **State:** California _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Statute:** HSC 127405 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Highest income the rule still protects:** at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Which hospitals must comply:** Each hospital shall maintain an understandable written policy regarding discount payments for financially qualified patients as well as an understandable written charity care policy _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Deadline to apply:** A hospital shall not impose time limits for applying for charity care or discounted payments, nor deny eligibility based on the timing of a patient’s application. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Basis for the income test:** federal poverty level _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Notes:** Rural hospitals, as defined in Section 124840, may establish eligibility levels for financial assistance and charity care at less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level as appropriate to maintain their financial and operational integrity. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> Uninsured patients or patients with high medical costs who are at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 127400, shall be eligible for participation under a hospital’s charity care policy or discount payment policy.

## Source

- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=HSC&sectionNum=127405

Last verified: 2026-08-30. Review by: 2027-02-22.
Part of [State minimum standards for hospital financial assistance (charity care)](https://referencesource.org/state-hospital-financial-assistance-thresholds/).