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

For Illinois, statute is 210 ILCS 89/10; income level for free care is not more than 200% of the federal poverty income guidelines; highest income the rule still protects is not more than 600% of the federal poverty income guidelines; which hospitals must comply is A hospital, other than a rural hospital or   |   | Critical Access Hospital; basis for the income test is federal poverty income guidelines, verified against its source on 2026-08-30.

- **State:** Illinois _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Statute:** 210 ILCS 89/10 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Income level for free care:** not more than 200% of the federal poverty income guidelines _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Highest income the rule still protects:** not more than 600% of the federal poverty income guidelines _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Which hospitals must comply:** A hospital, other than a rural hospital or   |   | Critical Access Hospital _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Basis for the income test:** federal poverty income guidelines _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Notes:** (3) A rural hospital or Critical Access Hospital | | shall provide a discount from its charges to any uninsured patient who applies for a discount and has annual family income of not more than 300% of the federal poverty income guidelines for all medically necessary health care services exceeding $300 in any one inpatient admission or outpatient encounter. | | (4) A rural hospital or Critical Access Hospital | | shall provide a charitable discount of 100% of its charges for all medically necessary health care services exceeding $300 in any one inpatient admission or outpatient encounter to any uninsured patient who applies for a discount and has family income of not more than 125% of the federal poverty income guidelines. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> Critical Access Hospital, shall provide a discount from its charges to any uninsured patient who applies for a discount and has family income of not more than 600% of the federal poverty income guidelines for all medically necessary health care services exceeding $150 in any one inpatient admission or outpatient encounter. | | (2) A hospital, other than a rural hospital or | | Critical Access Hospital, shall provide a charitable discount of 100% of its charges for all medically necessary health care services exceeding $150 in any one inpatient admission or outpatient encounter to any uninsured patient who applies for a discount and has family income of not more than 200% of the federal poverty income guidelines.

## Source

- https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=021000890K10

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/).