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

For New Mexico, statute is 13.10.39 NMAC; highest income the rule still protects is less than or equal to two hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines; which hospitals must comply is This rule applies to health care facilities, third-party health care providers, medical creditors, medical debt collectors and medical debt buyers subject to Sections 57-32-1 to 57-32-10 NMSA 1978; basis for the income test is federal poverty guidelines, verified against its source on 2026-08-30.

- **State:** New Mexico _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Statute:** 13.10.39 NMAC _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Highest income the rule still protects:** less than or equal to two hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Which hospitals must comply:** This rule applies to health care facilities, third-party health care providers, medical creditors, medical debt collectors and medical debt buyers subject to Sections 57-32-1 to 57-32-10 NMSA 1978. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Basis for the income test:** federal poverty guidelines _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Notes:** Collection action based on charges for health care services and medical debt may not be pursued against an indigent patient. A determination whether a patient is an indigent patient shall be made before collection action is pursued against the patient. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> utilizing the most recent federal poverty guidelines, the patient household income and household size, the medical creditor or medical debt collector shall determine whether the patient’s income is less than or equal to two hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines

## Source

- https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title13/13.010.0039.html

Last verified: 2026-08-30. Review by: 2027-02-23.
Part of [State minimum standards for hospital financial assistance (charity care)](https://referencesource.org/state-hospital-financial-assistance-thresholds/).