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

For Rhode Island, statute is 216-RICR-40-10-23; income level for free care is up to and including 200% of the Federal Poverty Levels (FPL); highest income the rule still protects is between 200% and up to and including 300% of the Federal Poverty Levels (FPLs); which hospitals must comply is Every licensed hospital shall be in full compliance with the following statewide standards for the provision of charity care; basis for the income test is Federal Poverty Levels (FPL), verified against its source on 2026-08-30.

- **State:** Rhode Island _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Statute:** 216-RICR-40-10-23 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Income level for free care:** up to and including 200% of the Federal Poverty Levels (FPL) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Highest income the rule still protects:** between 200% and up to and including 300% of the Federal Poverty Levels (FPLs) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Which hospitals must comply:** Every licensed hospital shall be in full compliance with the following statewide standards for the provision of charity care _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Basis for the income test:** Federal Poverty Levels (FPL) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Notes:** This partial charity care shall be on a sliding scale discount basis determined by each individual hospital pursuant to its own evaluation of its service area needs and financial resources. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> Hospitals shall provide full charity care (i.e., a 100% discount) to patients/guarantors whose annual income is up to and including 200% of the Federal Poverty Levels (FPL), taking into consideration family unit size.

## Source

- https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/216-40-10-23

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/).