How to apply for Advocate Health financial assistance
Advocate Health is a nonprofit health system (Advocate Health Care, Aurora Health Care, Atrium Health) with hospitals in Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Federal law requires it to have a written policy for reducing or writing off bills by income. Its policy is the Advocate Health Financial Assistance Policy. This is what it says.
Free care
300%
of the federal poverty level or below. The bill is written off in full.
Some help up to
600%
of the federal poverty level. Above the free line the policy discounts or caps the bill.
Apply within
240 days
of the first bill, under the policy. Later applications are often still considered.
What that means in 2026 dollars, gross household income per year
| Household | Free care, up to | Some assistance, up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $47,880 | $95,760 |
| 2 people | $64,920 | $129,840 |
| 3 people | $81,960 | $163,920 |
| 4 people | $99,000 | $198,000 |
2026 federal poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and DC (91 FR 1797 (15 January 2026), effective 13 January 2026); each extra person adds $5,680. Alaska and Hawaii use higher tables. Where the policy differs by state, the state line applies, see below.
What the Advocate Health Financial Assistance Policy gives at each level
| Household income | What you get | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 300% FPL | Free | All regions |
| Up to 400% FPL | Capped | Atrium Health (NC, SC, GA, AL) only, 301 to 400% FPL: partial assistance, percentage not published in the summary |
| Up to 600% FPL | Capped | Illinois uninsured patients, 301 to 600% FPL, under the state Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act: partial assistance, with a cap of 20% of family income per year |
“Capped” means the policy limits the bill to the amounts the hospital generally bills insured patients (AGB) rather than naming a percentage. Patients eligible for financial assistance are never billed more than the amounts generally billed to an insured patient.
Against state law, and against the other systems
Illinois
Illinois law (Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act, 210 ILCS 89/10) requires every hospital to give free care at or below 200% of the poverty level for uninsured patients. Advocate Health's 300% line is above that floor, so the policy is more generous than the state minimum. Statute
Among the systems on this site with Illinois hospitals, Advocate Health's 300% free-care line is more generous than Ascension (250%) and Trinity Health (200%).
Wisconsin
Wisconsin has no state charity care law, so the only requirement is the federal one: a written policy and a cap at amounts generally billed. The lines here are Advocate Health's own.
Among the systems on this site with Wisconsin hospitals, Advocate Health's 300% free-care line is more generous than Ascension (250%) and Mayo Clinic (200%).
North Carolina
North Carolina law (Medical Debt Relief Incentive Program (CMS-approved, 2024)) requires every hospital to give free care at or below 300% of the poverty level for uninsured patients. Advocate Health's policy sits exactly on that floor. Statute
South Carolina
South Carolina has no state charity care law, so the only requirement is the federal one: a written policy and a cap at amounts generally billed. The lines here are Advocate Health's own.
Georgia
Georgia law (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-3-6 (Indigent Care Trust Fund)) requires covered hospitals to give free care at or below 125% of the poverty level for uninsured patients. Advocate Health's 300% line is above that floor, so the policy is more generous than the state minimum. Statute
Among the systems on this site with Georgia hospitals, Advocate Health's 300% free-care line is more generous than Kaiser Permanente (200%) and CommonSpirit Health (200%) and Ascension (250%).
Alabama
Alabama has no state charity care law, so the only requirement is the federal one: a written policy and a cap at amounts generally billed. The lines here are Advocate Health's own.
Among the systems on this site with Alabama hospitals, Advocate Health's 300% free-care line is more generous than Ascension (250%).
State law figures come from our state-by-state charity care table, each with its statute. A state minimum is a floor under the hospital's policy, never a ceiling.
The other ways in
Medical hardship
Hardship discount for catastrophic medical events: when the balance after insurance is more than 10% of household income. Uninsured patients also get an automatic 50% discount off gross charges.
Without an application
Automatic financial assistance scoring reviews lower-balance and uninsured accounts and grants 100% assistance presumptively.
With insurance
The policy applies to what you owe after insurance: deductibles, copays and coinsurance. Having a plan does not rule you out.
Check your household against the poverty line
Tell the checker your state, household size and rough income. It tells you your percentage of the federal poverty level, which you can read against the Advocate Health lines above, and what the law in your state requires on top. Free, no account, and your answers are not sent to advertising platforms.
Before tax, everyone in the household combined. Policies define the household themselves and the definition can move you a whole row, since a dependent who lives elsewhere may still count.
The calculation runs in your browser. Your income, household size and state are not stored, not put in the address bar, and not sent to an advertising platform. There is no account and this page carries no ad pixels or session recording.
Applying to Advocate Health
- 1
Get the application. PDF application. Advocate Illinois patients can also apply in the LiveWell portal.
- 2
Gather proof of income for everyone in the household: recent pay stubs, last year's tax return, or a benefits letter. If you have no income, the form will ask you to say so in writing.
- 3
Fill in every line. An incomplete application is the most common reason for a delay, and the hospital has to tell you what is missing rather than deny it outright.
- 4
Send it, keep a copy, and note the date. Ask the billing office to put the account on hold while the application is reviewed; under federal rules they cannot send it to collections during that time.
- 5
If you are turned down, ask for the reason in writing and ask about hardship review. Then check whether your state's law requires more than the hospital's policy.
Links and numbers
- Advocate (Illinois): 630-645-2400
- Aurora (Wisconsin): 1-800-326-2250
- Atrium (Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama): 704-512-7171
Financial assistance reduces the bill by income. It does not check whether the bill was right in the first place. For $49, a mediloop specialist reviews the itemized bill and EOB, if available, flags charges to dispute, and prepares a plan for the balance, including what to say to the financial assistance office.
Get the plan for your billThe general guide: how hospital charity care works and how to apply.
People also ask
Does Advocate Health have to offer financial assistance?
Yes. As a nonprofit hospital system it must have a written financial assistance policy under section 501(r) of the tax code, tell patients about it, and limit what it charges eligible patients to the amounts it generally bills insured patients. Advocate Health's policy is the Advocate Health Financial Assistance Policy.
What is the income limit for free care at Advocate Health?
In most of its hospitals, a household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level qualifies for a 100% write-off under the policy. For a single person in the 48 contiguous states that is about $47,880 a year in 2026; for a family of four about $99,000.
Can I apply for Advocate Health financial assistance if I have insurance?
Yes. The policy covers the amounts you owe after insurance (deductibles, copays and coinsurance), subject to the limits described on this page.
How long do I have to apply?
240 days from the first bill under the policy (The 240-day window is stated on the Advocate Illinois page; not confirmed for Atrium or Aurora). Federal rules also stop the hospital from taking extraordinary collection action for at least 120 days after the first bill, and require it to consider an application received within 240 days.
Where this came from
Read from Advocate Health's own published policy documents on 2026-09-14. Nothing on this page comes from a third-party summary.
- Advocate Health Care, Financial assistance for patients
- Atrium Health, Financial assistance
- Advocate Health, enterprise plain-language summary (all three regions)
What we could not confirm
- The full enterprise policy PDF could not be opened; figures come from the plain-language summary and the regional web pages.
- The percentage for Atrium's 301 to 400% tier is not published in the summary.
This page summarises a hospital policy. Eligibility is decided by the hospital against the full policy and your application; nothing here is a determination that you qualify, and the policy may have changed since we read it. mediloop is not affiliated with Advocate Health.