How to apply for Cleveland Clinic financial assistance
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit health system with hospitals in Ohio, Florida and Nevada. Federal law requires it to have a written policy for reducing or writing off bills by income. Its policy is the Cleveland Clinic Financial Assistance Policy. This is what it says.
Free care
250%
of the federal poverty level or below. The bill is written off in full.
Some help up to
400%
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 | $39,900 | $63,840 |
| 2 people | $54,100 | $86,560 |
| 3 people | $68,300 | $109,280 |
| 4 people | $82,500 | $132,000 |
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 Cleveland Clinic Financial Assistance Policy gives at each level
| Household income | What you get | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 250% FPL | Free | All sites |
| Up to 400% FPL | Capped | 251 to 400% FPL: charged no more than the amount generally billed to insured patients |
“Capped” means the policy limits the bill to the amounts the hospital generally bills insured patients (AGB) rather than naming a percentage. Patients between 251 and 400% FPL pay no more than AGB, per IRC 501(r)(5).
Against state law, and against the other systems
Ohio
Ohio law (Ohio Rev. Code § 5168.14 (Hospital Care Assurance Program)) requires every hospital to give free care at or below 100% of the poverty level for uninsured patients. Cleveland Clinic's 250% line is above that floor, so the policy is more generous than the state minimum. Statute
Among the systems on this site with Ohio hospitals, Cleveland Clinic's 250% free-care line is more generous than CommonSpirit Health (200%) and Trinity Health (200%).
Florida
Florida 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 Cleveland Clinic's own.
Among the systems on this site with Florida hospitals, Cleveland Clinic's 250% free-care line is more generous than Trinity Health (200%) and Mayo Clinic (200%), level with Ascension.
Nevada
Nevada has no income floor in state law; it requires hospitals to have and publish a policy, so the lines here are Cleveland Clinic's own. Statute
Among the systems on this site with Nevada hospitals, Cleveland Clinic's 250% free-care line is more generous than CommonSpirit Health (200%).
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
Medical hardship: a balance above 15% of annual family income qualifies. Extreme personal or financial hardship is reviewed individually. Insured patients are generally not eligible, except pregnant patients whose plan lacks maternity benefits.
Without an application
Uninsured patients identified by third-party data at or below 400% FPL are automatically eligible. Ohio hospitals also apply the state HCAP program at or below 100% FPL.
With insurance
This policy is aimed at uninsured patients and largely excludes insured ones. If you have a plan and a large balance, ask about hardship review and check whether your state's law requires more.
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 Cleveland Clinic 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 Cleveland Clinic
- 1
Get the application. PDF summary and application. Cleveland Clinic Florida and some affiliate hospitals publish separate policies with matching thresholds.
- 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.
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 Cleveland Clinic 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. Cleveland Clinic's policy is the Cleveland Clinic Financial Assistance Policy.
What is the income limit for free care at Cleveland Clinic?
In most of its hospitals, a household income at or below 250% 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 $39,900 a year in 2026; for a family of four about $82,500.
Can I apply for Cleveland Clinic financial assistance if I have insurance?
Generally no. This policy is aimed at uninsured patients, with narrow exceptions. If you are insured, ask the hospital about its hardship provisions and check your state's rules.
How long do I have to apply?
240 days from the first bill under the policy (The public page gives 2026 limits of $63,840 for a single person and $132,000 for a family of four at the 400% line). 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 Cleveland Clinic's own published policy documents on 2026-09-14. Nothing on this page comes from a third-party summary.
What we could not confirm
- The policy's revision date is unclear (the site index says January 2026, the document text reads differently). The thresholds matched across both.
- Insured patients are largely excluded from this policy, which is unusual among large systems.
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 Cleveland Clinic.