How to apply for Sutter Health financial assistance
Sutter Health is a nonprofit health system with hospitals in California. Federal law requires it to have a written policy for reducing or writing off bills by income. Its policy is the Policy on Financial Assistance for Sutter Hospitals (Charity Care). This is what it says.
Free care
400%
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
Any time
The policy sets no deadline.
What that means in 2026 dollars, gross household income per year
| Household | Free care, up to |
|---|---|
| 1 person | $63,840 |
| 2 people | $86,560 |
| 3 people | $109,280 |
| 4 people | $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 Policy on Financial Assistance for Sutter Hospitals (Charity Care) gives at each level
| Household income | What you get | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 400% FPL | Free | Hospital services |
| Above the lines | Capped | Hospital services, uninsured above 400% FPL: 40% discount on inpatient care and 20% on outpatient (20% for both at rural hospitals) |
| Up to 200% FPL | Free | Sutter medical foundation (physician) services |
| Above the lines | Capped | Medical foundation services above 200% FPL: payment capped at 30% of annual household income |
“Capped” means the policy limits the bill to the amounts the hospital generally bills insured patients (AGB) rather than naming a percentage.
Against state law, and against the other systems
California
California law (Cal. Health & Safety Code § 127405 (Hospital Fair Pricing Act)) requires a discount up to 400% of the poverty level but does not mandate free care, so the free-care line here comes from Sutter Health's own policy, not the state. Statute
Among the systems on this site with California hospitals, Sutter Health's 400% free-care line is more generous than Providence (300%) and Kaiser Permanente (200%) and CommonSpirit Health (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
High medical cost patients: family income at or below 400% FPL and medical expenses (at Sutter or paid to other providers in the past 12 months) above 10% of family income qualify for a write-off of the patient responsibility.
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 Sutter 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 Sutter Health
- 1
Get the application. PDF application for hospital charity care. Medical foundation applications go by fax or mail to Sutter Shared Services.
- 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 Sutter 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. Sutter Health's policy is the Policy on Financial Assistance for Sutter Hospitals (Charity Care).
What is the income limit for free care at Sutter Health?
In most of its hospitals, a household income at or below 400% 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 $63,840 a year in 2026; for a family of four about $132,000.
Can I apply for Sutter 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?
The policy does not state a deadline. Federal rules require the hospital to consider an application received within 240 days of the first bill after discharge.
Where this came from
Read from Sutter Health'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 hospital policy PDF could not be opened, so the figures come from Sutter's own web pages. The application deadline, AGB language and presumptive eligibility are not confirmed.
- Hospital charity care (free at or below 400% FPL) and the physician program (free at or below 200%) are separate programs with separate applications.
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 Sutter Health.