Charity care in Connecticut: who gets free or discounted care

Connecticut has a law that requires hospitals to give free or discounted care to people with income up to 250% of the federal poverty level.

Charity care means free or discounted care for people with low income. Hospitals also call it financial assistance.

Checked against official sources: October 30, 2026.

What the law says in Connecticut

Income (% of poverty level)	What you get	Details
Up to 250%	Discount	If your income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level and you qualify as an uninsured patient, the hospital and providers it owns or is affiliated with may not collect more from you than the cost of providing your care. Whether you also get free care depends on the hospital's own financial assistance policy or bed funds.

These are the income levels written in the law. Each hospital decides using its own policy.

The law

Connecticut limit on hospital collections from uninsured patients and hospital bed fund law

Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 19a-673; Conn. Gen. Stat. 19a-509b; Conn. Gen. Stat. 19a-673, 19a-509b, 19a-920

Which hospitals

All hospitals licensed in Connecticut, including for-profit hospitals, and providers that are owned by or affiliated with a hospital or health system.

Who can get help

The cost limit protects uninsured patients with income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level who applied for Medicaid and were denied, and who have no other coverage (including Medicare, other insurance, workers' compensation, or a settlement or award from an accident or negligence claim). Hospitals with bed funds must let any patient who cannot pay an outstanding hospital bill apply or reapply.

The most you can be charged

For a qualifying uninsured patient, no more than the hospital's cost of providing the care: its published charges multiplied by its most recent cost-to-charge ratio filed with the state.

Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 19a-673, 19a-509b, 19a-920

How to apply in Connecticut

Deadline to apply: No state deadline. Patients who cannot pay an outstanding hospital bill must be allowed to apply or reapply for hospital bed funds.
Applying for coverage first: Yes for the cost limit: it applies only if you applied for Medicaid (HUSKY Health) and were denied.
Notice you must get: Hospitals with bed funds must post notice of them in English and Spanish in large type in the admissions office, emergency room, social services department and billing office, and must have a one-page English and Spanish summary of their bed funds and other charity care policies. The hospital must give you the summary if it believes you will have limited funds to pay, and its collection agents must include it in all bills and collection notices. A collection agent collecting a hospital bill must tell you in writing whether the hospital considers you insured or uninsured and why.
If you disagree: You must be told in writing whether a bed fund application was approved or rejected, and the reason for any rejection. You may reapply, and more funds may become available each year.
Other providers: The cost limit and the collection rules also cover providers that are owned by or affiliated with a hospital or health system. No health system or health care provider may require you to keep a credit card, debit card or bank account on file before seeing you or giving you care.

Law: Conn. Gen. Stat. 19a-673, 19a-509b, 19a-920

Check your income level

Find out what percent of the federal poverty level your household income is, and compare it with the income levels in Connecticut law.

Free tools, letters and checklist

Where to complain in Connecticut

Health plan problems: Office of the Healthcare Advocate (OHA) · 1-866-466-4446
Help with insurance denials, surprise bills, hospital financial assistance and medical debt questions.
Health insurance: Connecticut Insurance Department, Consumer Affairs · (800) 203-3447 or (860) 297-3900
A complaint against a health insurance company regulated by the state.
Debt collectors: Connecticut Department of Banking, Consumer Affairs · 860-240-8170 or 1-800-831-7225 (option 2)
A collection agency broke state collection rules.
Attorney general: Connecticut Attorney General, Consumer Assistance
Other consumer complaints, including credit reporting or card-on-file violations.

Questions about medical bills in Connecticut

Does Connecticut require hospitals to give free or discounted care?

Connecticut has a law that requires hospitals to give free or discounted care to people with income up to 250% of the federal poverty level.

Nearby states

National rules that apply in every state

Nonprofit hospitals (federal rules)

Each nonprofit hospital must have a written financial assistance policy (FAP).

Law: 26 U.S.C. 501(r)(4); 26 CFR 1.501(r)-4

Before any ECA, the hospital must tell you about financial assistance and wait at least 120 days from the first bill sent after you left the hospital.

Law: 26 CFR 1.501(r)-6(c)(3)

You can apply for at least 240 days from the first bill sent after you left the hospital.

Law: 26 CFR 1.501(r)-1(b)(3)

If you apply during the application period, even with an incomplete application, the hospital and its collectors must stop starting or continuing ECAs until the hospital decides, or until you fail to send requested information within a reasonable time.

Law: 26 CFR 1.501(r)-6(c)(8)

Once you are found eligible, the hospital cannot charge you more than the amounts generally billed (AGB) to people with insurance for emergency or other medically necessary care, and must charge less than its full gross charges for other covered care.

Law: 26 U.S.C. 501(r)(5); 26 CFR 1.501(r)-5

Surprise bills (No Surprises Act)

With most private health plans (job-based plans, Marketplace and other individual plans), you are protected from surprise out-of-network bills for emergency care, for non-emergency care at an in-network hospital, hospital outpatient department or ambulatory surgical center, and for air ambulance services.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 300gg-111, 300gg-131, 300gg-132, 300gg-135

For protected services, you can't be charged more than your in-network cost-sharing (copay, coinsurance, deductible).

Law: 42 U.S.C. 300gg-131, 300gg-132

Ground ambulance services are generally not covered by these federal protections, unless a state law has different rules.

Law: CMS, Know your rights when using insurance

If you don't have insurance or won't use it, providers and facilities must usually give you a written good faith estimate.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 300gg-136; 45 CFR 149.610

If one provider's or facility's bill is at least $400 more than its good faith estimate, you can use the federal patient-provider dispute resolution process.

Law: 45 CFR 149.620(a)(2)(ii), (c)(1)

Credit reports

A collection account generally cannot be reported for more than 7 years.

Law: 15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(4), (c)(1)

For a veteran's medical debt (care authorized by the VA from a non-VA provider, or a bill the VA charged in error), nationwide credit bureaus may not report it until 1 year after the care, and may not report it once it is fully paid or settled, when they know it is a veteran's medical debt.

Law: 15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(7), (8); 15 U.S.C. 1681a

If a medical debt on your credit report is wrong, you can dispute it with the credit bureau for free.

Law: 15 U.S.C. 1681i(a)(1)

Debt collectors

A debt collector must give you validation information about the debt, including the amount and how to dispute it.

Law: 12 CFR 1006.34

If you dispute the debt in writing within the validation period, the collector must stop collecting the disputed amount until it sends you verification of the debt.

Law: 12 CFR 1006.38(c), (d)(2)

A debt collector must not sue or threaten to sue you on a time-barred debt, meaning a debt whose statute of limitations has run out.

Law: 12 CFR 1006.26(b)

Itemized bills and price lists

Your medical and billing records kept by a health care provider are part of your 'designated record set'.

Law: 45 CFR 164.501 (designated record set); 45 CFR 164.524(b)(2)

If Medicare paid for an item or service, you can ask the provider in writing for an itemized statement.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 1395b-7(b)

Every hospital must post online a machine-readable file of all its standard charges, and a consumer-friendly list of at least 300 shoppable services (or an online price estimator tool).

Law: 45 CFR 180.40, 180.50, 180.60

Medicaid and Medicare

If you qualify for Medicaid, it can pay for covered care you got up to 3 months before the month you applied, if you were eligible then.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(34), 1396d(a); Pub. L. 119-21, sec. 71112 (July 4, 2025)

If you are in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program, Medicare providers may not bill you for Medicare deductibles, coinsurance or copays for Medicare-covered care.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 1396a(n)(3)(B); CMS

If your health plan denies a claim

You must file an internal appeal within 180 days (6 months) of the notice that your claim was denied.

Law: 45 CFR 147.136(b); HealthCare.gov

After a final denial, you can ask for an external review by an independent reviewer within 4 months.

Law: 45 CFR 147.136(c), (d); HealthCare.gov

National help