Charity care in Minnesota: who gets free or discounted care

Minnesota has a state charity-care law, but it does not set one income limit: each hospital's policy decides who gets free or discounted care.

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 Minnesota

The law

Minnesota hospital charity care screening and uninsured billing law

Law: Minn. Stat. 144.587-144.589; Minn. Stat. 144.587, 144.589; Minn. Stat. 62J.806, 62J.807, 62J.808, 62J.83

Which hospitals

All private, nonprofit and municipal hospitals licensed in Minnesota.

Who can get help

Uninsured patients, and patients whose insurance status the hospital does not know, must be screened for charity care. The limit on charges protects uninsured patients with yearly household income under $125,000 for care not covered by insurance. Each hospital's own policy decides who gets free or discounted care.

The most you can be charged

If your yearly household income is less than $125,000, a hospital may not charge you for care that is not covered by insurance more than the lowest total amount it would be paid for the same care by a private insurer (counting both the insurer's payment and the patient's copay, deductible and coinsurance).

Savings and other assets

Allowed, but limited. When the hospital checks whether you qualify, it may ask only for information about income or assets that is reasonably necessary, readily available and relevant, and it may not demand more than one form of proof of assets.

Law: Minn. Stat. 144.587, 144.589; Minn. Stat. 62J.806, 62J.807, 62J.808, 62J.83

How to apply in Minnesota

Screening for help

If you are uninsured or the hospital does not know your insurance status, the hospital must screen you for charity care. It must try to finish the screening in person or by phone within 30 days after your care. It must also help you look for coverage: schedule an appointment with a certified application counselor or a MNsure-certified navigator, or give you navigator contact information. If you are not ruled out for charity care, the hospital must help you apply. You can decline any of these steps.

Law: Minn. Stat. 144.587, subds. 2, 3 and 6; Minn. Stat. 144.587, 144.589; Minn. Stat. 62J.806, 62J.807, 62J.808, 62J.83

Applying for coverage first

The charity care application may not place an unreasonable burden on you. That includes making you apply for a state or federal program you are obviously or categorically not eligible for, or one that found you ineligible in the last 12 months.

Notice you must get

The hospital must post notice that charity care is available where patients are admitted or registered, in the emergency department and in the patient area of the billing office, in every language spoken by more than 5% of people in its service area. Its website must have the current charity care policy, a plain-language summary and the application form, in those same languages.

Refunds

If a provider reviews your bill for errors and finds that you overpaid, it must refund the overpayment within 30 days after finishing the review.

Other providers

All health care providers, not only hospitals, must post their medical debt collection policy and give a copy on request, and may not refuse medically necessary care to you or your household because of unpaid medical debt (they may ask you to join a reasonable payment plan). Any provider may give free or discounted care.

Law: Minn. Stat. 144.587, 144.589; Minn. Stat. 62J.806, 62J.807, 62J.808, 62J.83

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 Minnesota law.

Free tools, letters and checklist

Where to complain in Minnesota

Hospital bills and financial assistance: Minnesota Attorney General's Office, Health Care · (651) 296-3353 or (800) 657-3787
A hospital did not screen you for charity care, sent your bill to collections too early, charged an uninsured patient too much, or denied care because of medical debt.
Debt collectors: Minnesota Attorney General's Office · (651) 296-3353 or (800) 657-3787
A collector reported medical debt to a credit bureau, added unauthorized fees, or broke other collection rules.
Health plan problems: Minnesota Department of Health, Managed Care Systems (HMO complaints and No Surprises Act provider complaints) · 651-201-5100 or 800-657-3916
Problems with an HMO, or a surprise bill from a provider or facility.
Health insurance: Minnesota Department of Commerce
Problems with a health insurance policy regulated by the state.
Hospital licensing: Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Health Facility Complaints · 651-201-4200
Complaints about care at a licensed hospital or other health care facility.

Questions about medical bills in Minnesota

Does Minnesota require hospitals to give free or discounted care?

Minnesota has a state charity-care law, but it does not set one income limit: each hospital's policy decides who gets free or discounted care.

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