Credit and Collection Policies

Plain Language Summary of Financial Assistance Policy

Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) is committed to serving all patients, including those who lack health insurance coverage and who cannot pay for all or part of the essential care they receive. Boston Children’s Hospital’s Financial Assistance Program provides financial assistance for qualifying patients who need help paying for emergency or medically necessary care they receive at a Boston Children’s Hospital facility.

Availability of Financial Assistance

You may be able to get financial assistance if you do not have insurance, are underinsured, or if it would be a financial hardship to pay in full the expected out of pocket expenses for services at BCH. Please note that there are certain service exclusions that are not typically eligible for financial assistance.

Eligibility Requirements

Financial assistance is generally determined by a sliding scale of total household income based on the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). If you and/or the responsible party’s income combined is at or below 400% of the federal poverty guidelines, you may get discounted rates for the care given by the provider. No person eligible for financial assistance under the FAP will be charged more for emergency or other medically necessary care than amounts generally billed to individuals who have insurance covering such care. If you have sufficient insurance coverage or assets available to pay for your care, you may not be eligible for financial assistance. Please refer to the full policy for a complete explanation and details.

Where to Find Information

There are many ways to find information about the financial assistance determination process, or get copies of the financial assistance policy.