Help Paying My Bill

At Mad River Community Hospital, we believe that cost should never prevent you from getting the care you need. If you’re worried about paying your bill, we offer several programs that can reduce or even eliminate what you owe.

Emergency care will always be provided, regardless of your ability to pay or insurance status.

Programs Available

Our financial assistance covers emergency care, medically necessary treatments, surgery, lab work, imaging, and other hospital services. Financial assistance is generally available to households earning up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level. You may qualify even if you:

Have insurance but face high deductibles or copays
Own your home
Have some savings
Are not a U.S. citizen

Plain Language Summary

Download a summary explaining our program here:

English (PDF)
Spanish (PDF)
Chinese (PDF)
Hmong (PDF)

Financial Assistance (Charity Care)

Anyone who receives care at MRCH can apply for assistance. Our program can reduce your bill by up to 100% if you qualify. Financial assistance decisions are based only on financial need, not age, race, gender, or immigration status.

Available for individuals or families with household incomes up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level
May be available if your medical bills exceed 10% of your annual income
Some patients qualify automatically (e.g., homeless, enrolled in food assistance, etc.)
Valid for up to 12 months and covers past bills too

Download our Financial Assistance Policy here (PDF).
Download our Financial Assistance Program Application here (PDF).
Download our Bad Debt Collections Policy here (PDF).

Uninsured Patient Discounts

We offer discounts to patients who:

Have no insurance;
Have exhausted their insurance coverage;
Have no coverage under their insurance for the service received;
Have insurance, but are paying for the service themselves.

The discount does not apply to co-pays, deductibles or co-insurance. These discounts are automatically applied. Discount rates are reviewed quarterly and can change. Find our current discount rates in our policy, available for download below.

Emergency Doctor Services

Emergency doctors are also required by law to provide discounts to uninsured patients earning up to 400% of federal poverty level.

Download our Uninsured Patient Discount Policy here (PDF).

Payment Plans

We offer payment plans:

Interest-free monthly payments
Payments are generally limited to 10% of monthly income (after essential living expenses)
Essential expenses include: rent, food, utilities, transportation, insurance, etc.

Payment plans may be canceled if you miss 3 months of payments in a row; we will attempt to contact you first.

Help With Insurance

You may qualify for Medi-Cal or Covered California.

We participate in Medi-Cal Hospital Presumptive Eligibility, which can provide immediate temporary coverage.

How To Apply For Financial Assistance

Get the application (download online, request by mail, or pick up in person).
Gather documents: proof of income, household size, and insurance information.
Submit your application:
- In person at MRCH – Admitting or Financial Counseling Department
- By mail to Financial Counseling
- By email: collections@madriverhospital.com
Applications are usually reviewed within 10 business days.
You’ll receive a written decision.
You may appeal the decision by contacting us at (707) 825-3207.

Important: You will not be sent to collections while your application is under review.

Hospital Bill Complaint Program

The Hospital Bill Complaint Program is a state program, which reviews hospital decisions about whether you qualify for help paying your hospital bill. If you believe you were wrongly denied financial assistance, you may file a complaint with the Hospital Bill Complaint Program. Go to hospitalbillcomplaintprogram.hcai.ca.gov for more information and to file a complaint.

Required Discharge Notice (Financial Assistance Information)

California law requires hospitals to provide written information at discharge about financial assistance and discount payment programs. You may view that notice here:

Download our Fair Billing Discharge Notice (PDF) here.

More Help

There are free consumer advocacy organizations that will help you understand the billing and payment process. You may call the Health Consumer Alliance at (888) 804-3536 or go to healthconsumer.org for more information.

Free copies of our policies: Printed copies of policies and application forms are available at no cost from Patient Billing Customer Service.

Language Assistance & Accessibility

ATTENTION: If you need help in your language, please call (707) 825-3027 or visit Mad River Community Hospital. Interpretation services are available 24/7. Aids and services for people with disabilities, like documents in braille, large print, audio, and other accessible electronic formats may also be available. These services are free.

ESPAÑOL (próximamente): Aviso en español disponible pronto. Para asistencia llame al (707) 825-3027 o visite Mad River Community Hospital.

HMONG (COMING SOON): Kev pab txhais lus thiab cov ntawv qhia ua lus Hmoob yuav muaj sai sai no. Hu rau (707) 825-3027 lossis tuaj saib Mad River Community Hospital.

中文（即将推出）：中文翻译的通知即将提供。如需帮助，请致电 (707) 825-3027 或访问 Mad River Community Hospital。