How to get help with hospital bills in Colorado
Low-income patients in Colorado have clear paths to low cost medical care and the ability to get relief on any existing debt(s) owed to a hospital. The state has a number of patient protections and mandated financial assistance programs as noted below. Find information below on how and where to get assistance in Colorado with future or existing hospital bills.
State of Colorado laws that help people with hospital costs
Colorado’s Hospital Discounted Care law requires every hospital to screen patients for financial help and to use a simple, uniform application. If your income is low or even if you are a “middle” income family, the hospital must limit what you pay for emergency or regular care and offer an affordable payment plan.
- Service charges from the Discount Law will be the greater of either the Medicare rate or Medicaid base rate. Payment plans that are established to pay the bills may not exceed four percent of the patient's monthly household income with any remaining balance considered paid in full after thirty six months of on time payments with the website and details here. https://hcpf.colorado.gov/hospital-discounted-care.
There are also rules to protect families that owe money. Colorado also limits how medical debt can be collected. The legal interest rate on medical debt is capped at three percent per year. Collectors, whether from the hospital or a private company, may not pursue you while an insurance appeal is pending. In addition if they already reported the debt to a credit bureau, they must ask that it be removed once an appeal is underway. There are may other ways to get help with debt too, whether medical or other types.
Your credit file and FICO score is protected in Colorado as well. Under House Bill 23-1126, consumer reporting agencies are prohibited from including medical debt in credit reports, and debt collectors must disclose that fact in their notices except in narrow mortgage related cases. That means an unpaid hospital bill should not appear on your standard credit report, even though the debt itself still exists.
- There is an additional lever if a hospital was not following the federal price transparency rule on the date you received care. Colorado’s HB22-1285 bars noncompliant hospitals from collecting that debt. If a court finds the hospital materially out of compliance for the date of service, the hospital must refund any money you paid, pay a penalty to you equal to the full amount of the debt, dismiss any lawsuit with prejudice, cover your attorney fees, and remove any credit reporting tied to that bill.
For government supported coverage in CO that lowers future hospital bills, start with Health First Colorado and CHP Plus if your income qualifies. If you were enrolled on the date of service, providers have a window to bill Medicaid, so ask them to submit the claim rather than paying collections.
- For many Coloradans who are not Medicaid eligible, the state marketplace Connect for Health Colorado offers financial help on premiums, free insurance in CO for the uninsured and cost sharing. People who are undocumented can enroll safely through the OmniSalud program on Colorado Connect, which provides a secure platform and access to low cost standardized plans. Free local enrollment help is available.
- In particular, the need for pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs outstrips many people's ability to pay for them. By providing very cheap medications for patients, the Medicaid and other plans in CO prevent major medical issues from arising, which is a positive as it is also a more-proactive approach. The are numerous resources for free prescription drugs in addition to these benefits..
Hospitals that forgive hospital debt or offer charity care
Many hospitals in Colorado also maintain their own charity care policies that often go beyond the state minimum. For example, Intermountain Health lists assistance up to five hundred percent of the federal poverty level in Colorado and points uninsured patients to automatic hospital discounts. Always ask the hospital’s financial assistance office to screen you for its policy, even including sliding fee plans or other hospital charity care in addition to Hospital Discounted Care referenced above.
There are also Individual Hospital Programs as noted. Some of the major providers in the state include the following. Or try a community health care center in Colorado for free care.
- Denver Health offers financial help with bills, above and beyond the Sliding Fee Discount Program. There is also the Colorado Indigent Care Program and call 303-602-3466.
- Children's Hospital Colorado has bill paying and discounts for families without health insurance. Website: https://www.childrenscolorado.org/your-visit/pay-for-care/financial-assistance-programs/.
- HCA HealthONE Covers public health coverage and discount programs like Health First Colorado, Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), Emergency Medicaid, and hospital discounts. Website: https://www.healthonecares.com/patient-resources/patient-financial-resources/financial-assistance.
- CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region provides free care too. The hospital treats emergent and urgent patients regardless of their ability to pay the bill or their coverage status. Website: https://www.mountain.commonspirit.org/patient-tools/billing-and-financial-services/financial-assistance-hospital-discounted-care.
- Southwest Health and their Financial Assistance Program (FAP), sometimes called "charity care", provides discounted care to people who need help paying their medical bills. Website: https://www.swhealth.org/patient-visitors/financial-assistance/.
- Southeast Colorado Hospital District is committed to providing charity care to persons who have healthcare needs and are uninsured, underinsured, ineligible for a government program, CICP, Medicaid, or otherwise unable to pay. Website: https://www.sechosp.org/getpage.php?name=charity_care.
If you already have medical debt, Colorado offers several paths to reduce or eliminate it.
- First, use Hospital Discounted Care for a capped payment plan that ends with forgiveness after thirty six months.
- Second, check whether the hospital was out of compliance with price transparency when you were treated and, if so, use the HB22-1285 remedy.
- Third, take advantage of nonprofit advocates as well as non-profit credit counseling in Colorado. These organizations help Coloradans overturn incorrect bills and secure hospital financial aid.
- The Consumer Assistance Program coordinated by Colorado Consumer Health Initiative provides free help with billing disputes and applications.
Contact information and how to get started in Colorado
To put this in motion, contact the hospital’s billing office and say you want a Hospital Discounted Care screening and the uniform application. If the hospital denies assistance or moves to collections without screening you, file a complaint and point to the statutes above. Then connect with Medicaid or the marketplace to lower future costs, and loop in a free consumer assistance program if you hit roadblocks.
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