# Bear Valley Community Hospital

Hospital in Big Bear Lake, CA. Verified from the hospital's own policy.

Bear Valley Community Hospital likely gives free care to households with a yearly income up to $31,920 for 1 person, $43,280 for 2, $54,640 for 3, $66,000 for 4, $77,360 for 5 or $88,720 for 6. It likely gives a discount to households with a yearly income up to $63,840 for 1 person, $86,560 for 2, $109,280 for 3, $132,000 for 4, $154,720 for 5 or $177,440 for 6.

The hospital makes the final decision.

| Household size | Free care if yearly income is up to | Discount if yearly income is up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $31,920 | $63,840 |
| 2 | $43,280 | $86,560 |
| 3 | $54,640 | $109,280 |
| 4 | $66,000 | $132,000 |
| 5 | $77,360 | $154,720 |
| 6 | $88,720 | $177,440 |

Dollar amounts use the 2026 federal poverty guidelines.

## Discount steps

- 0% to 200% of poverty level, patient pays $0 (free care for 12 months)
- 201% to 300% of poverty level, patient pays Medi-Cal allowed amount
- 301% to 400% of poverty level, patient pays 75% of the self-pay amount

## How to apply

- Call (909) 878-8252 and ask for financial assistance.
- [Application form](https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=948dc0bd-2889-4d8c-baf4-a24356f61e6e)
- [Financial Assistance Program (FAP) - Charity Care and Discounted Payments (effective August 25, 2026; on file with HCAI 09/20/2026)](https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8)
- We do not have the deadline yet. Apply as soon as you get a bill, and ask the billing office to pause collections while you apply.
- Bring recent pay stubs, tax return.
- Very large bills. Insured patients up to 400% of the poverty level whose out-of-pocket medical costs in the past 12 months are over 10% of family income
- Languages. English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Armenian, Russian, Punjabi, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Hmong, Khmer, Japanese, Thai

## If you have insurance

Insured patients can also apply for help with deductibles and copays.
Keep your insurance. Financial assistance covers bills from this one place only.

## What is covered

Covered. Inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and ancillary hospital services, including the hospital's provider-based clinics.

Not covered. Bills from doctors and other professionals are not covered. Emergency room doctors bill separately but give the same discounts.

## State program in California

### Hospital Fair Pricing Act (Health and Safety Code 127400 et seq.)

Every licensed general acute care, acute psychiatric, and special hospital in California must have a charity care policy and a discount payment policy. A patient can ask for help if they are uninsured (self-pay) or have high medical costs, and their family income is not more than 400% of the federal poverty level. Hospitals may choose to help people with higher incomes. With a discount, the bill is capped at about what Medicare or Medi-Cal would pay, whichever is greater. You can apply at any time, even after a bill goes to collections. Immigration status does not affect eligibility.

Income levels in the program are discount up to 400% of poverty level.

Applies to each licensed general acute care hospital, acute psychiatric hospital, and special hospital in California.

How to apply. Apply to the hospital's financial assistance office. Each hospital's policies and applications are posted on its website and on HCAI's Hospital Fair Pricing Policy Lookup (https://hcai.ca.gov/affordability/hospital-fair-billing-program/hospital-fair-pricing-policy-lookup/).

> Is a self-pay patient OR a patient with high medical costs; AND Patient's family income is not more than 400 percent of the federal poverty

Source https://hcai.ca.gov/affordability/hospital-fair-billing-program/hospital-bill-complaint-program/frequently-asked-questions/, checked 2026-11-10

### Hospital Bill Complaint Program (HCAI)

A free state program at HCAI. If a hospital wrongly denied you financial assistance, did not tell you about its programs, or sent you to collections the wrong way, you can file a complaint online (English and Spanish) or by mail (many languages). You must have applied to the hospital first for HCAI to review an eligibility decision. If HCAI finds you paid too much, the hospital must refund you within 30 days. It covers problems on or after January 1, 2022. It does not handle general billing disputes, price transparency, Good Faith Estimates, or bills from emergency room doctors.

Applies to complaints about any hospital covered by the Hospital Fair Pricing Act.

How to apply. File online through the Patient Complaint Portal (https://hcai.ca.gov/affordability/hospital-fair-billing-program/hospital-bill-complaint-program/should-i-file-a-complaint/) or mail the Patient Complaint Form to Department of Health Care Access and Information, Hospital Bill Complaint Program, 2020 West El Camino Avenue, Suite 1101, Sacramento, CA 95833.

> If you believe you were wrongly denied financial assistance, you may file a complaint with the Hospital Bill Complaint Program.

Source https://hcai.ca.gov/affordability/hospital-fair-billing-program/hospital-bill-complaint-program/, checked 2026-11-10

### Emergency physician discount rule

Most hospital policies cover only the hospital's own bill. Emergency room doctors often bill separately. California law also requires an emergency physician to give discounts to uninsured patients and patients with high medical costs whose family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level. Ask the doctor group's billing office for its discount policy. HCAI's complaint program does not handle emergency doctor bills.

Income levels in the program are discount up to 400% of poverty level.

Applies to emergency physicians who provide emergency medical services in a California hospital that provides emergency care.

How to apply. Ask the emergency physician group named on the bill for its discount payment policy.

> an emergency physician who provides emergency medical services in a hospital that provides emergency care is also required by law to provide discounted care

Source https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=c7bdd7eb-bcc0-4a84-bcab-a21b5e578d9c, checked 2026-11-10

## Notes

The policy gives free care at or below 200% of the poverty level. From 201% to 300% the bill drops to what Medi-Cal would pay. From 301% to 400% you pay 75% of the self-pay amount. Homeless patients from 201% to 400% get free care. The application form on file with the state says something different. It says free care up to 350% and discounts from 350% to 500%. We show the policy's numbers. Ask the hospital which applies. One part of the policy lists the 75% tier as 301% to 350%, and another lists it as 301% to 400%. People on Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, WIC, CARE, LIHEAP, or a housing voucher are treated as eligible for free care. There is no deadline to apply. Uninsured patients who are not approved still get 30% off billed charges. Savings are only looked at when waiving Medicare or Medi-Cal cost sharing. The hospital will not ask about citizenship. The file posted as the Discount Payment Policy is the billing and collections policy. Some Spanish and other language lines in the application list (760) 866-5501 instead of (909) 878-8252.

## Sources

- Free care level https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > Income 200% or less FPL will be granted full (100%) charity care (free care) for a 12-
- Discount level https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > Applicants qualifying income is 201% but no greater than 400% the FPL benefit, including family income, is as follows:
- Discount steps https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > Income 201%-300% of FPL Guidelines discounted to MediCal Allowed Amount
- Discount steps https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > Income 301%-400% of FPL Guidelines discounted to 75% of Self Pay Liability.
- Insured patients https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > All patients receiving medically necessary care, regardless of insurance status.
- Very large bills https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > Patients who are covered by insurance but have (i) family income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level
- What is not covered https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > to hospital charges only; it does not apply to fees billed by physicians and other allied professions.
- Documents https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > BVCHD may only request recent paystubs or income tax returns for documentation of income.
- Languages https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > The following notice is provided in English and the top 15 languages spoken by Limited English-Proficient (LEP) individuals in California
- Financial counseling phone https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=948dc0bd-2889-4d8c-baf4-a24356f61e6e
  > Patients may request assistance by contacting Patient Financial Services at (909) 878-8252.
- Deadline https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=bdeb7ad8-7a69-41e9-8423-8fdee41a8be8
  > Once eligibility documentation is received, eligibility for the FAP will be considered at any time, i.e., no time limits will be imposed.

Last checked 2026-11-10.

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