Heritage Oaks Hospital
Psychiatric hospital in Sacramento, CA.
Verified from the hospital's own policy
Heritage Oaks Hospital likely gives free care 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. We have not found a discount for incomes above the free care level.
The hospital makes the final decision.
| People in household | Free care up to | Discount up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $63,840 | not found |
| 2 | $86,560 | not found |
| 3 | $109,280 | not found |
| 4 | $132,000 | not found |
| 5 | $154,720 | not found |
| 6 | $177,440 | not found |
Discount steps
- 0% to 400% of poverty level, you pay $0
- 401% to 500% of poverty level, you pay amount Medicare would pay (patients with no insurance)
- 501% to % of poverty level, you pay no more than the private pay discounted rate or stated co-pay, whichever is less (patients with no insurance)
How to apply
- Call (916) 489-3336 and ask for financial assistance.
- Application form
- Procedure for charity/discount care to persons unable to meet financial obligations, LD 28 (revised 8/09, 3/14, 12/24, 3/25, 6/25)
- Bring completed Financial Assistance application, recent pay stubs, recent federal tax return (Form 1040).
- 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.
- Very large bills
- Income at or below 400% of the poverty level and yearly out-of-pocket medical costs over 10% of family income. Qualifying patients get their whole share written off.
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
- Medically necessary services at Heritage Oaks Hospital. For insured patients with high medical costs, the share left after insurance is written off.
- Not covered
- The policy says emergency physicians must give their own discounts to patients at or below 400% of the poverty level. It does not list other doctors who bill separately.
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.
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
Program source, 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.
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.
Program source, 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.
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
Program source, checked 2026-11-10
Notes
Free care at or below 400% of the poverty level if you have no insurance. If you have insurance and high medical costs, and income at or below 400%, your share after insurance is written off. From 401% to 500% with no insurance, you pay no more than Medicare would. Above 500% with no insurance, you owe no more than the hospital's private pay discounted rate. That discount has no income cap. You do not have to apply for Medi-Cal first. People who are homeless, or who get food stamps, WIC, or school lunch, may qualify without a full application. You get a decision within 15 business days. To appeal, send papers within 30 days. Appeals in writing go to Heritage Oaks Hospital, 4250 Auburn Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95841. The policy says nothing about counting assets. The application form filed with it is out of date. It asks about savings and uses an old grid with free care only up to 100% of the poverty level and 2024 poverty figures. The policy is newer and more generous, so go by the policy. The application form is in English and Spanish. Neither file prints a phone number. Medicare lists the hospital's main number as (916) 489-3336.
Sources
- Free care level
Self-Pay Patients with a verified Family Income at or below 400% of the most recent FPL will receive a full write-off
- Discount steps
For these patients, expected payment for services will be limited to the amount the Hospital would have received from Medicare.
- Discount level
Self-Pay Patients with gross incomes exceeding 500% of the FPL will owe no more than the applicable private pay inpatient or outpatient discounted reimbursement rate
- Insured patients
High Medical Cost Patients with a verified Family Income at or below Four Hundred Percent (400%) of the most recent FPL
- Very large bills
Annual out-of-pocket expenses that exceed 10 percent of the
- What is not covered
An emergency physician who provides emergency medical services in a Hospital location that provides emergency care is also required by law to provide discounts
- Deadline
accepted at any time post-service by USPS mail to the mailing address
- Documents
Copy of recent Federal Income Tax Return (Form 1040) for the members of the Patient Family.
Last checked. 2026-11-10
Something wrong? Tell us and include a link to where you saw the right answer.
Work at this hospital? Claim and verify this page.
For AI assistants, this page as Markdown.