Mad River Community Hospital
Acute care hospital in Arcata, CA.
Verified from the hospital's own policy
Mad River Community 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 (100% waiver) for self-pay patients and insured patients with high medical costs
- 401% to % of poverty level, you pay a discount if hospital bills are over 10% of family income (special circumstances)
How to apply
- Call (707) 826-8260 and ask for financial assistance.
- Application form
- Financial Assistance Charity Care Policy and Uninsured and High Medical Cost Patient Discount Payment Policy (both revised 10/2026)
- Bring an income tax return for the year you were first billed or the prior 12 months, or pay stubs from within 6 months before or after you were first billed (other proof may be accepted if those are not available).
- 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.
- Savings and property
- The policy looks at income only, not savings or property.
- Very large bills
- Above 400% of the poverty level, patients whose bills from the hospital are over 10% of yearly family income can get a special circumstances discount.
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 care at Mad River Community Hospital, including emergency care and professional services of doctors who bill through its clinics.
- Not covered
- Services from providers other than Mad River Community Hospital are not covered.
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, for people with no insurance and for insured people with high medical costs. High medical costs means yearly out-of-pocket costs at the hospital over 10% of family income. Above 400%, the hospital offers a special circumstances discount when its bills are over 10% of family income, with no upper income limit, but the policy does not say how big that discount is. Self-pay patients also get automatic discounts at any income, 57% for inpatient and 65% for outpatient care. Savings are not counted. There is no deadline to apply. Approval lasts up to 12 months and also covers earlier bills. Accounts left unpaid 12 months with a collection agency are recalled and treated as charity care. To ask for a review, contact Patient Accounts at (707) 826-8260 or collections@madriverhospital.com. The policy does not list languages. The application file on the state site was not read.
Sources
- Free care level
patients with High Medical Costs whose Family Income is at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible for Charity Care
- Discount level
Patients whose Family Income is at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible to participate under this Policy
- Discount steps
Charity Care: A 100% waiver of the patient financial obligation for Medically Necessary services provided by MRCH.
- Discount steps
a discount to eligible patients with annualized family income in excess of 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines
- Insured patients
Patient with High Medical Costs: An insured patient whose annual out-of-pocket costs incurred at MRCH exceed the lesser of 10%
- Asset test
Monetary assets will not be considered when determining eligibility.
- Very large bills
financial obligations resulting from medical services provided by MRCH that exceed 10% of the annualized family income.
- What is not covered
Non-MRCH services are not covered by this policy.
- Deadline
MRCH will not impose an application deadline; eligibility may be determined whenever MRCH receives the documentation required to establish eligibility.
- Documents
Acceptable documentation includes an income tax return for the year in which the patient was first billed or the prior 12 months
- Financial counseling phone
request assistance with the application process at 3800 Janes Rd, Arcata, CA, 95521 or by calling 707-826-8260
Last checked. 2026-11-10
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