# Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital

Hospital in Los Angeles, CA. Verified from the hospital's own policy.

Martin Luther King, Jr. 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. It likely gives a discount to households with a yearly income up to $71,820 for 1 person, $97,380 for 2, $122,940 for 3, $148,500 for 4, $174,060 for 5 or $199,620 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 | $63,840 | $71,820 |
| 2 | $86,560 | $97,380 |
| 3 | $109,280 | $122,940 |
| 4 | $132,000 | $148,500 |
| 5 | $154,720 | $174,060 |
| 6 | $177,440 | $199,620 |

Dollar amounts use the 2026 federal poverty guidelines.

## Discount steps

- 0% to 400% of poverty level, patient pays $0
- 401% to 450% of poverty level, patient pays 9% of gross charges (91% discount)

## How to apply

- Call (424) 338-8300 and ask for financial assistance.
- [Application form](https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=35b85f32-4ebe-4ae7-aa75-69f061f9c169)
- [Financial Assistance Charity Care, Policy FIN-1005 (effective 3/13/2026)](https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519)
- 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 financial assistance application (verbal attestation is accepted if you cannot fill it out), recent pay stubs or income tax returns.
- Languages. English, Spanish

## 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. Emergency care and medically necessary care at the hospital, including care given by the outside doctor groups that work there.

Not covered. Outside doctor groups send their own bills (radiology, anesthesiology, urology, labor and delivery, hospitalists, wound care, and ER doctors). The policy says it still applies to them, and free-care patients will not be billed by them. Elective care such as cosmetic surgery, infertility, vision correction, proton therapy, robotic procedures, orthotics and prosthetics, and surrogate pregnancy is generally 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.

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

Free care at or below 400% of the poverty level. From 401% to 450%, you pay 9% of the full charges. The toll-free line is (800) 348-9439, open Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, in English and Spanish. The policy has some mixed wording. Its plain language summary says the free and discounted care is for uninsured patients, while the main policy also lets in insured patients whose insurance leaves a balance. One appendix says discounted care runs from 300% to 400%, which does not match the main tiers recorded here. The policy defines high medical costs only for ER doctor discounts, so no separate high-cost rule is recorded. Approval lasts one year. You get a decision in about 30 days. Appeals go in writing to the Patient Access Manager, with a written answer within 15 working days. The hospital says it does not report to credit bureaus, sue, or garnish wages. Other languages may be available by calling (424) 338-8300. The policy does not say whether assets are counted.

## Sources

- Free care level https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > Patients whose family gross income is between 0-400 % of FPL in effect at the time of the determination are eligible for charity care
- Discount level https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > Discounted care is available for an uninsured patient whose family income is above 400% and up to and including 450% the of Federal Poverty Guidelines.
- Discount steps https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > Patients who qualify for discounted care are charged 9% (i.e., a 91% discount) of gross charges.
- Insured patients https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > patient with high medical costs (i.e., have insurance that does not result in full payment of the patient’s account)
- What is not covered https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > Patients who are determined to be eligible for free care under this Policy will not be billed by these external vendors.
- What is not covered https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > Elective services that are primarily for patient comfort or convenience are generally not eligible for financial assistance.
- Deadline https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > A patient may request consideration for free or discounted care under this Policy at any time during the collections process.
- Documents https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > documentation of income shall be limited to recent pay stubs or income tax returns.
- Languages https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > Copies of the FAP, FAP application form, and Plain Language Summary of the FAP are available in English and Spanish.
- Financial counseling phone https://api.hdc.hcai.ca.gov/Public/Extract/Attachment?id=ab40850a-668a-43f3-8cc8-0f6e85a67519
  > Financial assistance counselors can be reached at: 424-338-8300, or 1-800-348-9439 (toll-free)

Last checked 2026-11-10.

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