District of Columbia charity care
This state's rules reach every hospital in the state, whatever its tax status. Below: the five things that decide your bill in District of Columbia — the free-care line, the discount line, whether the hospital must screen you, your application window, and your credit-report protection — each with its source.
The law: D.C. medical debt law (enacted August 20, 2026; requirements phase in from October 1, 2026)
State figures rest on the named secondary sources cited (state program trackers and hospital-assistance references) rather than our own read of the statute text — verify against the hospital's current policy, which controls individual cases. Checked October 19, 2026.
Very new law — rules phase in from October 1, 2026. If a D.C. facility resists, cite the 2026 medical debt law and ask for its financial assistance policy in writing.
| Household size | Poverty guideline | Free-care line | Discount line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $31,920 200% | $79,800 500% |
| 2 | $21,640 | $43,280 200% | $108,200 500% |
| 4 | $33,000 | $66,000 200% | $165,000 500% |
| 6 | $44,360 | $88,720 200% | $221,800 500% |
Guidelines: 2026 HHS Poverty Guidelines (Federal Register, January 2026). Lines shown use District of Columbia's statutory percentages where the state sets them; "typical policy" marks the most common hospital-policy lines where it doesn't. Your hospital's policy is the deciding document — the kit shows you how to get it and read it.
At any nonprofit hospital in District of Columbia: a written financial assistance policy must exist and be publicized; you have 240 days from the first post-discharge bill to apply; no extraordinary collection actions for 120 days or while a complete application is decided; charges for eligible patients are capped at amounts generally billed; and money paid above what you owed comes back when a submitted application is approved. The full plain-words version.
Get the HospitalBillDecoded Kit — $49
One payment of $49. No subscription. The kit is a web page you can return to and print — the application pack, the error checklist, the scripts, the deadline tracker, and the escalation ladder.
Free care reaches 200% of the poverty guidelines under District of Columbia law — $66,000 a year for a household of four in 2026. The hospital decides individual cases from the application.
The federal period controls: 240 days from your first post-discharge billing statement, with no extraordinary collection actions in the first 120 days.
Yes — the District's 2026 law bans medical debt from credit reports (requirements start October 1, 2026); it also caps medical-debt interest at 3% and curbs wage garnishment.