Oregon charity care
This state's floor applies to nonprofit hospitals; the federal 501(r) rules also apply there. For-profit hospitals are reached only if their own policies help. Below: the five things that decide your bill in Oregon — 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: Or. Rev. Stat. §§442.610–442.614 (HB 3076; HB 3320) + §646A.677
Figures marked from statute, regulation, or agency text read directly in our research pass. Checked October 19, 2026.
If you paid an Oregon nonprofit hospital before anyone screened you and you later qualify, the hospital must return the payment — Oregon wrote the screening-first rule into the statute (HB 3320). The written application still matters for the federal protections — file it anyway.
| Household size | Poverty guideline | Free-care line | Discount line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $31,920 200% | $63,840 400% |
| 2 | $21,640 | $43,280 200% | $86,560 400% |
| 4 | $33,000 | $66,000 200% | $132,000 400% |
| 6 | $44,360 | $88,720 200% | $177,440 400% |
Guidelines: 2026 HHS Poverty Guidelines (Federal Register, January 2026). Lines shown use Oregon'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 Oregon: 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 Oregon 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 — Oregon law bans reporting medical debt to consumer reporting agencies (§646A.677; SB 605, effective January 1, 2026).