Texas 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 Texas — 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: Tex. Health & Safety Code §§311.041–311.047 (community benefits / charity care policies)
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.
A KFF Health News investigation (October 2026) found about 2 in 3 Texas nonprofit hospitals say in their policies they will not fully return payments to patients found eligible only through screening. The fix is one page long: file the written application — the federal return-of-payment duty is written around applications.
| Household size | Poverty guideline | Free-care line | Discount line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,960 | $31,920 200% (typical policy) | $47,880 300% (typical policy) |
| 2 | $21,640 | $43,280 200% (typical policy) | $64,920 300% (typical policy) |
| 4 | $33,000 | $66,000 200% (typical policy) | $99,000 300% (typical policy) |
| 6 | $44,360 | $88,720 200% (typical policy) | $133,080 300% (typical policy) |
Guidelines: 2026 HHS Poverty Guidelines (Federal Register, January 2026). Lines shown use Texas'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 Texas: 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.
Texas sets no statewide free-care percentage. Nonprofit hospitals' own financial assistance policies set the line — most commonly 200% of the poverty guidelines ($66,000 for a household of four in 2026).
The federal period controls: 240 days from your first post-discharge billing statement, with no extraordinary collection actions in the first 120 days.
No state ban found. Federal bureau practice still keeps paid medical collections and collections under $500 off reports, and any medical collection gets a 1-year waiting period before it can appear.