Sacramento hospital bills: county help, UC Davis, Sutter and Dignity charity care, and the state complaint line
Sacramento has three big hospital systems, one county safety net and a state office that can investigate hospitals. They don't talk to each other, so you have to connect them yourself. This guide covers them in the order that usually saves the most money. Start with the county, then go to the hospital's own charity care, and save the state complaint for when a hospital says no.
AT A GLANCE
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Step one: the county, before the hospital
A hospital charity care discount fixes one bill. Coverage can fix this bill and the next one too. The Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance (DHA) takes Medi-Cal applications along with CalFresh and cash aid. There are three ways to apply:
How to apply | Details |
|---|---|
Online | BenefitsCal, the statewide portal (benefitscal.com) |
By mail | Download the application, then mail it to P.O. Box 487, Sacramento, CA 95812 |
By fax | (916) 854-9225 or (916) 854-9307 |
If a disability or health condition makes applying hard, ask DHA for a reasonable accommodation. Call the Service Center at 1-800-560-0976, or send a written request online, by mail, by fax or in person.
If your income is too high for Medi-Cal, DHA points you to Covered California, the state marketplace.
Two county programs most people haven't heard of
CMISP (County Medically Indigent Services Program). The county calls it a program of "last resort." It provides medically necessary care to eligible indigent residents of Sacramento County who don't have, and can't get, other coverage. The county says you can apply for coverage programs, CMISP included, at the time you ask for medical services.
Healthy Partners. This program provides primary and preventive care at the Sacramento County Health Center for low-income undocumented adults. You need income at or below 138% FPL, restricted-scope Medi-Cal with the right aid code, and no other health insurance. If you don't have restricted-scope Medi-Cal yet, apply through DHA first. Then call Member Services at (916) 874-1805. Bring photo ID, proof you live in Sacramento County, and a pay stub or last year's tax forms. Healthy Partners covers clinic care, so it won't erase a hospital bill. It can keep you out of the ER next time.
Hospitals screen for coverage too. UC Davis Health's policy says uninsured patients should get information on applying for Medi-Cal, California Children's Services or other state programs before they leave the hospital. Sutter's policy mentions Medi-Cal's presumptive eligibility program, which can give qualified people temporary no-cost Medi-Cal while their full application is pending. Under Sutter's policy, a pending application for other coverage doesn't block you from getting financial assistance.
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Step two: which hospital billed you?
Each system has its own policy, phone number and appeal route. The table compares the three largest systems serving Sacramento, using each system's own policy documents.
UC Davis Health | Sutter Health | Dignity Health (CommonSpirit) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Free care | Generally 100% discount at or below 400% FPL (uninsured, or insured with high medical costs) | Full charity care at or below 400% FPL for uninsured patients | Free hospital services at or below 250% FPL |
Partial help | 60% off hospital fees and 46% off physician fees for eligible uninsured patients | Above 400% FPL, uninsured: 40% off inpatient and 20% off outpatient billed charges | 250–400% FPL: reduced to what a government payer would pay. 401–500% FPL: reduced to the Amount Generally Billed |
Insured with high costs | Out-of-pocket costs in the past 12 months over 10% of family income, at or below 400% FPL | Same 10% test at or below 400% FPL: patient responsibility written off | Covered by the policy for underinsured patients. Ask the facility |
Phone | Patient Billing 916-734-9200 or 1-800-551-9411 | Patient Financial Services 855-398-1633 | Mercy General (916) 389-8626, Methodist (916) 423-6099, Mercy San Juan (916) 536-3053, Mercy Folsom (916) 983-7507 |
Appeal | Customer Service Manager, then the Assistant Director of Finance | Hospital CFO or designee, within 30 days, orally or in writing | Customer Service Manager at 888-488-7667 or the Financial Assistance Center |
UC Davis Health
UC Davis Health's Charity Care Screening policy (Policy 1891, effective January 2026) applies to UC Davis hospital, outpatient and medical group services. It doesn't cover care billed by outside providers. Income proof is limited to recent pay stubs or income tax returns. If you're homeless and have no source of funding, you may qualify even without an application.
Mail applications to UC Davis Health Patient Billing, Attn: FA Program, PO Box 168015, Sacramento, CA 95816-9979. You can also hand-deliver them to the Financial Clearance Department, 2315 Stockton Blvd, Suite 1P214, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Forms come in English, Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, Lao and Russian.
On collections, the policy says UC Davis Health doesn't take "extraordinary collection actions," doesn't garnish wages, doesn't put liens on homes and doesn't report patients to credit bureaus.
Sutter Health
Sutter's hospital Financial Assistance policy took effect January 1, 2025. It says hospitals won't consider your monetary assets and won't impose time limits on applying. Once you're approved, you're presumed eligible for one year. Mail applications to Sutter Health, P.O. Box 619010, Roseville, CA 95661-9998, Attn: Charity Care Application.
One thing to watch is doctors. Sutter's hospital policy doesn't cover emergency physicians, anesthesiologists, radiologists, hospitalists or pathologists, who bill separately. Ask each one for its own charity care policy.
Dignity Health
Dignity Health's Greater Sacramento hospitals use the CommonSpirit Financial Assistance Policy. Mercy General's application says you'll get a decision within 30 calendar days of a complete application, and you don't need a Social Security number to apply. Send it to Mercy General Hospital, PO Box 3008, Rancho Cordova, CA 95741-3008, or fax it to 877-691-1151.
Mercy General's application PDF still has a section that asks for proof of assets, such as bank statements. California law changed on January 1, 2025, and hospitals can no longer consider monetary assets (details below). If an application asks for bank statements, ask the financial counselor whether that section is really required for your request.
A hospital can't refuse to consider you because you applied late. Sutter's policy says it won't impose time limits, and California law says your savings account can't count against you.
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Step three: know what California law requires
Every hospital in the state follows the Hospital Fair Pricing Act (Health and Safety Code section 127400 and following). HCAI lists these recent changes:
Law | What changed |
|---|---|
AB 1020 | Raised the income limit from 350% to 400% FPL. Hospitals can't sell debt unless you're found ineligible or don't respond for 180 days. Credit reporting and lawsuits can't start until 180 days after initial billing, up from 150. Collectors must certify that you were screened before suing |
AB 2297 and SB 1061 (effective Jan. 1, 2025) | Hospitals can't consider monetary assets, can't require you to apply for other coverage before giving a discount, and must accept other proof of income. Liens on homes and sales of real property are prohibited. The definition of "patient's family" is broader |
AB 1312 (effective Jan. 1, 2026) | Requires screening and presumptive eligibility decisions, starting July 1, 2027 |
Two more protections show up in every policy above:
Payment plans you can afford. If you and the hospital can't agree on a plan, the hospital must offer one with monthly payments of no more than 10% of your monthly family income, after essential living expenses like rent, food, utilities and child care. Sutter and UC Davis both say their plans are interest-free.
Refunds with interest. If an approval shows you overpaid by more than $5, the hospital must refund you with 10% annual interest.
What 400% FPL means in dollars
These figures are FSR's math: four times the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines. Some hospital policies still print 2025 tables, so check which year a form uses.
Household size | 2026 poverty guideline | 400% (yearly family income) |
|---|---|---|
1 | $15,960 | $63,840 |
2 | $21,640 | $86,560 |
3 | $27,320 | $109,280 |
4 | $33,000 | $132,000 |
5 | $38,680 | $154,720 |
6 | $44,360 | $177,440 |
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Step four: if the hospital says no
The Hospital Bill Complaint Program, run by the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), has enforced the Fair Pricing Act since January 1, 2024. Its headquarters is in Sacramento. It can investigate:
Wrongful denials of discount payment or charity care
A hospital's failure to give you written notice of its programs, or to post notices on its walls
Collections that skipped required steps
It can't handle general billing or fee disputes, price transparency, Good Faith Estimates, or bills from ER doctors (other than the facility charge). Violations from before January 1, 2022 go to the California Department of Public Health instead.
File online through HCAI's Patient Complaint Portal. It's the fastest way, and you can track your complaint there.
Or file by mail. Send the signed Patient Complaint Form and the Release of Information Form, which HCAI needs before it can investigate. Add an Authorized Representative Form if someone is helping you. Send copies only, to: Department of Health Care Access and Information, Hospital Bill Complaint Program, 2020 West El Camino Avenue, Suite 1101, Sacramento, CA 95833.
Include proof: hospital letters, denial letters and collection notices, plus a short written description of what went wrong.
Wait for the outcome. If HCAI finds violations, it notifies you. If you paid more than you should have, you may be reimbursed with interest.
For free help understanding your bill, call the Health Consumer Alliance at 1-888-804-3536 (healthconsumer.org).
Before you call
☐ Every bill and statement, including separate bills from doctors and labs
☐ Recent pay stubs or your latest tax return for everyone in your "patient's family"
☐ Your household size, using California's family definition (spouse or domestic partner, and dependent children under 21)
☐ Insurance cards and explanations of benefits
☐ Receipts for medical costs from the past 12 months if you're insured. These are needed for the 10%-of-income test
☐ Any Medi-Cal, BenefitsCal or DHA notices
☐ A log of every call: the date, who you spoke with and what they said
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
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More help in Sacramento
Related guides
Official sources
Last checked: October 23, 2026. Hospital terms come from UC Davis Health Policies 1891 and 1851 (effective January 2026), Sutter's January 1, 2025 hospital policies, and Dignity Health's Greater Sacramento financial assistance page and Mercy General application. State rules come from HCAI. The 400% figures are FSR calculations from the 2026 HHS poverty guidelines.
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