El Camino Health
Acute care hospital in Mountain View, CA.
Verified from the hospital's own policy
El Camino Health 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. We have not found a discount for incomes above the free care level.
The hospital makes the final decision.
| People in household | Free care up to | Discount up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $63,840 | not found |
| 2 | $86,560 | not found |
| 3 | $109,280 | not found |
| 4 | $132,000 | not found |
| 5 | $154,720 | not found |
| 6 | $177,440 | not found |
Discount steps
- 0% to 400% of poverty level, you pay $0 (Charity Care) for uninsured patients and patients with high medical costs
How to apply
- Call (800) 665-6540 and ask for financial assistance.
- Application form
- Financial Assistance Policy (Charity Care, Eligibility Procedures, Review Process), effective 03/2026, revised 07/2026
- Bring recent tax returns or recent pay stubs.
- 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.
- Savings and property
- The policy looks at income only, not savings or property.
- Very large bills
- Insured patients at or below 400% of the poverty level whose out-of-pocket costs at the hospital, or medical expenses in the prior 12 months, top 10% of family income get free care
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 other non-elective, medically necessary services under El Camino Hospital's acute care license
- Not covered
- Doctors who are not billed by the hospital are not covered. Gift shop and cafeteria purchases are not covered. Contracted emergency doctors must give their own discounts at or below 400% of the poverty level.
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.
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
Program source, 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.
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.
Program source, 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.
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
Program source, checked 2026-11-10
Notes
Free care if you have no insurance or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the poverty level. The hospital has no partial discount program, so there is no help tied to income above 400%. Savings are not counted. The hospital accepts an application at any time. You do not have to apply for Medi-Cal first, but you may be screened for it. Approval is reviewed every 12 months. Appeals go to the Chief Financial Officer. You can apply regardless of immigration status. Customer service is also at (650) 940-7220. Send the application by email to [email protected], by fax to (650) 966-9334, or by mail to 2505 Hospital Drive, 2nd Floor, Mountain View, CA 94040.
Sources
- Free care level
ECH provides full Charity Care to uninsured patients whose family incomes are at or below 400% of the FPL
- Discount level
I acknowledge that El Camino Health does not have a discount program, but do not want to apply for free care.
- Discount steps
This means eligible patients won't owe anything after insurance or other help is applied.
- Insured patients
or patients with high medical costs whose family incomes are at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level.
- Asset test
Assets are not considered in determining eligibility for Charity Care pursuant to this Policy.
- Very large bills
Annual out-of-pocket costs incurred by the patient at the hospital that exceed the lesser of 10 percent of the patient's current family income
- What is not covered
Physician Services that are not billed by Hospital.
- Documents
Each Application must include proof of income in the form of: Recent tax returns
- Deadline
ECH shall accept and process an application at any time.
- Financial counseling phone
please contact our Patient Accounts customer service team from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 800-665-6540.
Last checked. 2026-11-10
Something wrong? Tell us and include a link to where you saw the right answer.
Work at this hospital? Claim and verify this page.
For AI assistants, this page as Markdown.