Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital
Critical access hospital in Hollister, CA.
Verified from the hospital's own policy
Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital 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. It likely gives a discount to households with a yearly income up to $79,800 for 1 person, $108,200 for 2, $136,600 for 3, $165,000 for 4, $193,400 for 5 or $221,800 for 6.
The hospital makes the final decision.
| People in household | Free care up to | Discount up to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $63,840 | $79,800 |
| 2 | $86,560 | $108,200 |
| 3 | $109,280 | $136,600 |
| 4 | $132,000 | $165,000 |
| 5 | $154,720 | $193,400 |
| 6 | $177,440 | $221,800 |
Discount steps
- 0% to 400% of poverty level, you pay $0 under Charity Care (the policy also says up to a 100 percent discount)
- 401% to 499% of poverty level, you pay 75% of total charges (25% discount), with a zero-interest payment plan
How to apply
- Call (831) 636-2620 and ask for financial assistance.
- Application form
- Financial Assistance: Discount Payment and Charity Care (DocID 12483, 03/27/2026)
- Bring driver's license or state ID, federal income tax return for the year you were first billed and the year before, if no tax return was filed, recent pay stubs from within 6 months before or after you were first billed.
- 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 counts savings or property, not only income.
- Very large bills
- Insured patients with high medical costs get a 100% discount on charges above what insurance paid, if insurance paid at least 18% of total charges.
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 and medically necessary hospital care and hospital-based doctor services billed by Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital (emergency, radiology, pathology, and psychiatry doctors billed under the hospital).
- Not covered
- Doctors and ambulances that bill separately are not covered. Durable medical equipment, oxygen unless pre-approved, experimental or non-FDA-approved care, and care that is not medically needed are left out. Elective procedures get the self-pay rate or a discount, not charity care.
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
The Charity Care section gives uninsured patients and patients with high medical costs a 100 percent discount when income is at or below 400% of the poverty level. Another section calls it a discount of up to 100 percent, so ask the hospital what you will owe. From above 400% to below 500%, uninsured patients and patients with high medical costs get 25% off total charges and a zero-interest payment plan. Above that, the hospital reviews each case. Patients with active Medi-Cal get free care without applying. The policy and application ask about assets, even though California stopped hospitals from counting assets in 2025. Retirement plans are not counted. Return the application within 30 days of getting it, though a closed case can be reopened later. An approval covers 3 months. Appeals go in writing to the billing department within 30 days. Payment plans can run up to 72 months with no interest. The filed policy has scrambled text, so it was read from page images.
Sources
- Free care level
with a 100 percent discount on the amount determined to be due from the patient.
- Free care level
Qualifying income must not exceed 400 percent of the applicable federal poverty level (Addendum A - Poverty Guidelines).
- Discount level
income that exceeds 400 percent but is less than 500 percent of the applicable federal poverty level will be awarded a 25 percent discount
- Discount steps
will be awarded a 25 percent discount on total charges and will also be eligible for a zero-interest
- Insured patients
Insured patients who are eligible for the Discount Payment Program due to high medical costs as defined below will receive a 100-percent discount
- Very large bills
on all charges in excess of the amount paid by their insurance, provided their insurance has paid at least 18 percent of total charges.
- Asset test
Patients must provide information and documentation about their family members' income and the value of assets
- What is not covered
Services provided at a hospital facility by private healthcare providers, such as personal physicians and ambulance
- Documents
A copy of your Driver's License or State Identification.
- Financial counseling phone
please call the Financial Assistance (Patient Financial Services) Department at (831) 636-2620.
Last checked. 2026-11-10
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