Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern Calif
Nonprofit children's hospital in Sacramento, CA.
Verified from the hospital's own policy
Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern Calif 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, below 400%)
- 400% to % of poverty level, you pay $0 for uninsured patients through Shrine Assistance; insured families with hardship pay what they are able and the rest may be discharged
How to apply
- Call (916) 453-2142 and ask for financial assistance.
- Application form
- Financial Assistance (RC-PFS-030, effective 4/18/18), Shriners Hospitals for Children system policy
- Bring papers showing family income, which may include tax returns, wage statements, insurance or Medicaid denial notices, or Social Security notices.
- 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.
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
- Medically necessary care at Shriners locations, including inpatient, outpatient, surgery center, clinic, and physician services.
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 for families below 400% of the poverty level. Above that, uninsured patients still get no bill through the Shrine Assistance program, and insured families with trouble paying deductibles or copays can pay what they are able, with the rest possibly forgiven. The policy offers free care only and no partial discount tier, so the discount cap is set equal to the free care cap. This is a system policy from 2018, the newest one on file with the state, and it does not mention California rules. It does not say whether savings are counted or set a deadline. A decision comes within 30 days of a complete application. The phone number is the Northern California financial counselor line from the policy's contact table, read from a scanned page. The application and discount policy files on the state site were not read.
Sources
- Free care level
The Charity Care program is available to all Patients whose Family Income is less than 400% of the Federal Poverty Levels then in effect.
- Discount level
The Charity Care program provides eligible patients with services at no cost to the patient or his/her guardians.
- Discount steps
no uninsured patient receives a bill for care.
- Discount steps
The remaining balance exceeding the family's ability to pay may be discharged through the Shrine Assistance program.
- Insured patients
Patients insured by private, non-governmental insurance plans who do not otherwise qualify for Charity Care may also be eligible for financial assistance
- Deadline
the determination of financial need may be done at any point in the insurance billing and payment cycle.
- Documents
which may include tax returns, wage/income statements, copies of insurance or Medicaid denial notices, Social Security determination notices
- Financial counseling phone
Contact information for financial counselors is listed by location on Appendix A to this Financial Assistance Policy.
- Financial counseling phone
NORTHERN CA
Last checked. 2026-11-10
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