Ascension income limits
| Household size | Free care: yearly income up to 250% | Discounts: yearly income up to 400% |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $39,900 | $63,840 |
| 2 people | $54,100 | $86,560 |
| 3 people | $68,300 | $109,280 |
| 4 people | $82,500 | $132,000 |
| 5 people | $96,700 | $154,720 |
| 6 people | $110,900 | $177,440 |
- Free care
- Up to 250% of the federal poverty guidelines: about $82,500 a year for a family of four in 2026.The policy says: “Patients with income less than or equal to 250% of the Federal Poverty Level income (“FPL”), will be eligible for 100% charity care” (page 3 (Austin, Texas policy))
- Discounts
- Up to 400% of the guidelines: about $132,000 a year for a family of four.The policy says: “Patients with incomes above 250% of the FPL but not exceeding 400% of the FPL, will receive a sliding scale discount” (page 3 (Austin, Texas policy))
- Sliding scale
- Above 250% up to 400%, each market sets its own scale. In Austin, Texas it is 95% assistance at 251% to 300%, 90% at 301% to 350% and 85% at 351% to 400%; other markets use other percentages.
- With insurance
- In the Austin, Texas policy, help applies to what you owe after your insurer pays. It may be reduced or denied if your plan treats the hospital as out of network, or if you refuse to assign insurance payments to the hospital. (Policy, pages 3, 4 and 6.)
- Savings and assets
- Savings or other assets may count.
- Large bills
- A patient above 400% may get the same discount as at 400% if total medical debt, from Ascension and other providers, is at least as large as the household’s gross income (the Means Test).
How to apply for Ascension financial assistance
- Without a full application
- Some patients may be approved without a full application.
- Time to apply
- By the 240th day after the first bill sent after care. A later application may still be considered, but help may be limited to what is still unpaid.The policy says: “submits a financial assistance application (an “Application”) on or prior to the 240th day after the Patient’s first discharge bill” (page 3 (Austin, Texas policy))
- How to apply
- Fill in your market’s Financial Assistance Application, which you can download from your market’s Ascension page, get at the hospital or ask to have mailed, and send it with the income and asset documents requested. Uninsured patients may be asked to work with a financial counselor on Medicaid or other public aid first.
- Differences by state
- Every market has its own policy, and most limit help to residents of the hospital’s community (defined by counties). Illinois gives uninsured patients a sliding discount up to 600% (85% at 401% to 600%) and insured patients up to 400%, and Maryland’s Saint Agnes extends help to 500% when 12-month medical debt is at least 25% of household gross income.
- Also good to know
- These figures come from the 11 market policies read (Texas, Illinois, Tennessee, Florida, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Maryland). Other markets, such as Washington DC and Georgia, were not read, so check the policy for your own hospital.
Common questions about Ascension financial assistance
What is the income limit for Ascension financial assistance?
Ascension’s policy lists free care up to 250% of the federal poverty guidelines and discounts up to 400%. With the 2026 guidelines for the 48 states and Washington, DC, that is for free care, a yearly income up to about $39,900 for one person and $82,500 for a family of four; for discounts, a yearly income up to about $63,840 for one person and $132,000 for a family of four. The policy has differences by state or hospital, so check it for your hospital. Ascension decides from its own application; only the hospital can confirm what you may get.
How do I apply for Ascension financial assistance?
Fill in your market’s Financial Assistance Application, which you can download from your market’s Ascension page, get at the hospital or ask to have mailed, and send it with the income and asset documents requested. Uninsured patients may be asked to work with a financial counselor on Medicaid or other public aid first. Time to apply: By the 240th day after the first bill sent after care. A later application may still be considered, but help may be limited to what is still unpaid.
Source
Financial Assistance Policy (a separate policy for each market), Varies by market: 07/01/2024 to 10/01/2026. Read with AI reading tools on November 1, 2026, and checked by a second one against the same document.
We are not part of Ascension. Policies change, and the hospital decides from its own form. If what you read here differs from the current policy, the policy counts.
Ask in writing
The free financial assistance letter asks the hospital for its policy, the application and the plain language summary. Already paid? How applying after you have already paid works. Compare other systems on the hospital list.
Have insurance? See what 38 policies say about patients with insurance.
In Alabama? Find your hospital by name or town (95 Alabama hospitals).
In District of Columbia? Find your hospital by name or town (9 District of Columbia hospitals).
In Florida? Find your hospital by name or town (212 Florida hospitals).
In Georgia? Find your hospital by name or town (141 Georgia hospitals).
In Illinois? Find your hospital by name or town (188 Illinois hospitals).
In Indiana? Find your hospital by name or town (146 Indiana hospitals).
In Kansas? Find your hospital by name or town (136 Kansas hospitals).
In Kentucky? Find your hospital by name or town (97 Kentucky hospitals).
In Maryland? Find your hospital by name or town (53 Maryland hospitals).
In Oklahoma? Find your hospital by name or town (127 Oklahoma hospitals).
In Tennessee? Find your hospital by name or town (117 Tennessee hospitals).
In Texas? Find your hospital by name or town (459 Texas hospitals).
In Wisconsin? Find your hospital by name or town (137 Wisconsin hospitals).
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Check the bill itself
Financial assistance may lower what you owe, but it does not look at the charges. Open your bill in MedBillCheckup: it is read on your device, never uploaded, and the free check shows how many things are worth asking the billing office about, and names the first. The full list, with the exact questions to ask, is $6.99 for one bill, or included with Pro at $9.99 a month.
Check my bill, freeMedBillCheckup provides informational assistance only. It does not determine whether a charge is medically necessary, fraudulent, illegal, or definitively incorrect, and it is not a substitute for advice from a lawyer, doctor, insurer, or certified medical billing specialist.