Charity Care

As a not-for-profit organization, Sutter Coast Hospital provides charity care and wellness/health education programs to the community.

In February 2004, Sutter Coast Hospital and all Sutter Health affiliates adopted a common, systemwide charity care policy. As part of this policy, uninsured patients with annual incomes below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Level ($44,100 a year for a family of four - 2009 FPIG) may qualify to receive free care. Uninsured patients with annual incomes between 200 and 400 percent of the FPIG ($44,100-$88,200 a year for a family of four - 2009 FPIG) are billed at rates well below those charged to private insurance companies. No uninsured patient, regardless of their financial status, will receive a bill for full-billed charges at a Sutter affiliated hospital.

In March 2006, Sutter Health affiliates adopted a new policy for all of our affiliated hospitals that provides for those facilities to offer automatic discounts to uninsured patients. These discounts are comparable to the negotiated discounts that the hospitals provide to private insurance companies.

Sutter Coast Hospital also provides catastrophic protection to low-income uninsured patients by limiting their payment liability to 30 percent of their annual household income.

For more information, please contact us at (707) 464-8511