Colorado Hospital Charity Care & Financial Assistance

Colorado charity care law

Colorado Hospital Discounted Care law (HB 21-1198) (C.R.S. 25.5-3-501 et seq.) requires discounted care up to 250% FPL, applying to all licensed hospitals and facilities. Last verified 2026-08-24. Read the statute.

State minimums are a floor, not a ceiling: individual hospital policies are often more generous, and the hospital's Financial Assistance Policy makes the final determination.

Hospitals in Colorado with policies on file

Your rights under IRS Section 501(r)

Nonprofit hospitals must maintain a written Financial Assistance Policy, make it publicly available, limit charges for FAP-eligible patients to amounts generally billed to insured patients, and accept applications for at least 240 days after the first billing statement. 501(r) does not set an income threshold; each hospital's own policy does, so patients may qualify at one hospital and not another.