How to Negotiate Medical Bills in California

California provides some of the strongest patient protections in the country for medical billing. Under AB 774, hospitals are required to screen emergency and urgent care patients for financial assistance eligibility. Hospitals must also provide written information about their charity care policies in the patient's primary language.

California law mandates that nonprofit hospitals offer charity care to qualifying patients and limits the amount that hospitals can charge uninsured patients. Many California hospitals provide free care for patients under 250-350% of the Federal Poverty Level, with some extending assistance up to 400% FPL.

The state also has its own surprise billing protections that complement the federal No Surprises Act. AB 72 protects patients from surprise bills when they receive care at an in-network facility from an out-of-network provider. California was among the first states to address this issue.

If you are fighting a medical bill in California, you have particularly strong legal backing. BillDelete generates negotiation letters that cite California-specific statutes and regulations in addition to federal protections, giving your negotiation extra weight with California hospitals.