Community Care Discount Program

As a tax-exempt organization, Carle Foundation Hospital provides care to patients regardless of their ability to pay for that care or source of payment. We also recognize that some patients may need help to pay their hospital bills.

Do You Need Help With Your Hospital Bill?

We understand that some patients are not able to pay all of their hospital bills. For that reason, Carle Foundation Hospital has established the Community Care Discount Program to provide discounts or free care to those who need it.

Assessing Your Need
At some point during your hospital stay (or after your discharge if you are treated on an outpatient or short-term basis), a member of our financial assistance team will talk with you about your financial status. This person may be a patient representative from the patient accounting office, a social worker or a member of the registration staff. It is their job to help you understand your insurance coverage or need for financial assistance. Please feel free to ask questions so that you may fully understand your individual situation.

How We Can Help
When you're in the hospital, we want you to concentrate on getting well. Our financial assistance team can help you by:

• checking insurance coverage
• identifying any "holes" in that coverage
• looking for alternative methods of coverage
• assisting patients in filling out insurance forms
• helping patients apply for public assistance
• setting up payment plans
• helping patients apply for Carle's Community Care Discount Program

Recognizing its mission to improve the health of the community, The Carle Foundation provides significant charity care at reduced rates or free of charge to qualified persons under our charity care policy.

Regardless of income level, all uninsured patient who pay their bill within 30 days will receive a 25% discount .

The following are some general guidelines about the program:

1. Your eligibility will be based on a review of your family's income for the past 12 months. We will ask you to provide documentation about your income. We will also ask you questions about any assets you may have, including savings accounts and investments. A reasonable amount of those assets may be applied to your bill before you will be considered for discounted or free care. We do not look at any assets considered part of the "homestead exemption" such as your house or car. Your patient representative can explain how much savings is considered allowable under the Community Care Program.
2. Discounted/free care will be approved only after all third-party insurance payments, worker's compensation, public aid or other payments have been received. Discounted/free care will be applied to the balance due after such payments are received.
3. We may ask you to apply for public assistance before granting a discount or free care. We will be happy to assist you in filling out application forms or arranging transportation to the public aid office. Please ask if you need that type of help.
4. We will determine if you are eligible for Carle's Community Care Program within five working days after your application is filed. If for some reason we are not able to make a determination within five days, we will notify you by letter as to the reason for the delay.
5. Application forms
   English
   En Español

Please let your patient representative or social worker know if you think you need help with your bill. We won't necessarily know that you need help unless you tell us that you do.

Applications for free or discounted care are administered on an individual basis, taking into consideration all of your specific circumstances and needs. If you are not accepted for this type of financial assistance, you may appeal that decision to the Director of the Patient Accounting Office or the Chief Financial Officer.

In addition, getting medications for free or at reduced rates for people who cannot afford their prescriptions is an important part of our service to the underprivileged and seniors. We also give our Emergency Department patients a full prescription of medication at discharge rather than the typical practice of a few days of medication, even though they may not be able to pay for the medications. This further assures that the patient’s health needs are taken care of, without concern for payment.

Carle Foundation Hospital
Patient Accounting Department
810 W. Anthony Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: 217-326-2900
Fax: 217-344-8047

Toll-Free (866) 473-6196