Financial Assistance

St. Joseph's is committed to caring for patients regardless of their ability to pay. 

Health care bills can be challenging for some, especially to those who do not have insurance to pay for them. At St. Joseph’s we understand how confusing medical bills can be and have trained financial counselors who can help you understand your financial responsibility and the payment options available to you.

Our patient financial assistance program helps people who are unable to pay all of their medical bills incurred at St. Joseph’s. Patients may also qualify for financial assistance if they do not have health insurance or if their health insurance does not cover all the medical care they need.

At the hospital's discretion, every type of service and each occasion of service may be treated differently when determining financial assistance, and financial assistance may not be available for certain elective admissions or services. As part of the written application process, a patient will be directed to complete a Medicaid application as part of the financial assistance process.

Eligibility for Financial Assistance

A patient’s eligibility for financial assistance is based upon the size of the applicant's family and is limited to those families whose income is less than or equal to 400% of the current poverty level income guidelines as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services. Applicants for financial assistance may be screened for Medicaid eligibility by a financial counselor. Income verification for the time frame in which you received services will be needed to determine whether a state sponsored insurance application should be completed.

Short Term and Long-Term Payment Plans

Patients who cannot pay some or all of their financial responsibility may qualify for short term or long-term payment plans and loans. Patients may qualify for one of the below options:

• Balances paid in less than 90 days may be eligible for an interest free payment plan.
• Balances paid in less than a year may be eligible for a zero interest loan program.
• Balances that will need to be paid in a time frame greater than 12 months may be eligible for a low interest loan program.

Financial Assistance Policy 
Financial Assistance to Patient Procedure 
Plain Language Summary 
NHSC Sites Addendum 
Financial Assistance for NHSC Sites 
NHSC Policy Poster - English Spanish 

Procedimiento de asistencia financiera para pacientes 
Política de ayuda financiera y atención caritativa 
Solicitud de ayuda financier 
NHSC Cartel de política 
Folleto de asistencia financiera

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Covered Services

Patient financial assistance funds are utilized for all medically necessary inpatient and outpatient services. Financial assistance does not cover cosmetic services, physician professional services, telephone/tv charges. Patient financial assistance is applied after all insurance coverage has been exhausted or for uninsured self-pay patients.

Financial Assistance/Charity Care Policy

A 100 percent discount for medically necessary services is available to patients who earn 200 percent or less of the Federal Poverty Level guidelines. Elective services such as cosmetic surgery are not included in our charity program. Those who earn between 200 and 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level guidelines may be eligible for a partial discount equal to the Medicare discount rate. Patients who qualify for financial assistance will not be charged more than the Medicare discount rate. Patient copays and deductibles may be eligible for discounted rates if a patient qualifies for financial assistance and earns less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level Guidelines. Services such as cosmetic procedures, hearing aids and eye care that normally are not covered by insurance are priced at package rates with no additional discount. All payments are expected at time of service.

Discounts are also available for those patients who are facing catastrophic costs associated with their medical care. Catastrophic costs occur when a patient’s medical expenses for an episode of care exceed 20% of their income. In these cases, patient copays and deductibles may also be included in the discount. Charity care discounts may be denied if patients are eligible for other funding sources such as a Health Insurance Exchange plan or Medicaid eligibility and refuse or are unwilling to apply.

The Application Process

• You may contact a financial counselor at 315-448-5775. Our counselors are here to assist you in any way they can. (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• You may also download a financial assistance application here. Once completed the application should be mailed to:

St. Joseph’s Health Hospital  
Attn: Financial Counseling Unit 
301 Prospect Ave 
Syracuse, NY 13203

• The application must be completed within 240 days from the patient’s first post discharge billing statement.
• Once an application is received you will have an additional 30 days to submit the required documentation. If documentation is not submitted within 30 days of the request, the application will be considered withdrawn.
• Financial counseling will review the application and notify you of its decision in writing within 30 days after receipt of completed application. St Joseph’s will determine a sliding fee scale for each service based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines and the patient’s income level.
• Translator services are available to assist with the application process.
• If fraudulent documentation is submitted any financial assistance may be revoked.
• The determination of eligibility is made dependent upon the documentation submitted.

Supporting Documentation

To assist financial counseling in determining the fee-scale amount and eligibility for financial assistance the patient must provide the following documentation:

• Most recent tax return (Federal Tax Return is used to determine family size/adjusted gross income)
• Income from wages (last three months' pay stubs,) most recent unemployment pay stub; most recent pension and/or social security check
• Medicaid eligibility status (if available)
• If unemployed, examples of necessary documents may include: 
  Unemployment Award letter 
  Social Security Award Letter 
  Disability Award Letter

2023 Federal Poverty Guidelines

St. Joseph's will determine a sliding fee scale for each service based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines and the patient’s income level.