University of Missouri Health Care provides financial assistance to help patients who are uninsured or underinsured.
Eligibility is based on income as a percentage of the Federal Poverty Level. Anyone who requires emergent, life-threatening care will be treated regardless of ability to pay, in compliance with federal law.
Co-pays, deductibles and co-insurance for University Physicians are not eligible under this policy.
Financial assistance is not considered an alternative option to payment.
Services eligible for financial assistance
Services that are eligible for financial assistance include health care needs that are:
- emergent (provided in an emergency room setting)
- urgent (at risk of losing life or limb without medical attention)
- necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of a medical condition or to prevent a serious effect on one’s health if not treated
Services not eligible for financial assistance
Services that are not eligible for financial assistance include health care needs that are:
- elective, experimental, hearing aid services, cosmetic or packaged price procedures
- considered to be elective by an MU Health Care physician
- eligible to be covered by another source of payment (such as an accident with third-party responsibility, indemnity or commercial insurance)
If your application is not approved and you believe you have a unique financial hardship, a Financial Counseling or Customer Service representative may review and forward your application on for further consideration.
As a patient, you:
- are expected to make a payment toward your care even if you have been approved for financial assistance. The payment expected may vary by clinic or specialty service.
- will be assisted in finding other means of payment (charity) before receiving approval for financial assistance.
- will be expected to apply for MO Health (Medicaid) if you have a family with children under age 19, are pregnant, age 19-64 (Adult Medicaid Expansion), age 65 or older, blind or unable to work for more than a year because of your health.
- may be required to apply for health insurance through your employer or the Health Insurance Marketplace. To learn more, please visit www.covermissouri.org.
- will be treated, regardless of ability to pay, if you require emergency, life-threatening care, in compliance with federal law.
If you are unable to pay your bills in full:
- You may set up a payment plan and may have up to 18 months to pay your bills, interest free.
- You may be eligible for full or partial assistance. The amount of financial assistance you may qualify for is based on your income and/or the resources
you have to help pay your bills.
Do you qualify for financial assistance?
If you are uninsured (have no health insurance or third-party liability or indemnity), you will be eligible for self-pay discounts from your total charges.
- University Hospital charges are discounted by 60 percent.
- University Physicians charges are discounted by 25 percent. An additional 20 percent discount is given if you pay your physician charges in full within 30 days of your bill statement date.
- Participation in an arrangement where a third party (e.g., health care sharing ministry) provides for reimbursement for health expenses, even if the third party does not qualify as an insurance, may not be eligible for financial assistance beyond the self-pay discount.
To be eligible for additional financial help, you must:
- be a United States citizen or lawfully in the U.S. (have a green card), and be a Missouri resident. If you are not a Missouri resident or not lawfully in the U.S., then your request will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- have income within the guidelines for eligibility listed in a chart below.
- have no health insurance (University Hospital and University Physicians) or are underinsured (University Hospital).
- have no third-party liability or indemnity.
- are not a member of a health care sharing ministry.
2024 Income guidelines for eligibility
MU Health Care's hospitals and University Physicians bill separately and have separate income criteria for financial assistance. The guidelines are listed below.
University Physicians Financial Assistance
| If your family size is: | Full assistance if annual income is less than: | Partial assistance (sliding scale) if annual income is: |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $22,590 | $22,591 - $37,650 |
| 2 | $30,660 | $30,661 - $51,100 |
| 3 | $38,730 | $38,731 - $64,550 |
| 4 | $46,800 | $46,801 - $78,000 |
| 5 | $54,870 | $54,871 - $91,450 |
| 6 | $62,940 | $62,941 - $104,900 |
| 7 | $71,010 | $71,011 - $118,350 |
| 8 | $79,080 | $79,081 - $131,800 |
Hospital Financial Assistance
| If your family size is: | Full assistance if annual income is less than: | Partial assistance (sliding scale) if annual income is: |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $37,650 | $37,651 - $60,240 |
| 2 | $51,100 | $51,101 - $81,760 |
| 3 | $64,550 | $64,551 - $103,280 |
| 4 | $78,000 | $78,001 - $124,800 |
| 5 | $91,450 | $91,451 - $146,320 |
| 6 | $104,900 | $104,901 - $167,840 |
| 7 | $118,350 | $118,351 - $189,360 |
| 8 | $131,800 | $131,801 - $210,880 |
Applying for assistance
Here is the process, step by step:
Step 1: Complete the Financial Assistance application (below). Paper applications are available in MU Health Care’s Financial Counseling Services and Customer Service offices. Applications are available in Spanish upon request. The application is good for 12 months. Please fill out one per household. A household is defined as immediate family (parents and children in household or as claimed on your tax return).
Step 2: Gather your documents. We will need:
- Proof of your household income (household as defined above).
- Current federal tax return for each adult in household.
- Pay stubs for the past three to six months for each wage earner in the household if there was no tax return filed for most recent tax filing year.
- Proof of enrollment in programs such as food stamps or temporary assistance.
- Proof of Social Security or Social Security Disability income award letters.
- Proof of other income sources such as unemployment, work compensation, VA, etc.
If you have no source of income, please provide verification of non-filing from the IRS and a statement of support from the person(s) providing you support.
- Applied for MO HealthNet (Medicaid) within the past 6 months? Provide proof of rejection.
Step 3: Sign forms.
Step 4: Include required documents.
Step 5: Turn in. There are 4 ways to return your application:
- Mail your application and documents to the address on the form.
- Fax to the fax number listed on the application.
- Email to the email address on the application.
- Bring to any Customer Service or Financial Counseling location at MU Health Care.
MO HealthNet (Medicaid) applications
- Applications for MO HealthNet may be filed online at https://mydss.mo.gov/ or by phone with the FSC call center at 855-373-9994
- Application for Social Security disability benefits: http://www.ssa.gov/disabilityssi or call 1-800-772-1213
Review and approval process
Once your application is received in our system, we will review it and all information provided. While your application is being processed, you will continue to receive monthly billing statements. Monthly payments may be expected based on presumed eligibility pending the final determination. Please allow six to eight weeks for processing of your application. When our review is completed, you will receive a determination letter in the mail advising you of the outcome of the review.
If your application is approved, it will be based on the current account balance and the services eligible for financial assistance.
If your application is not approved, then prompt payment is expected. You may contact our Customer Service department to discuss payment arrangements. We will work with you to set up a payment plan that meets our current guidelines.
Unpaid bills not approved for financial assistance and not set up on a payment plan will be sent to a collection agency for further collection activity. You will receive a maximum of three (3) statements for University Physicians balances and a maximum of four (4) statements for University of Missouri Health Care balances.