Help Paying Your Bill

Financial assistance, payment plans and discounts for medical bills

We understand that hospital care can be expensive and is often unexpected. If you don’t have insurance or have difficulty paying for medical costs, Scripps Health has options that may help. Learn more below about options and policies that may apply to your specific situation.

Types of financial help

Your options may include:


  • Financial assistance (charity care): For patients without insurance who earn less than 200% of the federal poverty level, we will fully forgive the entire bill. 
  • Discounted payment: For patients who earn between 201% and 400% of the federal poverty level, we will forgive a portion of your bill. Scripps will not bill qualified patients for emergency or other medically necessary care more than the amount we generally bill patients having Medicare coverage.
  • Self-pay program: Discounted bills to all uninsured patients, regardless of income level
  • Payment plans: Interest-free, extended-payment plans 


We make every effort to identify patients who may benefit from financial assistance as soon as possible and provide counseling and language interpretation when needed. We offer free services for people with disabilities, such as documents in braille, large print or audio. Call 858-690-9070 for questions.


On the website, you can Open our Accessibility Menu to make the text bigger and select other settings such as increasing the text spacing, changing the contrast and using a screen reader. 


In addition, we will not apply wage garnishment or liens on primary residences as a way of collecting unpaid hospital bills. We will not charge patients qualified for financial assistance more than Scripps’ discounted financial assistance amount.

How to apply

To see if you qualify for financial assistance, complete a financial assistance application. We will evaluate the options you are eligible for based on your specific financial situation. For assistance in completing an application or for additional information on financial assistance, please call 877-727-4777.


Apply electronically on MyScripps

  • Login to your MyScripps account. This link will take you directly to the Financial Assistance section. You can also find it under Menu, then Billing. (If you don’t have a MyScripps account, click “Sign up now” from the main screen.)
  • Follow the prompts to complete each section of the application, including Personal Info, Income, Expenses and Upload.


Download and print an application. Complete and upload to MyScripps, mail or fax the application and documents.


Request an application by calling 877-727-4777 or visiting a Scripps admitting department.


Mail the application to:  

10790 Rancho Bernardo Road, 4S-205

Attn: Patient Financial Services

San Diego, CA 92127


Fax the application: 858-927-5070

Financial assistance documents

Learn more about our financial assistance programs. You can view, print and download the documents below.

  • Patient Financial Assistance Application - English (PDF, 210 KB)
  • Scripps Financial Assistance Notice and Policy Plain Language Summary - English (PDF, 130 KB)
  • Policy: Patient Financial Assistance, Including Discounted Payments, and Charity Care (FAP) - English
  • Policy: Patient Account Management, Billing and Collections - English (PDF, 210 KB)


Note: Spanish policies coming soon

Which doctors are covered?

Not all doctors who practice at Scripps take part in our financial assistance program. To see if your doctor is included, review the Financial Assistance Provider Listing (PDF, 600 KB) of participating and nonparticipating doctors.


  • Included: If your doctor’s name is highlighted on the list, they are included in the Scripps Financial Assistance Program.
  • Not included: If your doctor's name is not highlighted on the list, they do not participate in the Scripps Financial Assistance Program. Be sure to ask if they have a private financial assistance policy.

Emergency services

If you received emergency services at the hospital, you will receive a separate bill for the emergency room physician. Questions regarding physician’s services should be directed to the emergency physician's billing company. 


An emergency physician who provides emergency medical services is also required by law to provide discounts to uninsured patients or patients with high medical costs who are at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.

Government-sponsored programs

You may qualify for a government-sponsored program, such as Medi-Cal, County Medical Services or Medicare. To obtain an application for Medi-Cal, please call 866-262-9881 or request one from the hospital registration staff. Effective Jan. 1, 2014, new income requirements mean that Medi-Cal can cover more people even if they didn’t qualify in the past.


You may also qualify for insurance through the Covered California health insurance exchange. Depending on your income level, you may be able to purchase an insurance plan with the help of government subsidies that reduce the cost of your monthly premium. To learn more, visit CoveredCA.com or call 800-300-1506.

Notice of availability of shoppable services online 

Scripps is committed to being transparent about our charges. For Scripps patients, learn how to get a billing estimate or find more information on your MyScripps patient portal.

Hospital bill complaint program

The Hospital Bill Complaint Program is a state program that reviews hospital decisions about whether you qualify for help paying your hospital bill. If you believe you were wrongly denied financial assistance, you may file a complaint with the Hospital Bill Complaint Program. Go to HospitalBillComplaintProgram.hcai.ca.gov for more information and to file a complaint. 

Local consumer assistance 

There are free consumer advocacy organizations that will help you understand the billing and payment process. You may call the Health Consumer Alliance at 888-804-3536 or go to healthconsumer.org for more information. 

Scripps resources