Yes, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins all offer free or heavily discounted care to uninsured patients below specific income limits. Mayo Clinic provides free care to uninsured patients with household income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, roughly $30,120 for a single person in 2026.
Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins follow the same threshold, with Cleveland Clinic offering free emergency and medically necessary care to patients under 200% FPL and Johns Hopkins providing 100% free care to uninsured and underinsured patients at or below 200% FPL. These programs are part of each institution's charity care commitment, but eligibility depends on income documentation, geographic location, and whether you exhaust government assistance options first. None of the three covers elective procedures—only medically necessary services qualify for free or reduced-cost treatment.
Table of Contents
- Income Thresholds and Who Qualifies
- Automatic Discounts and Free-Care Minimums
- What Services Are Covered and What Are Not
- How to Apply and What You Need
- Geographic and Program Limitations
- Additional Programs Beyond Standard Free Care
- Frequently Asked Questions
Income Thresholds and Who Qualifies
All three centers set the free-care threshold at approximately 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, which translates to roughly $30,000–$31,000 per year for a single person. This is the income ceiling; if you exceed it, you may still qualify for sliding-scale discounts. Mayo Clinic extends discounts up to 400% FPL and considers case-by-case hardship factors such as recent job loss, disability, or catastrophic medical expenses for patients above income thresholds.
Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins follow similar patterns. Cleveland offers partial discounts on a sliding scale up to 400% FPL, while Johns Hopkins provides sliding-scale reductions up to 300% FPL. Income limits are based on household size—a family of four may have a higher threshold than a single person. You will need to verify your exact eligibility with each institution, as calculations vary slightly.
Automatic Discounts and Free-Care Minimums
Cleveland Clinic offers uninsured patients an automatic 43% discount on charges with no application required, separate from any income-based free or reduced-cost care program. This is applied regardless of financial hardship and requires no paperwork—a meaningful protection if you fall slightly above the free-care income threshold but still cannot afford full charges.
Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins do not offer automatic uninsured discounts at the same rate; instead, they evaluate each case based on documented income and medical necessity. The lack of an automatic Cleveland Clinic discount at the other two centers means that patients slightly above the income threshold may owe a larger percentage of the bill, though hardship reviews can override that on a case-by-case basis.
What Services Are Covered and What Are Not
Free and reduced-cost care at all three centers applies only to medically necessary services—hospital visits, emergency care, diagnostic tests, and specialist treatment for existing conditions. None of the programs cover elective procedures such as cosmetic surgery, weight-loss surgery performed for non-medical reasons, or routine check-ups conducted purely for preventive wellness. If you are unsure whether your planned procedure qualifies as medically necessary, ask the hospital's financial assistance team before treatment begins.
Medications prescribed during an inpatient stay are typically covered, but ongoing outpatient prescriptions may not be. Financial assistance covers the hospital or clinic visit itself, not prescription costs billed separately by a pharmacy. If medication affordability is a concern, ask about patient assistance programs run by pharmaceutical manufacturers, which operate independently of hospital charity care.
How to Apply and What You Need
The first step is to contact the financial assistance department directly. Johns Hopkins provides phone support at 443-997-3067 (8:30 am–4:30 pm, Monday–Friday), while Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic have dedicated uninsured patient coordinators available through their main financial assistance pages. Have your recent pay stubs, tax return, and proof of household composition ready—you will need to document your income.
A critical requirement: all three medical centers require patients to apply for government assistance programs (Medicaid, Medicare) before accessing free care. If you qualify for Medicaid but have not applied, the hospital will direct you to do so first. Some uninsured patients discover they are actually eligible for a government program, which pays the hospital and frees up resources for those who genuinely cannot qualify. Apply immediately after you learn your eligibility status—retroactive coverage is rare, and delays can result in collection notices.
Geographic and Program Limitations
Free care programs at all three centers require documented household income verification and vary by location: Mayo has programs in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota; Cleveland Clinic serves Ohio, Florida, and Nevada; Johns Hopkins operates primarily in Maryland. If you receive care at a satellite location or urgent care center outside these states, the same charity care policies may not apply.
Verify that your specific facility participates before assuming you qualify. Each center is a large regional health system with affiliated hospitals, clinics, and specialty centers. A free-care application accepted at the main Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester, Minnesota, may not automatically cover services at a Mayo-affiliated facility in Florida. Apply at the location where you will receive treatment to avoid surprises.
Additional Programs Beyond Standard Free Care
Cleveland Clinic patients who are Ohio residents at or below 100% FPL qualify for free care under Ohio's Hospital Care Assurance Program (HCAP), which Cleveland Clinic participates in, regardless of insurance status. This state program is separate from Cleveland Clinic's own charity care and may provide a faster path to approval for Ohio residents with very low incomes. Johns Hopkins operates The Access Partnership, a specialized program providing low-cost or free specialty care to uninsured and uninsurable patients in 10 East Baltimore zip codes, serving thousands of patients.
If you live in an eligible Baltimore neighborhood, this program may offer expanded access beyond the standard income-based free care program. Check whether your zip code qualifies when you call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to qualify for free care?
No. Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins do not require citizenship or legal residency status for financial assistance eligibility; they evaluate based on household income alone. Bring any identification you have when you apply.
Will applying for free care affect my credit score?
Hospital charity care applications do not appear on credit reports. If you do not qualify or if an account is referred to collections before you apply, that collection account may hurt your credit. Apply early, before you miss a payment.
Can I apply over the phone or online?
Most applications require an in-person or mailed submission with supporting documents, though some institutions now offer online application portals. Call your hospital's financial assistance line to ask about remote options at your specific facility.