Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center runs two separate routes to help with a bill. The details below come from its Financial Assistance Policy, revised February 25, 2025.
One thing to know before you read further: unlike most large hospitals, Wexner’s published policy does not state income cut-offs as percentages of the federal poverty level. Several websites list specific percentages for this hospital. Those figures do not appear in the policy document. Ask the hospital directly rather than relying on a number you found online.
The two programs
HCAP — Ohio’s Hospital Care Assurance Program, a state program covering hospital and facility bills for Ohio residents. You must be screened for this first.
The Wexner Financial Assistance Program — for patients who do not qualify for HCAP or other government programs. This one is broader in one important way: it covers physician and professional bills, not just the hospital facility bill.
How eligibility is decided
For the Wexner program, you are assessed through a third-party credit reporting agency that reviews income, assets and available credit, and that evaluation determines how much assistance is applied.
Assets count here. This differs from states like California, where hospitals are barred from considering them. Wexner counts cash, cash equivalents and other assets convertible to cash, and sets an asset protection threshold of $12,000 for individuals.
How long an approval lasts
An award is valid for six months. If you are approved for a 100% discount, it can run up to twelve months. Approved assistance is also applied backwards to balances that began up to one year before the approval date, so an older bill may be covered.
An approved HCAP application can extend to later visits without reapplying: inpatient visits within 45 days of discharge for the same diagnosis, and outpatient visits within 90 days of the original date of service.
What is excluded
- Elective and cosmetic services
- Acupuncture and massage therapy
- Services that are not medically necessary
- Transplantation and other specialized high or fixed cost services and supplies
- Fees paid before a service, and payments made before approval
- Patients who travel to Ohio solely to receive medical care
- Care knowingly sought outside your insurance network
If you are turned down
You can appeal by calling Patient Billing Customer Service on 614-293-2100. A paper application with supporting documentation may be required, and you are notified of the decision within 30 days.