Oregon

Statutory floor

Oregon requires nonprofit hospitals to provide free care at or below 200% FPL and discounted care on a sliding scale commonly through 400% FPL. Screening and reporting apply. Medical debt is barred from credit reports as of 2026.

ORS 442.614; Oregon hospital financial-assistance rules · compiled October 2026

Rule	This state
Free-care floor	200% FPL
Discount / eligibility floor	400% FPL
Covers insured patients	Yes, if they otherwise qualify
Which hospitals	Some hospitals / programs only
Medicaid expansion	Yes — adults to 138% FPL
Screen before collections	Yes
Credit reports	Statewide ban (FCRA-preemption fights ongoing)
Debt sales	Not banned
Home liens	Not banned
Wage garnishment	Federal CCPA cap (typically 25%)
Interest on medical debt	No special cap located
Collection hold	No extra state waiting period
Lawsuit clock	6 years · ORS 12.080

2026 poverty line here

Alaska and Hawaii use their own HHS tables. Everyone else uses the 48-state and D.C. figures, effective January 2026.

Household	100%	Free floor	Discount floor
1	$15,960	$31,920	$63,840
2	$21,640	$43,280	$86,560
3	$27,320	$54,640	$109,280
4	$33,000	$66,000	$132,000
5	$38,680	$77,360	$154,720
6	$44,360	$88,720	$177,440

What to do

01 At or under 200% FPL, Oregon free care is the opening demand.
02 Between 200% and 400%, ask for the sliding scale in writing.
03 Medical debt should not be on an Oregon credit report after January 1, 2026.
04 OHP (Medicaid) is expanded — apply if you are near 138% FPL.

Appeals

Oregon surprise-billing protections plus the No Surprises Act.

Insurance: Oregon DCBS — external review

Medicaid: ODHS / OHA fair hearing (OHP).

Medicare is federal regardless of state: redetermination, reconsideration, ALJ, Appeals Council, then district court.

Cite this in a letter

I request financial assistance under ORS 442.614 — free care at or below 200% of FPL and sliding-scale discounts through 400% of FPL — and a 501(r) FAP review.

Put a Oregon bill in the machine.

The estimate will use this state’s floors. The letters will cite ORS 442.614; Oregon hospital financial-assistance rules.

Start a Oregon case

Oregon Attorney General

Federal overlay — every state

501(r)
501(c)(3) hospital organizations must publish a Financial Assistance Policy, a plain-language summary, and generally may not take extraordinary collection actions (selling the debt, reporting it, liens, lawsuits) until they have made reasonable efforts to determine FAP eligibility.
Official source
No Surprises Act
Emergency services, air ambulance, and many out-of-network clinicians at in-network facilities cannot balance-bill beyond in-network cost-sharing. Independent dispute resolution is between the plan and the provider — not a reason to pay the sticker rate.
Official source
FDCPA
15 U.S.C. § 1692g. Within 30 days of first collector contact, demand validation. Until it is validated, the collector should stop collecting. Partial payment can restart a state’s statute of limitations.
Official source
EMTALA
Emergency departments must screen and stabilize regardless of ability to pay. An ER bill is not an agreement that chargemaster rates are the cash price.
Official source
Medicare appeals
Five levels: redetermination (MAC, 120 days), reconsideration (QIC), ALJ at OMHA, Medicare Appeals Council, then federal district court. A remaining patient balance is often a claim the provider still needs to work.
Official source
Credit bureaus
The CFPB’s 2025 medical-debt reporting rule was vacated in July 2025. Industry practice still generally omits paid medical collections and unpaid balances under $500. Unpaid medical debt over $500 can appear after a delay unless a state ban applies. FCRA-preemption fights over those state bans are ongoing.
Official source

Sources

Official government sources for the Oregon information on this page. UNDUE does not represent any government entity.