Billing & Insurance

Health insurance

If you have health insurance, our billing office will bill your insurance carrier first. If your insurance plan doesn't cover a service or procedure or doesn't cover the entire cost, you'll be responsible for fees that are not covered.

If you have insurance coverage and want to update your insurance information for billing, please call Patient Financial Services immediately (see the number below). Most insurance companies have timely filing requirements.

Medicare patients

If you're covered by Medicare, we will submit your claims to Medicare on your behalf. After Medicare makes its payment, we'll bill your supplemental or secondary insurance carrier for the balance, as determined by Medicare. If you don't have supplemental or secondary insurance, you will be responsible for the remaining balance.

For more information, please refer to the EOMB (Explanation of Medicare Benefits) or the EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from your supplemental or secondary insurance.

Medi-Cal patients

Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program, a medical assistance program for low-income residents funded by the state and federal governments. If you're covered under this program, please provide an eligibility card or other proof of eligibility for your month of service. Medi-Cal eligibility is determined on a month-to-month basis.

Self-pay patients

If you don't have health insurance or are seeking care that is not covered by your insurance plan, you're considered a self-pay patient. All self-pay patients at UCSF are eligible for a discount. For more information about our discount policy, please call our Financial Counseling office.

Elective procedures require a deposit before service, unless the patient is eligible for financial assistance. If you need to make a deposit or arrange a payment before an elective procedure, please call Financial Counseling.

To request an estimate of the out-of-pocket cost for an upcoming service, call our Patient Estimate Program.

Estimating your out-of-pocket costs

At UCSF Health, we're committed to helping patients and their families make informed decisions about every aspect of their care, including out-of-pocket costs. Those costs will be affected by insurance plan coverage, by co-pays and deductibles (if any), and by the wide range of services provided and other variables that affect costs.

Use our online price estimator to help calculate out-of-pocket costs for our most common services.

Statements and payments

MyChart paperless statements

UCSF and our affiliate practices are now sending paperless statements.

If you have a MyChart account, you don't have to do a thing: You're already receiving paperless statements. If you have a MyChart account and prefer to receive paper statements, log in to MyChart and choose "cancel paperless billing" on the Billing Summary page. Note: Transplant and reproductive health guarantors are not eligible for UCSF MyChart and will continue to receive paper statements in the mail.

If you don't have a MyChart account, we encourage you to enroll today. If you have an activation code, you can use it to complete your MyChart registration. If you don't have an activation code, you can still sign up for MyChart.

Understanding your statement

Before billing you, UCSF Health will submit a claim to your health insurance provider, including Medicare and Medi-Cal if applicable, and any secondary insurance. If you owe a balance that was not covered by your insurance, or if you are a self-pay patient, you will receive a statement by mail.

UCSF Health provides patients with a consolidated statement (per guarantor) that includes fees for both hospital and professional services. Hospital services include costs for room and board, ancillary services such as diagnostic tests (for example, X-rays, EKGs and laboratory tests) and medications. Professional services include care from the physicians who treated you during an outpatient visit or hospital stay, as well as physicians who read and interpreted your test results (such as a radiologist).

If you have any questions about your statement, please call Patient Financial Services. You can also view a sample statement to help you understand your bill.

Payment options

Payment is due within 30 days of billing. We accept personal checks and major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover).

You can pay your balance using any of these options:

• Online. Pay via MyChart.
• Mail. Complete and return the payment coupon attached to your statement.
• Phone. Call 866-433-4035. The automated payment system is available 24/7.

Need help or financial assistance?

Contact the Patient Estimate Program if you wish to discuss your options and get financial planning guidance for your medical care or services.

To make payment arrangements or apply for financial assistance for an outstanding balance, call Patient Financial Services.

The No Surprises Billing Act: Patient rights and protections

When patients get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, the No Surprises Billing Act protects them against surprise billing or balance billing.

Find out more about your rights under this act, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, and protections against surprise medical bills.

Open Payments database

The Open Payments database is a federal tool used to search payments made by drug and device companies to physicians and teaching hospitals. We’ve provided a link to this database for informational purposes only.

The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires that detailed information about payment and other payments of value worth more than $10 from manufacturers of drugs, medical devices and biologics to physicians and teaching hospitals be made available to the public.