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Southwestern Vermont Medical Center — Financial Assistance & Charity Care
Bennington, Bennington County, VT
Under Vermont law, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center must offer free or discounted care to eligible low-income and uninsured patients. Here's what the law guarantees — and how to apply.
What Vermont law guarantees
Under Vermont's hospital financial assistance law (18 V.S.A. §9482), Southwestern Vermont Medical Center must provide FREE care to uninsured patients at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level, and discounted care for patients up to 400%.
This is the legal minimum — Southwestern Vermont Medical Center may offer more generous help. The only way to know is to apply, and applying is always free.
Your immigration status cannot be used to decide if you qualify — Vermont law bars hospitals from considering it. Eligibility depends only on your household income.
Vermont law also caps your total bill: if your household income is at or below 600% of the Federal Poverty Level, the hospital must lower the bill so you never owe more than 20% of your household income.
Based on Vermont's hospital financial assistance law (18 V.S.A. §9482), checked against the official source on 2026-08-04 — an automatic check, not a review by a person. See the official source ↗
See the exact wording
(b) The financial assistance policy shall: ... (2) provide free or discounted care to Vermont residents and to individuals who live in Vermont at the time the services are delivered but who lack stable permanent housing, as follows: (A) for an uninsured patient with household income at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), a 100 percent discount from the amount generally billed for the services received, resulting in free care; (B) for an uninsured patient with household income between 250 and 400 percent FPL, a minimum of a 40 percent discount from the amount generally billed for the services received; ... (E) for patients with household income at or below 600 percent FPL, catastrophic assistance in the event that the large health care facility's medical bills for a patient's care exceed 20 percent of the patient's household income, in which case the facility shall reduce the amount due from the patient to 20 percent of the patient's household income;
How to apply
📞 (802) 442-6361When you call, say: “I'd like to apply for financial assistance (charity care) for a hospital bill. Can you send me the application and tell me which documents I need?”
Not sure if you qualify?
Answer 3 quick questions and get a personalized plan plus a ready-to-send request letter — free, in your language.
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