Updated September 4, 2026. Quick answer: Nebraska law requires the board of a county-owned hospital to establish a charity-care policy offering free treatment or financial assistance.
This guide is limited to the cited Nebraska county-hospital source and its stated scope.
What changes in Nebraska
- The board of trustees of a county hospital must establish charity-care policies for free treatment or financial assistance for care provided by the facility.
- This duty applies specifically to county-owned hospitals, created when a county board appoints hospital trustees under Chapter 23, Article 35 of the state code.
- Private nonprofit hospitals in Nebraska, including most large urban systems, are not covered by this statute and rely on the federal 501(r) floor alone.
Where this rule stops
The statute is scope-limited to county hospitals and does not set a specific income threshold, leaving the free-treatment or financial-assistance criteria to the county hospital’s own board.
How to verify before you apply
- Identify the hospital or facility covered by the source and obtain its current policy.
- Ask for the current written policy and application instructions.
- Compare the policy with the official source below before relying on any threshold, discount, or deadline.
Related hospital-assistance guides
Primary source
Read Neb. Rev. Stat. § 23-3505(7). Verify the current official text and the facility’s current policy before acting; this is a source-backed planning guide, not individualized legal advice.