Hospitals Lobby Congress to Protest Charity-Care Requirement
June 1, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
Hospitals are mobilizing their supporters to lobby against a plan to tie hospitals’ charity status to whether they provide a minimum annual level of charitable care, reports The New York Times.
The American Hospital Association asked hospital leaders nationwide to tell lawmakers to oppose the proposal, saying it would be a standard that would “hamstring” hospitals’ work, and would “penalize” hospitals that cater to children or are teaching or research organizations, the Times reports. Under current law, hospitals can qualify for tax-exempt status by showing they provide a range of benefits to the community, not just free care.
The bipartisan proposal was offered by Sens. Max Baucus, of Montana, and Charles E. Grassley, of Iowa, a Democrat and Republican, respectively.
Sen. Grassley warned: “If, as a result of health-care reform, everyone has health insurance, presumably hospitals should see a steep decline or the elimination of uncompensated care.”
See the Chronicle’s article on the idea the senators have floated.
(Free registration is required to view the Times article.)
