“The major disconnect between the real health needs of communities and how the money flows is the fundamental problem,” said Vikas Saini, M.D., president of the Lown Institute. “And the nonprofit tax exemption is a lens on that problem.” More
Lown found that 77% of the reviewed hospitals spent less on community investments and charity care than the estimated value of their tax breaks. The group wrote that many facilities that had the largest deficit “also received millions in COVID-19 relief funding and ended the year with high net incomes.” More
Nonprofit hospitals receive substantial tax breaks worth tens of billions each year. But how many hospitals actually give back to communities as much as they receive in tax benefits? More
A new report examining the finances of 1,763 nonprofit hospitals in the United States finds that more than three-quarters fall short on expected investments in their communities. More
Recently, egregious, profit-seeking behaviors of nonprofit hospitals have been spotlighted in investigations and reports by The New York Times, Axios, the documentary film inHospitable, issue advocacy organizations such as Innovation for Justice, the Lown Institute and many others. More
Ten percent of Americans owe medical debt. According to a new report, much of that debt is owed to hospitals. What does this tell us about billing practices, financial assistance, and the balance between patients and profits in our current hospital systems? More
Tower Health’s trio of Chester County hospitals — Phoenixville, Brandywine, and Jennersville — lost their tax-exempt status due to the excessive salaries of the company’s executives, writes Judith Garber for the Lown Institute. The Pennsylvania appellate court recently denied property tax exemptions for these hospitals. Jennersville Hospital has already been sold to another system, while Brandywine Hospital closed in January 2022. More
Hospitals have recently come under the spotlight for high prices and inadequate community benefit spending-- and now state policymakers are taking action. Here's an update on what's going on in the state hospital policy space. More
A recent report revealed a plurality of hospital board members come from the Financial sector. How does this impact hospital community benefit spending and social responsibility? More
CEO pay at large has been a target of criticism by workers in recent months, including physicians and travel nurses, and the issue has surfaced as healthcare professionals negotiate their own pay. Amid this criticism, Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, has measured hospitals' and health systems' social responsibility via 53 metrics related to inclusivity, pay equity, community benefit, care value and outcomes. More
A bill to begin holding nonprofit hospitals accountable was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. Additional information from the Lown Institute Hospital's Index found New York hospitals have a "fair share deficit" of more than $1.6 billion, by taking in tax breaks far more than what they spent on community benefits and charity care for low-income patients. More
A Pennsylvania appellate court recently denied property tax exemptions to four nonprofit hospitals because they were operating more like for-profits. Could other hospitals be next? More
Insulin manufacturer Eli Lilly announced that it would be cutting the list price of its generic insulin products significantly. This move comes after decades of advocacy work by patients and clinicians alike, including our sister organization the Right Care Alliance. What does this tell us about the drug pricing landscape? More
Earlier this month, Lown experts Dr. Vikas Saini and Judith Garber were featured on the Relentless Health Value podcast to talk about financial assistance, fair share spending, and why America needs a socially responsible healthcare system. More
According to the Lown Institute, there are 15 hospitals that all received “A” grades from the organization in social responsibility for their patients and that have policies disallowing egregious billing practices. More
In fact, the Lown Institute Hospitals Index found that hospitals in Illinois have a “fair share deficit” of $1.244 billion dollars in aggregate. In other words, nonprofit hospitals in Illinois received a whopping $1.244 billion more in tax breaks than they spent on charity care for low-income patients and community benefits. More
An investigation from Kaiser Health News shows that a large proportion of hospitals engage in aggressive practices to recoup medical debt. Is your hospital one of them? More
Join host Stacey Richter as she interviews Lown experts Dr. Vikas Saini and Judith Garber on the surprising reality of hospital charity care spending. More
Hospitals are starting to be held accountable for their community benefit spending -- how are they responding? We explore some cases in recent news. More
“It's not uncommon for Medicaid expansion to result in a reduction in charity care spending, but that doesn't mean it's justified,” said Aaron Toleos, vice president of communications for the Lown Institute. For example, Fauquier Hospital could consider expanding its financial-aid policy to include more people struggling to pay their hospital bills or even funnel money that had been used for charity care into programs to address homelessness, food insecurity or addiction treatment, Toleos said. More