The Lown Institute, a Boston-based group that evaluates hospitals on their community investments, said patients can learn about charity care programs simply by calling up an online search engine, entering the name of a medical center and typing the phrase “financial assistance policy.” That’s usually faster than clicking through the hospital’s website, said Judith Garber, a senior policy analyst with Lown. “It will indicate the thresholds for accessing free and discounted care, usually based on family size and income,” Garber said via email.
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The ‘Wild West’ of Hospital Charity and the DFW System Recognized for its Community Investment
The Lown Institute recognized CHRISTUS Health as one of the systems with the greatest meaningful community investment.
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As nonprofit hospitals reap big tax breaks, states scrutinize their required charity spending
And an April report by the Lown Institute, a health care think tank, said more than 1,350 nonprofit hospitals have “fair share” deficits, meaning the value of their community investments fails to equal the value of their tax breaks.
“With so many Americans struggling with medical debt and access to care, the need for hospitals to give back as much as they take grows stronger every day,” said Vikas Saini, president of the institute.
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Disputes over patients’ medical bills drop sharply thanks to new law
60% of U.S. hospitals are nonprofit hospitals. The non-partisan Lown Institute estimates those institutions receive $30 billion in tax breaks each year. The institute recently evaluated nonprofit hospitals for their community benefits. They found that three-quarters received more in tax breaks than the hospitals spent on charity care or other community benefits. More