A Proposal to Redistribute the Cost of Hospital Charity Care

Policy analysts debate whether providers of hospital services should share the responsibility of financing care for those who cannot pay for it. Many nonprofit and public hospitals, meanwhile, find it necessary to fund some of the services they deliver. A proposal to redistribute the costs of charity care more equitably is offered, taking into account the benefits an institution receives and its ability to pay. Hospitals would be required to quantify the charity care they provide and to make this information publicly available; in reviewing the information, legislatures are encouraged to set priorities on how much unmet need each state and each hospital should finance.

Author(s): Howard P. Tuckman; Cyril F. Chang

Read on JSTOR

Volume 69, Issue 1 (pages 113–142)
Published in 1991