Policymakers should ensure that all nonprofit hospitals fulfill their charitable mission and their obligation to address community needs.
The first part of this report examines how nonprofit hospitals differ from their for-profit counterparts and the various ways in which these hospitals carry out their charity care and community benefit obligations. The second part presents policy options to improve the accountability of nonprofit hospitals, including by:
- Setting standards for charity care eligibility and obligations
- Tightening the definition of “community benefit”
- Requiring hospitals to engage the community in needs assessments and implementation plans
- Requiring nonprofit hospitals to participate in public health programs
- Limiting extraordinary debt collection practices
- Empowering the Federal Trade Commission to regulate nonprofit hospital conduct
By Emily Gee and Thomas Waldrop for The Center for American Progress.
