The property tax burden for counties that subsidize care for the uninsured at publicly owned health facilities is being diminished by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a recent Forbes report.
For instance, due to Medicaid expansion under the PPACA, more patients seeking care at the public hospital system in Cook County, Illinois are able to pay for their care, so it is unnecessary to increase property taxes or fees for 2015 in Cook County, according to the report.
"While we see encouraging, but early, signs that the (PP)ACA can lessen the burden of uncompensated care on hospitals and taxpayers, we also know we have a long way to go to realize the law's promise of broad access to coverage," Bruce Siegel, MD, CEO of public hospital lobby, America’s Essential Hospitals, said in the report.
More articles on the uninsured:
Study: Access to healthcare doesn't improve chronic conditions
55% of uninsured Americans plan to get insurance to avoid fine
Iowa hospitals see decline in uninsured patients