The health reform law will require not-for-profit hospitals to inform patients on charity care, reinforcing guidelines the AHA set down in 2003.
Selecting 99 not-for-profit hospitals, surveyors reviewed their websites and/or contacted them and found that:
- 85 hospitals mentioned availability of charity care.
- 42 provided application forms for charity care.
- 26 provided information about who qualified for charity care.
- 34 provided charity care information in another language.
The study concluded that not-for-profit hospitals had not been meeting the AHA guidelines and recommended the federal government conduct regular surveys of not-for-profit hospitals to make sure they are meet the new federal requirements.
Under the AHA guidelines, not-for-profit hospitals should:
- Provide information on charity care and other financial assistance programs.
- Make material easy to understand, culturally appropriate and in the most prevalent languages used by patients.
- Have understandable written policies to help patients determine if they qualify.
The reform law requires not-for-profit hospitals:
- “Widely publicize” financial assistance programs, including eligibility criteria, t
- Not charge patients for such assistance any more than the lowest amounts they charge people who have insurance.
- Bar “extraordinary” debt collection efforts until after hospitals determine whether a patient who owes money is eligible for financial assistance.
Read the Access Project’s and Community Catalyst’s report on charity care.
