Ohio hospitals not always eager to promote charity care

Despite state laws requiring Ohio hospitals to post information about the charity care they offer to poor patients, many hospitals are reluctant to do so, a report this week in the Dayton Daily News concludes (Source: “Hospitals’ aid info can be hard to find,” Dayton Daily News, April 19, 2009).

According to Bryan Bucklew, executive director of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, “The concern is that people will shop around (and find) where they’ll have to pay the least amount for their care,” Bucklew said.

Adding to the confusion is that hospitals offer different rates of aid. State law requires hospitals that receive Hospital Care Assurance Program money to provide free care to patients earning up to the federal poverty level ($22,050 for a family of four). Beyond that, every hospital can decide how much assistance it wants to provide.

Nine states mandate free hospital care for anyone who can’t afford to pay, according to Community Catalyst Inc., a patients’ advocacy group based in Boston. Six other states limit total hospital charges to a percentage of family income. Ohio does neither.

Attorney General Richard Cordray said he is waiting until next year when the IRS begins requiring more detailed reporting of charity care policies before he would consider moving forward with changes to Ohio policy. “Some hospitals do a lot, some do little or none,” he said. “But we need good data to compare hospitals first before we jump in” with new guidelines.