Hospitals see major reduction in charity care costs
Statewide, total uncompensated care costs -- which include charity care plus the cost for patients who are unable or unwilling to pay -- declined 64 percent from
Officials attribute the decline to greater use of the Affordable Care Act and an expansion of
"It's basically a wash," said
Premier's
Results vary by hospital, with some hospitals essentially breaking even while others rake in windfall profits as a result of charity cost savings, based on figures from the
"The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a good thing," Sims said. "It gave people access to insurance, and having that access gave them the opportunity to access services that they may not necessarily have used in the past."
The ACA is composed of two main parts: Expansion of the
While more Ohioans are covered by
"At times, we see the same patient covered by a commercial product through the exchange that may have been covered by a
From 2013 to 2014 -- the first full year of ACA implementation -- Kettering hospitals saw their charity care costs decline by
Anderson was quick to point out that any net gain in savings from reduced charity care costs is poured back into the community in the form of new facilities and services. But that keeps costs growing, which means the charity cost savings only mitigates overall cost increases, he said.
"When I think about what we call our bottom line...obviously, what you see is a bottom line that continues to add value to our community," Anderson said. "
As a result, Kettering is constantly looking at ways to operate more efficiently, Anderson said. That's a smart strategy when you consider the fate of
Even if Trump is not elected and federal funding remains in place, the Supreme Court has left
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