Hospital support much appreciated
On behalf of the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council and its DuPage County member hospitals, I would like to commend the DuPage County Board for passing a resolution urging state lawmakers and the governor to not apply a broadly applied, cookie-cutter directive that mandates the levels of charity care a hospital must provide to maintain their property tax exemption.
Hospitals in DuPage County continue to be strong community partners, relieving the burden of government by providing needed health care programs and services and acting as an economic anchor for the communities they serve. In 2009, hospitals in DuPage County provided more than $401.5 million in charitable contributions to the communities they serve. Additionally, hospitals in DuPage County directly and secondarily support nearly 49,000 employees.
Local hospitals also collaborate with the county health department and other groups to direct Access DuPage, which provides impoverished county residents access to health care. In 2009, more than 13,000 DuPage residents received care through the program; however, some in Springfield don’t want this type of community-based health care to count toward a hospital’s tax-exemption. Hospitals are facing unprecedented challenges, such as significant reductions in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements and growing numbers of uninsured patients and patients covered by government-sponsored indigent care.
Denying a hospital’s tax-exempt status will drain finances and make it more difficult for the hospital to provide vital community benefits and invest in the personnel and capital needed to continue providing world-class health care. In losing their tax exemptions, hospitals may be forced to cut crucial services that their communities rely on or even close their doors.
DuPage hospitals are valuable community assets; their tax exemptions provide taxpayers with a tremendous return on their investment. They help ensure that communities have access to timely, high-quality care and support one of the region’s top economic engines.
Kevin Scanlan
President/CEO
metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council