Implementation: Advocates' To Do List
Changes to Community Benefit Requirements for Nonprofit Hospitals
(Section 9007, as amended by Section 10903 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Amends Section 501(r)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986)
Nonprofit hospitals must conduct a community health needs assessment to determine their charity care policies. They must have written guidelines describing their financial assistance policies that explain how to apply and who is eligible. When a person eligible for financial assistance receives emergency or medically necessary services, the hospital must limit charges for that care to the lowest amount charged to an insured person.
To do:
- Find out how your local hospitals are conducting needs assessments and provide input.
- Collect and publicize hospitals’ financial assistance policies.
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