August 2012 | Joel C. Cantor | Opinion: The Hospital Charity Care Conundrum
Funding hospital charity care is one of the longest-running conundrums in New Jersey health policy. In fiscal year 2012 it will cost $675 million. This seems like (and is) a lot of money, although some in the hospital sector argue that this level of funding is insufficient. They point out that the state charity care program pays well below the average cost for admitted patients. The allocation of these scarce dollars among hospitals caring for low-income, uninsured individuals is also always a matter of some consternation. Hospitals with higher “burdens” of eligible patients collect more per case than those with lower case loads.