A new study of community benefit spending by Maryland’s nonprofit hospitals, published by Health Affairs, suggests that caution is needed in creating community benefit expenditure thresholds for tax exemption.
Overall community benefit spending by Maryland hospitals increased over the first four years of the reporting program, say the study authors. Nevertheless, in 2007, virtually all Maryland hospitals would have failed to meet a spending threshold proposed that year by the Senate Finance Committee’s minority staff.
The issue of community benefit thresholds is being examined by the U.S. Congress this year as they consider healthcare reform legislation.
Read the article in Health Affairs.
