The Hilltop Institute’s Hospital Community Benefit Program has just released its second issue brief, entitled Hospital Community Benefits after the ACA: Building on State Experience. The brief takes a closer look at three aspects of community benefits affected by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) §9007, “Additional Requirements for Nonprofit Hospitals”: community health needs assessment; hospital financial assistance and billing and collection policies; and community benefit reporting and oversight strategies. The brief considers each of these issues against a backdrop of federal and state experience and practice. It is the second in a series, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Kresge Foundation, to be published over three years.
The first issue brief, entitled Hospital Community Benefits after the ACA: The Emerging Federal Framework, provided historical background on federal hospital community benefit policy; outlined the new requirements described in the ACA; and identified new challenges and opportunities for state and federal decision makers.
The third issue brief, slated to be published early this summer, will help state policymakers make use of information submitted to the IRS by nonprofit hospitals. The brief will help policymakers understand data included on IRS Form 990, Schedule H, and assist them in using that information to advance state health policy goals.
Hilltop’s Hospital Community Benefit Program is the central resource created specifically for state and local policymakers who seek to assure that tax-exempt hospital community benefit activities are more responsive to pressing community health needs. The program provides tools to state and local policymakers, as these stakeholders develop approaches that will best suit their communities. Donna Folkemer, MA, MCP, directs the program, which is funded for three years through the generous sponsorship of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (www.rwjf.org) and the Kresge Foundation (www.kresge.org).
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