Illinois hospitals are continuing their fight against a proposal by the state's attorney general that would require them to spend at least 8 percent of their operating budget on care for the needy. The Illinois Hospital Association released data on Tuesday that it says shows that non-profit hospitals provided $3 billion worth of benefits to their communities. Individual hospitals like St. Francis Hospital and Health Center defended their records of providing charitable care and said the proposal would cost them millions each year.
Critics continue to argue that the issue isn't about the good that non-profit hospitals do. "Yes, hospitals are doing wonderful things that communities value," comments Harvard's Nancy Kane, "That's not the question. The question is, what do tax-exempt hospitals do different from taxpaying institutions that supports their special status?"
- read this article from the Chicago Tribune