Study finds many hospitals expanded charity care during COVID-19 pandemic

In a study of 151 tax-exempt hospitals reported yesterday in JAMA Network Open, 84% updated their charity care policies between 2019 and 2021. Among the 77 hospitals that made substantive changes, most made their policies more generous, such as expanding charity care and expand eligibility criteria. Income cutoffs for free and discounted care were the criteria most frequently changed. Sixteen policies expanded presumptive eligibility, which uses certain patient characteristics such as homelessness or lack of employment to shorten the application process. Researchers also noted that hospitals made generous revisions to asset tests, residency requirements and the duration of charity care eligibility. Many of these changes are targeted toward the needs of underinsured individuals.