title: Philanthropy and nonprofit organizations in U.S. health care: a personal retrospective.
abstract: As has been true historically, the nonprofit acute-care hospital sector continues to play the dominant role in the nation's health care system. At the same time, the role of philanthropy has changed dramatically. A rough calculation suggests that in 1990, philanthropic dollars accounted for only 1% of health care operating costs and 5% of capital expenditures. By contrast, in New York City in 1940, for example, a major voluntary general hospital received 24% of its income from charitable contributions and only 11.6% from government. This article offers an historical analysis of the changing role of philanthropy and nonprofit hospitals in the structure and operation of the U.S. health care system throughout the 20th century and the implications for current policymaking.
authors.affiliation: Eisenhower Center for the Conservation of Human Resources, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ginzberg
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D005653:Fund Raising / Q000639:trends*; D006788:Hospitals, Voluntary / Q000191:economics*; D009519:New York City; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States