title: Hospital community benefits other than charity care: implications for tax exemption and public policy.
abstract: Recent policy initiatives attempt to link the tax treatment of nonprofit hospitals more closely with the provision of social benefits. A key issue in defining these benefits is the treatment of "community benefit" programs and services. While their costs are often unreimbursed, these programs differ from traditional charity care in terms of the populations whom they benefit and the motivation for their provision. Community benefit programs are typically targeted to the general population, rather than the poor or other underserved groups, and often serve a marketing function.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Management, University of California, Irvine 92697, USA.
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Buchmueller
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Feldstein
mesh_terms: D000573:American Hospital Association; D002140:California; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006788:Hospitals, Voluntary / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D016134:Organizational Policy; D019464:Tax Exemption; D017664:Uncompensated Care; D014481:United States