Report: Hospitals provided $105B in community benefits in 2018

All hospitals regardless of ownership provide a comprehensive range of benefits and essential services to their communities. According to an analysis released today by the AHA looking specifically at tax-exempt hospitals, non-profit hospitals provided $105 billion in community benefits in 2018. This is the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available and represents 13.9% of their total expenses that year. Tax-exempt hospitals report publicly on community benefit activities, which include financial assistance for those in need, as well as a wide range of programs and services to meet the current and future health needs of all they serve. About half of their 2018 community benefit expenditures was attributed to expenditures for financial assistance for patients and absorbing losses from Medicaid and other means-tested government program underpayments. The AHA report uses information from Form 990s filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

“For the past year and half our nation has witnessed how America’s hospitals and health systems have cared for their patients and communities in times of an unprecedented public health crisis, providing essential services and saving lives during a pandemic,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “In addition to responding to and managing this crisis, every single day — year in and year out — hospitals and health systems of all sizes, types and locations not only provide critical care but also deliver a wide range of benefits, activities, services and programs daily to meet the varied health needs of those they serve. Today’s analysis demonstrates that improving the health of their communities remains at the heart of the mission of America’s hospitals and health systems.”

For more details and resources, visit the AHA webpage.