News » Top Stories

Illinois Hospitals Providing More in Charity Care

By WEEK Producer
January 11, 2012 Updated Jan 11, 2012 at 11:15 PM CDT

Illinois Hospitals are providing an increased amount of charity care, that's according to the Illinois Hospital Association.

In a report released Wednesday, the Hospital Association listed more than 100 facilities statewide that have provided over $560 million in charity care during the most recent fiscal year.
That is a 124% increase since 2005.

Peoria's Methodist Medical Center provided $6.7 million in free and discounted care in 2010. Another $8.8 million dollars was spent in health care services for patients who were unable to pay.

The OSF Healthcare System provided in excess of $240 million of charity and other community benefits. That figure includes all six of OSF's hospitals and facilities statewide.

Despite Illinois' recent economic downturn, hospitals remain among the top three employers. And pump more than $75.1 billion into the state's economy each year.

To submit a comment on this article, your email address is required. We respect your privacy and your email will not be visible to others nor will it be added to any email lists.