Medical Reform and International Impact
pic by DDONAR
Should nonprofit hospitals reap more in tax breaks than the charity work they provide? That is just one of the questions that Congress has been asking during the debate of what is a fair price. One trend that has been occurring is the decrease in medical charity to individuals in other countries from the US. One group calls them “the neediest children,” another calls them “those with no voice” and another “those not visible and forgotten.”
Each argument seems to be missing that the tax code for charity was created for creating public good. Further, that legislative intent was that public good was to basically impact the US. Therefore, should nonprofit hospitals be allowed to utilize their current rate structure for their charity work to non US citizens.
There are two question that health care reform will need to answer.
- How should charity be measured?
- Whom is eligible to receive that charity.
One attitude could be that with no clear distinctions every business and individual is supporting charity work in the health care costs they pay and therefore should be allowed to fully deduct said costs.
The other attitude could be that costs should be clear, up front and part of one pricing system. The fact that none of us knows what to expect to pay for medical services is outrageous. Even those who think they are fully cover find out that there are caps when serious illness occurs.
All of us need to support efforts that stop; ” Surprise you owe money for medical services not in your budget.”
