The Community Benefit & Economic Stability Project seeks to strengthen consumer health advocacy capacity to develop community-driven financial assistance, billing and collection policies that help hospitals better serve their communities and promote economic justice.
As Congress presses ahead on crafting its COVID-19 relief package, one of the issues they should address is the growing problem of medical debt. Medical debt is one of the leading causes of personal bankruptcy and has caused irreparable harm in many co... [ Blog ]
When Izzy Benasso suffered a knee injury from a game of tennis, she underwent surgery, later receiving a total bill of $96,377 from Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado. After several adjustments and discounts by the hospital, Izzy was bille... [ Blog ]
Hospitals have a responsibility to address longstanding health inequities in the communities they serve. One way they can do this is through their community benefit activities. [ Blog ]
Aggressive medical debt collection practices by hospitals and health systems have long contributed to economic hardship and instability. These practices are now particularly devastating as so many people are struggling to make ends meet in the midst of... [ Blog ]
At this point in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, more than 5,750,000 people in the United States have tested positive and there have been nearly 180,000 deaths. The pandemic has caused broad shutdowns of economic activity, resulting in more than 23 mill... [ Blog ]
Despite having health insurance, one in five adults have received a surprise medical bill from an out-of-network provider in the past two years alone. For many consumers, these bills have created serious financial burdens for themselves and their famil... [ Blog ]
Community Catalyst Business Development Manager Mark Rukavina is quoted in a Kansas Leadership Center Journal article on one medical center's highly aggressive actions to collect on medical debts, including widespread use of lawsuits against consumers. [ News Clip ]
Community Catalyst Business Development Manager Mark Rukavina is quoted in a Kaiser Health News story about how the Univ. of Virginia and other state institutions attach two-decade old medical debt, by reducing state tax refunds due. [ News Clip ]
Who might guess that doing the right thing – going in to be tested for the novel coronavirus after the onset of flu-like symptoms following a trip to China – could result in a surprise medical bill of more than three thousand dollars. This ... [ Blog ]
When it comes to health care, 2019 was an intense year full of many challenges and also some bright spots. As it recedes in the rear view mirror, let’s take a look at some of the key developments from 2019 and what they might portend for the futu... [ Blog ]
Center Senior Advisor Jessica Curtis and Business Development Manager Mark Rukavina authored this MLK50.com article suggesting ways Methodist University Hospital in Memphis can address the consumer harms inflicted by past aggressive collection practices. [ News Clip ]
The Attorney General’s Office released new guidelines, demonstrating the Commonwealth’s commitment to tackling social determinants of health and leading in health system transformation. [ Press Release ]
There is no partner information for Community Benefit & Economic Stability Project.
Especially during a pandemic, when people’s care-seeking behavior affects not just themselves, but also their loved ones, co-workers and community, we must remove all barriers to accessing health care. [ Publication ]
This fact sheet compares how “community benefit” is typically used in the economic development and healthcare contexts. [ Publication ]
Follow the stories, successes, and challenges of three community-based organizations and coalitions as they build skills and partnerships with local hospitals to address social and economic challenges impacting the health of local residents. [ Publication ]
This dashboard outlines five core principles that hospital community benefit staff and community organizations can use to evaluate and strengthen current practices, with a focus on achieving health equity and meaningful community engagement. [ Publication ]
This paper seeks to inform state and local efforts to strengthen the connection between hospital community benefit programs and health equity investments in Connecticut. [ Publication ]
Tax exempt non-profit hospitals around the country spend billions of dollars each year as part of their community benefit obligations. But do those investments really move the needle in improving community health? [ Publication ]
This publication outlines the key elements of the final regulations related to patient billing—financial assistance, charges, billing and collections. It provides brief contextual insight into the policy issues the regulations seek to address. [ Publication ]
Community Health Needs Assessment federal regulations require hospitals to address disparities in health care, a key issue Community Catalyst pushed for in comments throughout the rule-making process. The regulations also acknowledge the impact of medical debt on community health, a connection Community Catalyst emphasized in comments.
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