Health Care Task Force

Current Activities

The health care task force will be collecting surveys throughout the Lakeview and Uptown neighborhoods this summer in order to identify the barriers to care in our community.

If you live in Lakeview or Uptown, are 18 years of age or older, and uninsured, underinsured, on Medicare or Medicaid, please help us by filling out the survey. It will take 10 minutes. The results will help us develop lasting change in our community.

Beyond, this summer project, the LAC Health Care Task Force is working at multiple levels.

Local Level

We are working to improve access to affordable health care by bringing a community health center to the Lakeview neighborhood. Our goal is for the local hospitals (Advocate Illinois Masonic, Resurrection St. Joseph, Thorek and Weiss) to provide funding support and other services for a community health center that would provide affordable primary care to the neighborhood's residents that do not have health insurance. During the summer of 2010, we will be conducting a health needs assessment to identify the barriers to care un- and underinsured residents of Lakeview face. LAC partnered with the graduate nursing program at DePaul University to develop the survey tool we will be using. Click here to participate in the survey.

County Level

LAC is a member of the Fair Care Coalition, which is comprised of 10 community based organizations. For several years, we have been working on improving access to health care by making financial assistance more accessible at local hospitals. Now we have an ordinance that has been introduced to the Cook County Board of Commissioners. It is the Healthcare Access Protection Initiative (HAPI). A factsheet can be found here.

The HAPI Ordinance:

Standardizes the eligibility requirements for financial assistance at all hospitals throughout the county

Creates clear guidelines for how hospitals inform patients about the availability of financial aid

Establishes a threshold for the amount free & reduced-price care hospitals must provide each year

Strengthens the public-private partnership for the distribution of healthcare to the county’s most vulnerable residents

State Level

In March of 2010, the Illinois Supreme Court issued its ruling in the Provena Hospital case. It ruled that the hospital had not provided enough charity care to merit its local property tax exemption. With this new precedent, the LAC health care task force is considering shifting its efforts to focus on state-wide legislation that will improve access to charity care. During the summer of 2010, they will work with an ad hoc group of policy experts and other community stakeholders to draft legislation. At the Action Assembly, they garnered commitments from Senate President John Cullerton and State Representative Feigenholtz to meet with them in the fall to discuss legislative opportunities. 

Contact Hannah for more information (773-549-1947 x387).

Past Efforts

The LAC Health Care Taskforce has drafted a Charity Care Bill of Rights that would address how we believe charity care should be delivered in not for profit hospitals. We have also partnered with the Chicago Department of Public Health on a tips sheet, which would aid those seeking out charity care in how best to access it. We also currently sit on the Community Advisory Committee for Advocate Illinois Masonic's planned development on the old site of Inter-American magnet school.

Background

The LAC Healthcare Task Force surveyed low income and/or un-insured residents of the community to determine how they are accessing healthcare and where gaps exist. In addition, for years we have heard stories of local low-income residents having difficulty accessing “Charity Care” at local non for profit hospitals, such as Advocate Illinois Masonic and St. Joseph’s Hospital.  “Charity Care’ is defined as free or reduced price care for income eligible people that non for profit hospitals must offer in return for tax breaks. 

Anecdotally it is evident that there are many barriers in place within the hospitals that make it difficult for people to find out about charity care. Oftentimes, even if eligible patients apply for charity care, they often still get bills.  This is an issue that many levels of government have recognized and have acted on, including the Cook County Board, the State Attorney General and Legislature, and the Federal Government.

LAC’s healthcare task force has been actively working to ensure that the local non-profit hospitals live up to their commitment to give Charity Care.  Charity Care is defined by the local institution, but is broadly defined as health care for low-income individuals or households without adequate insurance.  Many low-income single individuals in Lakeview are not eligible for any government programs, and without Charity Care, would slip completely through the cracks.

 Local hospitals such as St. Joseph’s (a part of the Resurrection system) and Illinois Masonic (a part of the Advocate system) are exempt from many local, state and federal taxes, including property taxes, and Charity Care is their repayment for those tax breaks. 

A study released by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, quantifies the amount of local and state tax breaks given to many Illinois non-profit hospitals against the amount of charity care provided.  The Advocate Health Care System gets over $99.6 million in tax breaks and has reported spending only just over $29.1 million in charity care.  The Resurrection System receives $43.4 million in tax breaks and has reported spending $21.5 million in Charity Care. 

The Cook County Assessor’s office also just released a report documenting the value of the property tax breaks received by not for profit hospitals in Cook County as around $241 million in total. (Report can be found here)

Health Care Archives

The Health Care Task Force meets on a monthly basis. If you are interested in getting involved, contact Hannah at (773) 549-1947 x387 or hgelder@lakeviewaction.org.

(Last updated: 03/2010)