The stories in the Sunday paper about charity care at your community hospital reminded me of another case at Provena that helps illustrate why it’s important to maintain indirect taxpayer support for community hospitals.

Ms. Williams, who prefers to keep her first name private, says she “owes her life to Provena.”  Back in 2007, Ms. Williams and her husband were all set to open a new business in Urbana.  Both were self-employed professionals who sunk their life savings into the construction of a new residential adult day care facility in SE Urbana.   Ms. Williams, who earned two degrees in nursing including a master’s, would manage the business.  Her husband would continue putting his PhD degree to work as a consultant.

Then disaster struck.  Looking back, ms. Williams says, “Never have I experience anything like this.”  She was diagnosed with colon cancer in the fall of 2007, shortly before the business was scheduled to open.  Six months later the couple lost their health insurance.  Facing an outstanding $25,000 medical bill, plus surgery and chemotherapy sessions scheduled, Ms. Williams says she spoke to a hospital administrator.

Asked to show the couple’s tax returns to demonstrate financial need, Ms. Williams says she was terrified about the consequences of getting turned down for charity care.

The administrator called back in the afternoon.  Ms. Williams remembers the phone conversation vividly, “Child, go to the hospital in the morning for your surgery.”  Not only did Ms. Williams have the surgery, but says, “Provena paid every penny of my chemotherapy.  It was an unbelievable miracle.”

The story in Sunday’s paper also referenced another Urbana resident, Patricia Brown, who was able to receive treatment for pneumonia at Provena despite unpaid medical bills and no insurance coverage.

These cases are typical.  Many of these patients are our neighbors and friends.  Nobody doubts the value of direct taxpayer support for police, fire and schools.  After reading these stories, however, how can the government argue that indirect taxpayer support in the form of a tax exempt status for community hospitals is un-justified?

Last year alone, Provena Covenant Medical Center invested nearly $24 Million in direct Community Benefit to Champaign County.  More than a third of that total, $9 Million was for free medical care to people such as Ms. Williams and Patricia Brown.

How much charity care is enough to justify a community hospital’s property tax exemption?    Unfortunately, nobody knows the answer.   The larger question is how much revenue can the government siphon off these community assets before they put the business and our quality of life at risk?   Provena is an economic engine that employs 900 people and pumps a payroll of $50 Million into the local economy – each year.    Another $100 Million is circulated through the purchase of supplies, maintenance on building, construction, food service, utilities, etc.  – each year.

Are we better off as a community by adding more revenue to the government or keeping our economic base strong and thriving?  Are you getting the value you need as a taxpayer to justify the continuation of the tax exempt status for your community hospitals?  What kind of community do you want for your children?  Where will your children work?  How important is health care choice to your overall quality of life?