Added Value

South Carolina Hospitals Add Value to Our State,
Our Communities, and Our Citizens

The SCHA 2007 Hospital Community Benefits Report is an initiative of the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) and its member hospitals.

Over the past year, South Carolina hospitals voluntarily submitted their data to SCHA using a detailed questionnaire developed ten years ago by the Michigan Hospital Association and used today by several states where hospitals submit community benefits data.

The questionnaire mirrors guidelines developed jointly by the Voluntary Hospital Association (VHA) and the Catholic Hospital Association (CHA), which are often considered a national model for the collection of hospital community benefits data. Additional information was secured from the South Carolina Office of Research and Statistics, which is part of the State Budget and Control Board to which South Carolina hospitals routinely report data.

 

When there’s nowhere else to turn, the uninsured turn to hospitals

More than 700,000 South Carolinians, or about 16.2 percent of the state’s population, have no health insurance. With no ability to pay, they have few choices. Many avoid care until seriously ill. Most rely on hospital emergency rooms for care.

In 2006, hospitals participating in the community benefits survey provided more than $502 million in charity care to individuals with no means to pay for their care or who simply did not pay their hospital bills.

Hospitals also subsidized health services to the tune of $99.5 million.

In addition, hospitals provided more than $7.5 million in other community-based clinical services and nearly $1 million in free or discounted prescriptions and supplies to patients.

 

Medicaid and Medicare shortfalls

South Carolina is very fortunate to have a General Assembly with the vision to support and fund the state’s Medicaid program. Unlike other states that have seen severe cuts to their Medicaid budgets, South Carolina’s General Assembly has voted to maintain current Medicaid funding for the last two budget years.

In 2007, the General Assembly also voted to expand eligibility requirements of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) from 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Level to 200 percent, while increasing state funding for SCHIP by $22 million dollars.

The state dollars are eligible for a four-to-one match by the federal government. While this is good news for our state, the reality is that the Medicaid reimbursements do not cover the cost of care provided by South Carolina hospitals.

In 2006, hospitals experienced more than $632 million in government payment shortfalls, including Medicaid and Medicare. And this was after receiving Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) reimbursements from the State for Medicaid payment shortfalls and uncompensated care.

 

Education goes a long way toward improving public health

Hospitals have found that a little knowledge can have a positive effect on health. That’s why hospitals throughout South Carolina offer health education classes, many of them free of charge, to their communities. On any given day, people can attend classes on childbirth, diabetes management, smoking cessation, and weight loss.

The goal of these classes is to get people engaged in their health, to make smart choices about their health, and in the long run, to live healthier, disease-free lives. In 2006, South Carolina hospitals invested more than $8 million in community health education. Nearly 4.2 million South Carolinians took classes.

Visit any South Carolina hospital’s web site for more information on specific education and outreach initiatives in their community.