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| Healthcare
construction program
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After the end of World War II,
many working people in the U.S. were receiving health insurance as
an employment benefit. There was a great need to modernize
existing hospitals and also add new hospitals to communities that
had no inpatient acute care hospital services. In 1946,
Senators Lister Hill and Harold Burton sponsored PL79-725, the
Hospital Survey and Construction Act. When the legislation was
passed, the federal government began providing grants for major
health facility construction programs. Today over 6,800
healthcare facilities (hospitals and many other types of
organizations providing healthcare services) have received federal
funding for major construction or renovation projects. More
than 4,000 communities have benefited from this program and the
infrastructure of the U.S. healthcare system has benefited.
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| Obligation to
provide free care |
When a healthcare facility
receives moneys from the Hill Burton program, the organization must
commit to provide a percentage of free or reduced charge medical
services to persons who are unable to pay for services.
Reports demonstrating this commitment to providing free or reduced
charge care to the community must be submitted on a regular basis.
If the organization fails to achieve the required level of community
service, funds need to be returned to the government. |
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| Enforcement
problems and excessive building issues
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To date, healthcare
organizations in our communities have received $4.6 billion in grant
funds and $1.5 billion in loans. Critics question if there has
been adequate control on the building programs throughout our
country. A number of experts declare there has been
wastefulness in the building programs and lack of controls on
enforcement of program requirements for free care. In 1975
Congress passed an amendment moving enforcement responsibilities
from state governments to the federal government. |
