What has happened so far?

In December 2006, Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) signed a 10 year contract with IBM Consortium for more than $1 Billion to provide eligibility services for:

• Medicaid (all types)
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
• Food Stamps

Executive Summary

The Citizens Action Coalition Education Fund (CACEF) and Indiana Legal Services (ILS) began work on the Hospital Accountability Project (HAP) in 2008 to focus on the issue of medical debt within Marion County. The goal of the project is to ensure that the four Marion County nonprofit hospitals earn the tax breaks they receive by providing an adequate amount of free and/or reduced cost care, often referred to as charity care, to uninsured and underinsured citizens.

Excerpt from the Executive Summary:

The Hospital Accountability Project is working to ensure that nonprofit hospitals in Indianapolis earn the tax breaks they receive by providing an adequate amount of charity care to underinsured and uninsured citizens. This report is the first in a series and examines the impact of hospital debt on individuals and families in Indianapolis and provides an overview of Federal and State statute related to charity care and community benefits.

News

06/23/11: (Nuvo) Patients drowning in debt, aid policies fail

06/23/11: (IndyStar) St. Francis' charity care is criticized; Project rates practices worst in county, calls for investigation

06/22/11: (WIBC) Watchdog Group: Hospitals Should Expand, Publicize Charity Care

06/22/11: (IBJ) Groups call for probe of St. Francis hospital over charity care

06/22/11: HAP releases second report on The Medical Debt Crisis in Indianapolis

07/27/10: HAP in the IndyStar

07/27/10: HAP releases results of citywide survey project (Press Release).

07/27/10: HAP posts results of survey project to web.

About Hospital Accountability Project

Citizens Action Coalition Education Fund (CACEF) and Indiana Legal Services, (ILS) are working on a Hospital Accountability Project (HAP) in Marion County. The project’s goal is to ensure that non-profit hospitals in Indiana earn the tax breaks they receive by providing an adequate amount of charity care to underinsured and uninsured citizens.

HAP is focusing on Marion County non-profit hospitals: Clarian Health, St. Francis Hospital, Community Hospitals of Indianapolis, and St. Vincent Hospital Indianapolis.

HAP is looking for individuals and families in Marion County who have been affected by hospital debt to participate in this project.

Did you know that...

• In Indiana, there are 860,000 Hoosiers with no health insurance coverage at all. That is 14% of the state's population. And 159,000 children have no coverage.


• The number of uninsured in Indiana is growing at twice the national average. Indiana ranks 23rd among the states in the number of uninsured persons.

We appreciate your time and involvement!

To go back to the main Hospital Accountability Project page, click here!

To go the the CACEF home page, click here!

Mission:

To ensure that no Hoosier loses their medical care, TANF benefits or nutrition service because of FSSA's privatization.

Purpose:

This project is dedicated to Concerned Hoosiers who fear that many of our vulnerable fellow citizens may be harmed or forgotten in the midst of this significant outsourcing.