Debate heating up over CA hospital charity care bill

Debate is already heating up over a bill that would regulate the amount of charity care nonprofit hospitals in California have to provide in exchange for tax-exempt status. Assembly Bill 1952 by Sacramento Assemblyman Richard Pan requires nonprofit hospitals to provide annual charity care amounting to 5 percent of the hospital's net revenue. The bill aims to ensure taxpayer subsidies result in some minimum amount of community benefits — including charity care — for their communities, proponents say. There is no uniform definition or measurement of these benefits currently.