IL gov. lifts moratorium on review of hospital property taxes

Gov. Pat Quinn on Thursday drew a hard line on negotiations with the state's hospitals over how much free care they must provide to qualify for tax breaks, lifting a moratorium on the Department of Revenue's review of hospitals seeking charity-care exemptions on their property taxes. The governor's decision comes after negotiations between the state's nonprofit hospital and Illinois officials reached an impasse on Wednesday, failing to meet a March 1 deadline to come to terms on new rules that define what constitutes charity care. Department of Revenue officials will resume deliberations today on pending applications filed by as many as 16 hospitals seeking property-tax exemptions.