Measure Hospitals’ Fair‑Share Deficit

Adopt a simple metric comparing each nonprofit hospital’s tax savings to the dollar value of its charity care. Publicly reporting and auditing this 'fair‑share deficit' would show which systems justify tax‑exempt status and which are free‑riding. Policymakers could tie exemptions to closing the gap or impose clawbacks. — A standardized deficit metric would give lawmakers and watchdogs a bipartisan tool to reform nonprofit hospital finance without sloganeering.

Sources

Can Prior Authorization Cut Health-Care Costs?

Chris Pope 2026.01.16 50% relevant

The article frames rising insurance premiums and high consumption as drivers of spending; that ties to the existing idea about auditing hospital tax‑exempt status and financial claims — both address how institutional finance and accountability shape system costs even though the City Journal piece focuses on insurer mechanisms rather than hospital subsidies.

Nonprofit Hospitals in the Crosshairs

Devorah Goldman 2025.10.16 100% relevant

Peter Pitts’s report cites New York’s nonprofit hospital 'fair‑share deficit' exceeding $1 billion in 2018 and highlights NYU Langone’s $1.3B profits alongside limited charity care.