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.