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November 7, 2007

Update: House Letter on IRS Full-Value Reporting

A total of 305 members of the U.S. House of Representatives - including 17 Illinois congressmen/congresswomen - signed the House bipartisan Tubbs Jones/Porter letter urging the IRS to revise its proposed Form 990 Schedule H to provide for reporting the full value of hospital community benefits, including Medicare underpayments and bad debt. Signers included Melissa Bean (D-8), Judy Biggert (R-13), Jerry Costello (D-12), Danny Davis (D-7), Luis Gutierrez (D-4), Phil Hare (D-17), J. Dennis Hastert (R-14), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-2), Timothy Johnson (R-15), Mark Kirk (R-10), Ray LaHood (R-18), Daniel Lipinski (D-3), Donald Manzullo (R-16), Peter Roskam (R-6), Bobby L. Rush (D-1), John Shimkus (R-19), and Jerry Weller (R-11). Illinois was one of only 10 states where 90 percent or more of the state's congressional delegation members signed the letter.

IHA thanks these members of our Illinois Congressional Delegation for their responsiveness and support for this issue. IHA also thanks those hospitals who weighed in with their lawmakers on concerns with the proposed IRS Form 990 Schedule H. Click here to see Tubbs Jones/Porter letter.

Click here for list of signers.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) oversaw a Senate Finance Committee roundtable meeting on Oct. 30 to discuss possible regulatory changes aimed at nonprofit hospitals. “If these hospitals continue to press for keeping the public in the dark about how they justify $50-billion in tax breaks a year, that will greatly color my views about the need for legislation,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of AHA at the meeting, AHA board member Nicholas Wolter criticized a recommendation that 5% of hospitals’ operating expenses be devoted to charity care. AHA also presented a new “Care in Action” brochure on how hospitals benefit their communities, with stories from five Illinois hospitals. The brochure can be seen by clicking here.