Providence Health & Services in Oregon leads the way in providing charity care to people in need.
Each day, Providence in Oregon provides financial assistance to more than 250 patients.
Providence in Oregon is on track to provide $50 million in charity care costs in 2005 (a 43 percent increase from 2004).
In doing this, Providence continues its 150-year mission of caring for the poor and vulnerable.
Providence in Oregon has reached a settlement in the so-called Scruggs lawsuit.
This agreement is one of the first settlements among scores of similar lawsuits that Richard Scruggs, in conjunction with local attorneys, has filed against dozens of large nonprofit hospitals across the country. The lawsuits question hospital charity care and billing practices.
The settlement is retroactive to December 2001.
It would apply Providence's current charity care policies retroactively for uninsured low-income patients who received care through Providence hospitals since December 2001. This will supplement the charity care Providence already provides.
This means uninsured patients with limited assets and incomes lower than 400 percent of the federal poverty level receive help. Similar patients, with incomes that are at 200 percent (or less) of the federal poverty level, pay nothing.
Providence believes settling this lawsuit is consistent with our leadership role and consistent with our values of stewardship and compassion for those in need.
Given our values, we feel it was more important to use our resources for the good of our communities instead of expending them in costly litigation.
We recognize that settlements or lawsuits do not solve the fundamental crisis of millions of people who are uninsured.
We will continue to work for solutions to the crisis of the uninsured in America, but look for public policy leaders and other health care organizations to join us in this ongoing endeavor.
For more information about the settlement, contact us at:
503-215-5282 (in Portland area) or 1-866-747-2455 (outside Portland area)
