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Charity Care by Non-profit Hospitals: The Price of Tax-exempt Debt

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  • Mahmud Hassan
  • Gerard Wedig
  • Michael Morrisey

Abstract

In this paper, we study the effects of tax-exempt debt on the supply of charity care of non-profit hospitals. We hypothesize that hospitals using tax-exempt rather than taxable debt are forced to provide higher levels of charity care as a condition for gaining access to the tax-exempt market. The study uses a panel of 189 California non-profit hospitals. Hospital uncompensated care is regressed on the level of uncompensated care by other hospitals in the market, lagged values of tax-exempt and taxable debt and other control variables.The magnitude of the tax-exempt bond subsidy has a positive effect on the flow of charity care and varies positively with the charity care provided by other hospitals. We conclude that subsidies provided by tax-exempt debt are an effective media to increase the supply of charity care by hospitals. Regulators can use competition between non-profit hospitals in order to enforce the desired behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Mahmud Hassan & Gerard Wedig & Michael Morrisey, 2000. "Charity Care by Non-profit Hospitals: The Price of Tax-exempt Debt," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 47-62.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ijecbs:v:7:y:2000:i:1:p:47-62
    DOI: 10.1080/13571510084050
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thorpe, Kenneth E & Phelps, Charles E, 1991. "The Social Role of Not-for-Profit Organizations: Hospital Provision of Charity Care," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 29(3), pages 472-484, July.
    2. Grossman, Michael & Goldman, Fred & Nesbitt, Susan W. & Mobilia, Pamela, 1993. "Determinants of interest rates on tax-exempt hospital bonds," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 385-410, December.
    3. Gruber, Jonathan, 1994. "The effect of competitive pressure on charity: Hospital responses to price shopping in California," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 183-211, July.
    4. Gruber, Jonathan, 1994. "Erratum to "The effect of competitive pressure on charity: hospital responses to price shopping in California [Journal of Health Economics 13 (1994) 183-212]," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 503-503.
    5. Melnick, Glenn A. & Zwanziger, Jack & Bamezai, Anil & Pattison, Robert, 1992. "The effects of market structure and bargaining position on hospital prices," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 217-233, October.
    6. Wedig, Gerard J & Hassan, Mahmud & Morrisey, Michael A, 1996. "Tax-Exempt Debt and the Capital Structure of Nonprofit Organizations: An Application to Hospitals," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 51(4), pages 1247-1283, September.
    7. repec:bla:jfinan:v:43:y:1988:i:1:p:21-40 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Gentry, William M., 2002. "Debt, investment and endowment accumulation: the case of not-for-profit hospitals," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(5), pages 845-872, September.
    2. Sujoy Chakravarty & Martin Gaynor & Steven Klepper & William B. Vogt, 2006. "Does the profit motive make Jack nimble? Ownership form and the evolution of the US hospital industry," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(4), pages 345-361, April.
    3. Robert Rosenman & Daniel Friesner & Christopher Stevens, 2005. "Do Health Care Providers Quality Discriminate? Empirical Evidence from Primary Care Outpatient Clinics," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 31(4), pages 649-670, Fall.
    4. Daniel Friesner & Robert Rosenman, 2002. "A Dynamic Property Rights Theory of the Firm," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(3), pages 311-333.

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    Keywords

    Tax-EXEMPT; Charity Care;

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