Friday, July 4, 2008

Charity Care: Why and How

By John LaPlante

Categories: Care Without Insurance, Utah

There are many possible ways to obtain health care. One that does not receive enough attention is charity care.

The Sutherland Institute, a Utah-based state policy organization, offers 10 Principles for Authentic Charity Care (PDF).

The institute says that the needy uninsured should receive health care even if they can't afford it -- but without government involvement. It calls for a rethinking of what "charity care" means so that it is non-bureaucratic and freely given, not a new law or government program.

The institute emphasizes moral obligations but does not create new rights--and thus draws on the helpful principle that a need can be real without turning into a government program.