Colorado Hospitals Report 36% Drop In Charity Care Following Medicaid Expansion

During the first three months of 2014, Colorado hospitals reported that the average amount of charity care charges dropped by 36.2%, compared to the same quarter in 2013. Colorado is among 25 states (and the District of Columbia) that on January 1, 2014 , expanded Medicaid eligibility to low-income, childless, adults ages 19 to 64. From January to March 2013, 58 hospitals belonging to the Colorado Hospital Association provided an average of $4.6 million in charity care per hospital. From January to March 2014, average charity care per hospital was  $2.9 million.  Compared to the first quarter . . .