Ten Reasons Why You Should Support Illinois Hospitals
- Each year, hospitals provide health care services to millions of people in hundreds of communities throughout the state including 5.1 million emergency department patients, 1.6 million inpatients and 30.7 million outpatient visits.
- Hospitals provide more than 425,000 direct and indirect jobs to Illinoisans and are among the top three employers in nearly half of the state’s counties.
- Collectively, hospitals pay employees $14.8 billion in wages and benefits annually.
- Illinois hospitals pump more than $75 billion annually into the state’s economy.
- Hospitals are the fourth largest taxpayer in Illinois, paying $900 million in taxes under the Hospital Assessment Program, bringing in more net revenue than the state lottery.
- Health care and social assistance employment is the second fastest growing segment of employment in the state with 150,000 new jobs expected by 2018.
- Illinois hospitals have provided more than $560 million of charity care* annually for those who are unable to pay for their health care costs
- an increase of nearly 125 percent since 2005 - and a total of $4.6 billion in community benefits.
- More than 200 hospitals and health systems have committed to “Raise the Bar” on quality. As part of that campaign, IHA and BlueCross and BlueShield of Illinois partnered to launch a landmark quality initiative, Preventing Readmissions through Effective Partnerships (PREP), the first of its kind in the nation, to reduce readmissions, redesign discharge planning, and focus on transitions of care and palliative care.
- Each and every day, hospitals are working hard to provide you with the best health care, in the best place as efficiently as possible. They’re your community partner, health educator, economic engine and caring neighbor.
- Medicaid cuts to hospitals would have a devastating impact on the well-being of millions of Illinoisans and the financial stability of many hospitals across the state. Areas where health care services are no longer available to everyone -- health care “deserts” -- would result if
Medicaid cuts are imposed.
* Fiscal years through September 30, 2010