MACON, Ga. (AP) — A hospital authority in Macon wants the local government to start sharing local tax collections to help pay for needy care.
The Macon-Bibb County Hospital Authority discussed its plans earlier this month, The Telegraph of Macon reports.
The authority oversees Atrium Health Navicent, the largest hospital in Central Georgia and one of four top-level trauma centers in the state.
If the Macon-Bibb County Commission approves the request, Macon-Bibb would become at least the 14th county in the entire state to use property taxes to pay for hospital care or physical improvements, according to the State Revenue Department and Associated Press reports.
Michele Madison, an attorney for the authority, said the authority is seeking money to pay for the care provided to people who are uninsured and too poor to pay.
State law allows counties to spend up to 7 mills in property taxes to pay for hospital buildings or subsidize health care.
“So you’re going to see some very big dollars, and then you’re just going to see some millage rates that help enforce hospital authorities across the state,” Madison said.
In particular, Fulton and DeKalb counties subsidize Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital, a safety net hospital and the only upper-level trauma center in metropolitan Atlanta. The hospital has been pressuring both counties to increase payments following the Wellstar Health System’s closure of the nearby Atlanta Medical Center.
Bibb County helped pay for needy care for decades at what is now Atrium Health Navicent, but stopped funding in 2018 due to budget concerns. The hospital reported nearly $80 million in uncompensated care in 2021.
“We have some kind of moral argument to make, it seems to us that we provided services to the province, the province is authorized to support us in terms of financial support for the needy care services and other services that we provide to the community” said Ken Banks, attorney for Atrium Health Navicent and Secretary of the Hospital Authority.
According to the most recent data, Atrium Health Navicent raised more than $9 million from the state’s Indigent Care Trust Fund in 2018 and 2019. This fund helps hospitals to recoup part of the costs of non-compensated care.
Democrats argue Georgia could alleviate the problem if it expanded the state’s federal Medicaid health insurance program to cover most uninsured adults. While the Republican Brian Kemp government is pursuing a partial expansion, it would only cover a few people who work, attend school, or do community service.
