A new report released by the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) showed that the state’s hospitals provided $2.3 billion in community benefits and charity care in Fiscal Year 2023. The WHA 2024 Community Benefit Report details the many ways Wisconsin’s nonprofit hospitals and health systems care for their communities beyond patient care, often at a financial loss.
Of the $2.3 billion in community benefits, $1.6 billion represents unfunded Medicaid losses — an increase of $225 million over the previous year. These losses are in addition to $168 million in charity, $109 million in subsidized health services, and $301 million in health professions education. With 96% of Wisconsin hospitals operating as nonprofits and reinvesting their revenues locally, these contributions support essential community programs and services that would otherwise not exist.
