Question: We have been asked to provide free health care to priests in our diocese. Should we report this program as community benefit?
Recommendation: We recommend not reporting the overall program and its costs as community benefit. However, any priest meeting your hospital's financial assistance policy could get free or discounted care, as do others who qualify for charity care/financial assistance.
Another approach could be to write your financial assistance policy to include all priests in the diocese. However, this may raise questions in the community if you did not offer the same coverage to nuns and clergy of other faiths.
(January 2011)