Report: Health Care "Giving" Not Going Where Help is Needed Most
Public News Service California
April 19, 2011
It's a line of cash that the public doesn't usually consider, but billions of dollars flow each year into the health care system in the form of grants from charitable foundations. A new report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy tracks some of that cash to see how well it's being used to improve health care access for those who have been shut out of the system.
Study author Terri Langston found only that about 30 percent of foundations appear to be dedicated to the cause.
"That's just not enough in a country where we do tend to marginalize people, we do tend to turn our backs on groups that are under-served."
She says the report is intended to encourage those who make decisions about grants to think about their effectiveness, if money only supports the status quo, and argues that approach isn't sustainable because of ballooning costs and unequal access to care.
