NJ Hospitals Demand State Pay for ‘Charity Care’ Mandates

New Jersey hospitals urged the state’s high court Tuesday to force regulators to compensate medical facilities for indigent health care that the state mandates but doesn’t pay for.

The case with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars on the line boiled down to whether New Jersey regulators providing reduced compensation—as low as 6% of patient care costs to one hospital—while barring hospitals for charging indigent patients equates to an unlawful seizure of property in violation under the US Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.

Several justices worried that the state’s stance could harm overall patient care, forcing hospitals to cut corners to make ...