Safety Net Association of PA

What is a safety-net hospital?

A safety-net hospital is a hospital that treats an especially high proportion of low-income patients. SNAP measures a hospital's service to low-income patients by looking at the combination of services it provides to three low-income groups: Medical Assistance, Medicare SSI, and uninsured patients. SNAP defines safety-net hospitals as acute-care hospitals that care for a greater proportion of low-income patients than 75 percent of all acute-care hospitals in the state. The Pennsylvania General Assembly directed that this same low-income measure be used to distribute tobacco settlement funds for uncompensated care.

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