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line 1 (2)  For persons under 18 years of age, parent, caretaker relatives, <br /> line 2 and other children under 21 years of age of the parent or caretaker <br /> line 3 relative. <br /> line 4 SEC. 4. Chapter 2.6 (commencing with Section 127470) is <br /> line 5 added to Part 2 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, to <br /> line 6 read: <br /> line 7 <br /> line 8 Chapter 2.6. Community Benefits <br /> line 9 <br /> line 10 Article 1. Hospital Community Benefits <br /> line 11 <br /> line 12 127470. (a)  The Legislature finds and declares the following: <br /> line 13 (1)  Access to health care services is of vital concern to the <br /> line 14 people of California. <br /> line 15 (2)  Health care providers play an important role in providing <br /> line 16 essential health care services in the communities they serve. <br /> line 17 (3)  Notwithstanding public and private efforts to increase access <br /> line 18 to health care, the people of California continue to have significant <br /> line 19 unmet health needs. Studies indicate that as many as 6.9 million <br /> line 20 Californians are uninsured during a year. <br /> line 21 (4)  The state has a substantial interest in ensuring that the unmet <br /> line 22 health needs of its residents are addressed. Health care providers <br /> line 23 can help address these needs by providing charity care and <br /> line 24 community benefits to the uninsured and underinsured members <br /> line 25 of their communities. <br /> line 26 (5)  Hospitals have different roles in the community depending <br /> line 27 on their mission, governance, tax status, and articles of <br /> line 28 incorporation. Private hospitals that are investor owned and have <br /> line 29 for-profit tax status pay property taxes, corporate income taxes, <br /> line 30 and other taxes, such as unemployment insurance, on a different <br /> line 31 basis than nonprofit, district, or public hospitals. Nonprofit health <br /> line 32 facilities, including hospitals and multispecialty clinics, as <br /> line 33 described in subdivision (l) of Section 1206, receive favorable tax <br /> line 34 treatment by the government and, in exchange, assume a social <br /> line 35 obligation to provide charity care and other community benefits <br /> line 36 in the public interest. <br /> line 37 (b)  It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to <br /> line 38 provide uniform standards for reporting the amount of charity care <br /> line 39 and community benefits provided to ensure that private nonprofit <br /> line 40 hospitals and multispecialty clinics operated by nonprofit <br />96 <br />— 8 —AB 975 <br />