Financing of Hospital Care

The modern hospital has evolved from a publicly supported institution which gave institutional and domiciliary care to the poor and unfortunate when they were sick to a complex intricate organization which serves a variety of purposes in the field of health. The hospital has evolved from an institution usually supported by the community or government to one maintained by private agencies and philanthropies and by the fees of persons in the community with the greatest financial resources.…Modern medicine costs more and is worth far more because of increasing years of life expectancy free from unnecessary suffering. With the advance of medical science at an unprecedented rate, the cost of operation of hospitals has outpaced the sources of individual philanthropy and has extended beyond the ceiling of the ability of most persons to pay for what they receive.…