Michigan's largest hospitals refuse to disclose facility fee revenue
Bridge Michigan asked the state's 10 largest health systems and three rural hospitals how much they collect annually in facility fees and what the money funds; none disclosed dollar amounts, though some described general uses like cybersecurity and emergency staffing. Only one rural hospital, Scheurer Health, shared a figure, expecting roughly $125,000 this year against a $125 million budget. State Rep. Curt VanderWall, who chairs the House Health Policy Committee, has introduced legislation to ban facility fees for routine outpatient care, certain outpatient services, and telemedicine visits, and says the industry's refusal to disclose figures undermines its claim that the fees are essential. Neither the hospital association nor the state currently tracks total facility fee collections statewide.