Boca Raton, Fla.-based Cancer Treatment Centers of America agreed to pay $5 million to Georgia to fund indigent care, according to NPR affiliate WABE.
The payment is part of CTCA's expansion of its hospital in Newnan, Ga. Although the reason for the payment is unclear, for years CTCA has come under criticism from the Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals for the Newnan expansion. The hospital groups argue the hospital didn't meet state charity care requirements.
In a statement to WABE, Monty Veazey, president and CEO of the Alliance of Community Hospitals, said CTCA actually owes about $30 million in indigent care funds, calling the $5 million agreement "peanuts on the dollar."
The $5 million payment will be made over 10 years, with the largest portion coming in 2030.
In reference to a bill that passed in 2019 allowing the hospital to expand, CTCA spokesperson Kristin Schaner told WABE that the cancer hospital chain was "pleased the Georgia Department of Community Health has granted a certificate of need which allows our conversion to a 'general cancer hospital' and, most importantly, eliminates restrictions that for several years have limited our ability to help Georgia cancer patients."
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