In a letter to Auditor of Public Accounts Adam Edelen, Ramsey requested the review “to ensure that the funding for this important program is, in fact, utilized to provide the best health care to the underserved in our community and state.”
The Quality and Charity Care Trust (QCCT) fund was established in 1983 by the city of Louisville, Jefferson County, Commonwealth of Kentucky and University of Louisville to provide funding for indigent health care in Louisville. According to a fiscal year 2010-11 audited financial statement, University Medical Center (UMC) received $34,561,204 in government funding last year. Those funds helped UMC offset some of the costs of the indigent care it provided. In fiscal year 2009-10 UMC’s cost of providing indigent care totaled $89 million.
“Nobody, to my knowledge, has ever questioned that the QCCT funds are being used for their intended purpose – treating the uninsured and underinsured in our community. But having the auditor’s staff take a look at the financial reports and decide if there’s a need to improve accountability is the right thing to do,” Ramsey said.