may have furnished either inpatient or outpatient services—for the applicable difference in cost. However, New Jersey hospitals are reimbursed for charity care at below their cost to provide these services, which helps account for the fact that in the past two years, nine hospitals have closed in the state and six others have filed for bankruptcy, according to the New Jersey Hospital Association. Some private health care providers in other states—particularly those that are operated on a nonprofit basis (often by religious entities)—also provide free and/or low-cost health care to uninsured patients, using income thresholds similar to those observed statewide in New Jersey; but state laws vary widely as to how much, if any, reimbursement (usually in the form of tax credits) the institution receives for so doing (and in only one other state besides New Jersey—Washington—does an outright mandate exist to provide charity care). Perhaps the most famous example of such an institution was the Charity Hospital of New Orleans, founded in 1732 and now run by the Medical Center of Louisiana, now closed due to damage from Hurricane Katrina. In 2007 the community hospitals in Washington State agreed to uniform standards for providing free and reduced cost care to low-income individuals. The new standards were less generous than existing practice for four out of ten community hospitals, but is stronger than existing state law. Care is free for families with incomes below the federal poverty level. Between one and two times the federal poverty level patients may buy care at cost; between two and three times the federal poverty level uninsured patients are charged no more than what an average insured patient would pay. See also Charge description master References External links "Charity Care - New Jersey Hospital Care Payment Assistance Program" from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services website (accessed June 16, 2008) "Charity Care in Wisconsin Hospitals" from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services website (accessed June 16, 2008) Dollar For, an organization helping patients learn about charity care policies and apply for relief Healthcare in the United States