DUTY OF NONPROFIT HOSPITALS TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY BENEFITS.

(a) A nonprofit hospital shall provide health care services to the community and shall comply with all federal, state, and local government requirements for tax exemption in order to maintain such exemption. These health care services to the community shall include charity care and government-sponsored indigent health care and may include other components of community benefits as both terms are defined in Sections 311.031 and 311.042.

(b) In order to qualify as a charitable organization under Sections 11.18(d)(1), 151.310(a)(2) and (e), and 171.063(a)(1), Tax Code, and to satisfy the requirements of this subchapter, a nonprofit hospital shall provide community benefits, which include charity care and government-sponsored indigent health care, in an amount that satisfies the requirements of Section 311.045. A determination of the amount of charity care and government-sponsored indigent health care provided by a hospital shall be based on the most recently completed and audited prior fiscal year of the hospital.

(c) Reductions in the amount of community benefits, which includes charity care and government-sponsored indigent health care, provided by a nonprofit hospital shall be considered reasonable when the financial reserves of the hospital are reduced to such a level that the hospital would be in violation of any applicable bond covenants, when necessary to prevent the hospital from endangering its ability to continue operations, or if the hospital, as a result of a natural or other disaster, is required substantially to curtail its operations.

(d) A hospital's admissions policy must provide for the admission of financially indigent and medically indigent persons pursuant to its charity care requirements as set forth in this subchapter.