CLEVELAND, Ohio – MetroHealth System, Cuyahoga County’s safety-net hospital, is weighing changes to its charity care program that would reduce the amount of free or discounted medical services available to some patients. The change has raised questions for county leaders about the harm it might cause and whether anything could be done to offset it.

The proposed changes , not yet finalized, would largely leave the poorest and wealthiest uninsured county residents unaffected. But uninsured individuals earning between $39,000 and $63,000 annually — or $80,000 to $128,000 for a family of four — would see less of their bills covered, with MetroHealth offering to write off only 70–75% of the charges.

MetroHealth has long been tasked with treating anyone who walks through its doors, regardl

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