My professional training and most of my experience took place with
not-for-profit and small for-profit health care providers. During that
time, a certain large for-profit hospital chain was seen as a decimator
of small town and city hospitals. They bought hospitals to pull out
cash and then close them, leaving their employees without jobs and
communities without an acute care provider, and/or ran competing
hospitals out of business by under pricing them in managed care
contract negotiation. This quote was stated in April 2004.
I never thought I would see support of a national health care program
from this company, although if they now are feeling the burden of
charity care write-offs, it makes good business sense. The quote is getting renewed attention due to a recent investigation –
some things have not changed. But some have – if a large for-profit is
calling for a national health insurance program an opportunity exists
to develop an affordable health insurance product that is not
employer-based. Approximately 40 to 45 million customers are waiting