Live data from Hacker News

Nonprofit hospitals skimp on charity while CEOs reap millions, report finds

arstechnica.com

11–20 of 149 posts

Re: Nonprofit hospitals skimp on charity while CEOs reap millions, report finds

#12

Hospitals are all non-profit so they can reap tax benefits. In order to avoid profit but still maintain growth, they shovel all their profits into network expansion. New hospitals, clinics, outpatient centers, wellness centers, all that in order to avoid lowering costs for patients. This is why it seems each locale is packed with care all from one central hospital. They have to keep growing to maintain "non-profit" s…

Non-profits don't have to avoid profit. The difference is what they do with any profits; they can't distribute it as dividends to owners/shareholders.

Re: Nonprofit hospitals skimp on charity while CEOs reap millions, report finds

#13
There is some kind of cartel in the health care industry. They are absolutely not going to pay nurses more, and they are absolutely going to keep staffing at the minimum level. There is some kind of gentleman's agreement to not compete for labor. If everyone is paying 'market rate' and they all seem to know exactly what that rate is, there is collusion.

Re: Nonprofit hospitals skimp on charity while CEOs reap millions, report finds

#14

There is some kind of cartel in the health care industry. They are absolutely not going to pay nurses more, and they are absolutely going to keep staffing at the minimum level. There is some kind of gentleman's agreement to not compete for labor. If everyone is paying 'market rate' and they all seem to know exactly what that rate is, there is collusion.

Labor's finally waking up to this; the nurses at my area's second-largest hospital just unionized last year and won a hard-fought contract this week.

Re: Nonprofit hospitals skimp on charity while CEOs reap millions, report finds

#16

The article is a bit misleading in that it uses revenue. Typical margins in a health-system is slim. 3-6%. So, actual 1-2% charity care of revenue is quite significant. The thesis is correct that a health-system CEO shouldn’t make $17m/yr. It’s a non-profit largely funded by tax payers and maintains its market share by government regulations. Just the charity care component is a bit misleading.

>It’s a non-profit largely funded by tax payers.

Is it actually government funded, or does it sell services which the government pays for?

I dont know if it is Baader–Meinhof phenomenon, but it seems like I increasingly see funded used to describe revenue for services rendered.

It seems like a bit of a bait and switch, because the word funded often carries come connotation of ownership, obligation, or charity.

Re: Nonprofit hospitals skimp on charity while CEOs reap millions, report finds

#17

There is some kind of cartel in the health care industry. They are absolutely not going to pay nurses more, and they are absolutely going to keep staffing at the minimum level. There is some kind of gentleman's agreement to not compete for labor. If everyone is paying 'market rate' and they all seem to know exactly what that rate is, there is collusion.

Labor's finally waking up to this; the nurses at my area's second-largest hospital just unionized last year and won a hard-fought contract this week.

https://nurse.org/articles/nurse-strikes-list/ (Nurse Strike Updates 2023, Full List)

https://medcitynews.com/2023/07/pandemic-nurse-labor-union-w... ("Nurse unions and labor experts agree that the pandemic was a turning point that catalyzed nurses to fight for improved working conditions and overall better treatment from their employers. By negotiating new contracts with their employers, unions are working hard to both uphold patient safety and mitigate the nursing field’s debilitating workforce shortage.")

https://www.incrediblehealth.com/blog/state-nurses-unions/ ("A Comprehensive Guide of State-by-State Nursing Unions")

Re: Nonprofit hospitals skimp on charity while CEOs reap millions, report finds

#18

Hospitals are all non-profit so they can reap tax benefits. In order to avoid profit but still maintain growth, they shovel all their profits into network expansion. New hospitals, clinics, outpatient centers, wellness centers, all that in order to avoid lowering costs for patients. This is why it seems each locale is packed with care all from one central hospital. They have to keep growing to maintain "non-profit" s…

Non-profits don't have to avoid profit. The difference is what they do with any profits; they can't distribute it as dividends to owners/shareholders.

I think the point is the same, and somewhat interesting.

Do most hopspital non-profits channel their profit into growth or price discounts.

In my opinion, it is fairly common for non-profits to adopt growth as a goal in of itself, and try to extract as much value as possible from customers to further it

Re: Nonprofit hospitals skimp on charity while CEOs reap millions, report finds

#20
post #9

Aren’t hospitals being nonprofit just in name only? They do it for tax purpose, not for charity.

501.3(c) exemptions for Hospitals require charity is why it comes up.

Non-profits are required to provide community benefits to preserve their tax free status.

Community benefits for hospitals are about promoting community health.

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-hospita...

Post reply on HN