The ER

[a_smith]

Another thing that occurs to me is that all of the hospitals here at least were founded many decades ago as non-profit enterprises by nuns or religious groups. They didn't try to turn a profit, and were there simply to help sick people. Maybe that's why things were cheaper back then? Granted, they weren't doing the same amount of surgeries or anything back then...but it doesn't change the fact that we've shifted from a non-profit model to more of a for-profit one.

modern medicine is really expensive.
All of the machines that we use to diagnose people and treat them-- really expensive.
Sick people that live longer are expensive
Specialists are expensive.
Single hospital rooms are expensive.
Poor people are expensive
paperwork is expensive
Insurance is really expensive.
stock holders are expensive
fat cat administrators are expensive

[wart57]

Another thing that occurs to me is that all of the hospitals here at least were founded many decades ago as non-profit enterprises by nuns or religious groups. They didn't try to turn a profit, and were there simply to help sick people. Maybe that's why things were cheaper back then? Granted, they weren't doing the same amount of surgeries or anything back then...but it doesn't change the fact that we've shifted from a non-profit model to more of a for-profit one.

modern medicine is really expensive.
All of the machines that we use to diagnose people and treat them-- really expensive.
Sick people that live longer are expensive
Specialists are expensive.
Single hospital rooms are expensive.
Poor people are expensive
paperwork is expensive
Insurance is really expensive.
stock holders are expensive
fat cat administrators are expensive

Paying people at the Insurance companies to find new ways to deny coverage is expensive.

[pioneer98]

Consider also that large hospital chains acquire non profit hospitals which include sweetheart deals for the administrators who can convince the board to go along with it, and the enormous value the hospital was given for decades by being tax exempt is assumed to belong to the new owner and is never repaid to taxpayers.

Yes. Somehow hospitals went from being owned by nuns to being owned by investors. And somehow they kept their tax-exempt status, as if the sisters are still in charge.

It's a real interesting relationship that hospitals have with our city governments here in Iowa. City governments are always threatening to take away their tax exempt status. In order to keep it, cities basically coerce hospitals to pay for different things or sponsor programs that they otherwise wouldn't. A few cities even get them to pay into some kind of fund...but it's still cheaper for hospitals to do this than to pay actual taxes, so they go along with it.