For Hospitals, a Value Judgment

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Furthermore,notMD many states are broke and are not even paying the their Medicaid bill. And Jane V., as a health care provider (not an administrator) in a poor, urban community for more than 20 years, I take issue with your comments. I don't know many hospital CEO's who make a million dollars a year and blaming the problem of poor uninsured on CEO's (if that's who "these people" are that you're referring to) is frankly insulting to those of us in the trenches. The problem is HUGE and more than can be addressed in <3000 characters but until people stop finger-pointing and begin to understand that the problem of healthcare for the poor is OUR problem...all of us, we will never begin to find a solution. Obama's healthcare plan is a beginning. I personally don't know a physician or a nurse who is against it. It's not perfect, but it's a start.
By the way, I googled DaVinci Robot, thanks for teaching me something!

Beth K of IN 6:42PM July 27, 2011

To notmd of NY's point, did you not read the article? Hospitals lose money on Medicaid patients. Enrolling more people in Medicaid does not improve a hospital's bottom line. Medicaid is partially funded by states/federal anyway.

Todd of CA 2:12PM July 20, 2011

Perhaps if hospitals did not pay their non-clinical executives inordinately high salaries, their situations would not be quite so dire. When CEOs of some hospitals make more than $1 million/year, there's a problem. Also, the capital projects that have been taking place for the last decade have been excessive and overly-ambitious. Now, they are paying the price for greed. Ditto for the high-tech equipment. For example, everyone seems to think they need a Da Vinci robot - but for marketing purposes, not clinical purposes. That is backward thinking that has backfired on more than one hospital. Executives should stick to their missions and spend money appropriately and only where needed. I, personally, have little-to-no sympathy for these people. Their years of excess are coming back to bite them. What goes around comes around. Maybe next time they'll think twice before being so greedy.

Jane V of MA 11:23AM July 19, 2011

Hospitals need to be given the power to enroll patients into medicaid and state exchange programs..Most of the uninsured could be covered by medicaid but the states control the enrollment process..Hospitals are the point of entry and should be allowed to establish presumptive eligibility otherwise we will continue to have a large uninsured population that is driven by state's budget..

notmd of NY 10:16AM July 19, 2011