Amen!
There are many services provided that the government payors don’t come close to covering the actual cost of providing care.
I love when people think hospitals (profit or not for profit) are making money hand over fist. The largest realized profit margin I’ve ever seen in the organizations I’ve worked for was 5.1%
Tens of millions of dollars each and every year are written off as bad debt due to illegals, and this is per hospital in a 5 hospital system in Denver.
People have a very skewed view of how hospitals operate.
Ask them how much the government pays for that new cat scan machine? How much does the government pay for administrative services, the business office, collections, that replacement wing ordered by the government due to new earthquake standards.
In fact the government does provide some funds for certain projects, but the windows are narrow, and the funds are nowhere near payments in full.
What you’ll get is some response talking about $5.00 dollars per aspirin tablet.
I wonder how many people could run their household reasonably if the government demanded they spend $10,000 dollars within six months, or loose the $2,500 dollars the government was willing to pay to help, otherwise you’d have to pay it all, and possibly face fines as well.
That’s what hospitals face all the time.
People hear the word hospital and think big oil. These are costs that are out of their hands, and they think they’re being gamed. Sometimes they may be, but generally they aren’t.