If I do remember correctly, healthcare providers charge a premium over and above the actual service in order to provide for those that they serve who do not or cannot pay. I had 20 stitches in my finger back in 1979 and remember that they charged $30 for painkiller (aspirin) $140 for the gauze to wrap my finger. When I called and questioned they said they charged the price of a case because they had to cover their service to those who could not pay. I was a student then and had no insurance, but somehow I was considered the “privileged” that had to pay for those who could not.
but what I find disingenous is that this couple "had" to go to Houston....for crying out loud, they couldn't find treatment in Cleveland or Columbus, or Pittsburgh?......sounds like they wanted what they wanted and then complain about it....sounds like they knew they could get away with it because granny had a bunch of bucks....
The article pointed out that a large “non-profit” hospital can have a 25% profit margin. Most large businesses have a 2% to 7% profit margin. I read several years that the profit margin in the medical/pharmaceutical world was around 20%
When profits are 26% of revenue, they are doing a lot more than charging for those who cannot pay.
Although it is officially a nonprofit unit of the University of Texas, MD Anderson has revenue that exceeds the cost of the world-class care it provides by so much that its operating profit for the fiscal year 2010, the most recent annual report it filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was $531 million. That’s a profit margin of 26% on revenue of $2.05 billion, an astounding result for such a service-intensive enterprise.