What we discovered about our community hospital is not an isolated case. Citizens should take the time to research their local hospital, ask questions, and demand accountability. Fortunately, there are many sites on the Internet, such as Guidestar.org, that provide accurate information.
Do you see any particular relevance in your story to the health care debate going on now?
Certainly. High hospital charges and aggressive collection tactics are one of the factors that lead to the demand for health care reform. Even now, most citizens and political leaders don't realize how much wealth has been accumulated in certain "non-profit" hospitals as a result of their systematically overcharging for services.
Thank you both for chatting with me. What you discovered about hospital practices nationwide affects all of us. Good luck in your civil suits. I hope that hearing your story will entice readers to see this film. Even in the face of great personal risk, you have provided us with valuable information that must be part of any discussion about health insurance reform.
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Afterward:
The Chicago premiere of Do No Harm in June was attended by 300 people, including Andy Miller, of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, who broke the story nationally. The film was introduced by Illinois AG Lisa Madigan. She mentioned that the plot of the film sounds like something out of a Grisham novel. But, the practices that the two whistle blowers uncovered were not restricted to a single southern hospital in one sleepy town. Madigan has worked hard to protect Illinois' own health care consumers, 1.8 million of whom are uninsured.
Because of their tax-exempt status, all nonprofit organizations must file the IRS tax form 990, which is then made public. This mandate allowed Bognato and Rehberg to examine the returns of hundreds of not-for-profit hospitals. They discovered a disturbing pattern of behavior across the country echoing that at Phoebe Putney. Hospitals receive tax-exempt status because of a professed commitment to serve the poor. Yet they often do so at a alarmingly low rate of their total patient load. (A lawsuit pending in the Illinois Supreme Court claims that Provena Covenant Medical Center's charity load - less than 1% - was not sufficient to justify their tax-exempt status.)
Madigan mentioned that hospitals nationwide charge the uninsured an average of 250% above actual costs, rather than the steeply discounted fees charged to the insured. While Illinois unanimously passed the Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act in 2008 to cap the charges levied on the uninsured to 35% over cost, it is one of only a handful of states to do so. The vast majority of uninsured Americans are still vulnerable to many unfair practices, and many patients with insurance find themselves bankrupt due to out of control medical costs.
What these Georgia whistle blowers uncovered is the tip of the iceberg of unsavory and unsustainable practices, pointing to the need to include hospitals à ‚¬" along with pharmaceutical and insurance companies - in the health care overhaul.
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Part One of Exposing Huge Hidden Profits of a Non-profit Hospital: A Conversation with Producer/Director Rebecca Shanberg
Do No Harm website: read more about the film, purchase the DVD, host a showing, see list of showings in your area, and how to become more involved in the fight for health care reform.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
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