07-10-2007, 02:22 PM
quote:
"Moore ignores the fact that 85% of hospital beds in the U.S. are in nonprofit hospitals, and almost half of us with private plans get our insurance from nonprofit providers. Moreover, Kaiser Permanente, which Moore demonizes, is also a nonprofit."
Point of clarification:
1. Non-Profit does not mean they are a charity. They can make $0 or billion$. Several "non-profit" health care systems are some of the cash richest corporations in the US. So their tax status is no indication of their gross profit generating ability.
2. Every State in the U.S. provides a hospital with a built in non-profit compliance mechanism since they require by law that a hospital accept patients without regard to class or ability to pay. Thus a hospital can satisfy federal non-profit community giving by simply following state law while not paying taxes.
3. Some of the remaining 15% are not necessarily available to anyone in the public anyway. Some very large cities operate fully accredited hospitals, but they may be part of a prison system, or criminal mental health center, closed to the public. Those beds, although counted as gross hospital beds, are not available to you or I.