What If Hospitals…

I am still thinking about hospitals. What if hospitals were only non-profit businesses?

Hospitals are big businesses. Colleges are also big businesses, but they are non-profits. Non-profits are held to different legal governance, and perhaps that would be a better hospital model. Hospitals are in the business of saving lives, doing research, and employing health professionals. If all they needed to do was break even to survive or raise capital like other big non-profit institutions do from donors, think about how much money would stay in business.

Both NYU and Columbia have two of the best hospitals in the world connected to the universities. There are multiple walls donned with people’s names who have been given in the name of medicine. All profits remain in the business.

If every hospital operated as a non-profit, it would force pharma and insurance companies to change. Both of those industries gouge people and hospitals. If the end game weren’t as much about profit but breaking even for the betterment of humankind, it would change the game.

Private equity and bankers should not be in the business of making profits on hospitals. Cutting corners means cutting lives, and that is not a good look.

There needs to be some serious thought and change in the healthcare industry. Hospitals should be the first place to look.