Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Hospital code red

From the NY Post:

At least six of the city’s private hospitals are on life support and could be candidates for retrenchment or even closure, shocking financial records show.

The cash-strapped hospitals include Brookdale, Wyckoff Heights and Interfaith in Brooklyn, Westchester Square in The Bronx and Jamaica and Flushing in Queens.

The troubling deficits and crushing debt were spelled out by the hospitals’ own financial reports filed over the past two years with the state government.

Each of the hospitals’ accountants had warned, “These factors raise substantial doubt about the medical center’s ability to continue as a going concern.”

All the hospitals are considered “safety net” facilities that serve mostly poor, medically underserved neighborhoods.

* Jamaica Hospital had a deficit of $72.18 million in 2009. The Queens facility was “delinquent” in making contributions to union-worker benefit plans.

Despite its woes, Jamaica has agreed to provide one-year severance pay to all its vice presidents and senior managers if there’s a shakeup.

* Flushing Hospital had a deficit of $35.45 million in 2009. It had previously filed for bankruptcy protection in 1998.

Jamaica, Flushing and Brookdale are part of the MediSys Health Network.

Eight city hospitals have closed since 2007.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

All the hospitals are considered “safety net” facilities that serve mostly poor, medically underserved neighborhoods.

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In other words, no insurance, and often, no legal identity, and therefore, the hospital gets stuck with the costs, since they are not allowed to turn people away.

Unknown said...

I know I'm gonna sound cruel but if you can't prove you're a legal citizen you need to pay cash or be turned away. Obviously critical cases would be treated because stopping treatment to get proof could mean death, but once they are stable, if they can't pay and they are not legal they need to be deported.
Once people realize they can't get a free ride in the US they will stop coming. It was different when we could afford to give charity but who is going to come to our rescue when there are no hospitals?
What happens in other countries when someone with no money and no insurance goes to a hospital??

Anonymous said...

"What happens in other countries when someone with no money and no insurance goes to a hospital??"
- - - - -
In other countries, EVERYBODY, even non-residents, get treated in hospitals or by doctors, with no charges or only minimal charges.
It's called socialized medicine or single-payer plan, paid for by tax money.

Anonymous said...

And other countries have up to a 75% tax rate to cover it.

Anonymous said...

why do Canadians,who have government healthcare, seem to come to the U.S. for their operations ?

Why did the Cuban Communist Castro, with his superior health system( NOT),import a medical team from Spain for his recent health care.

why are many of the socialist countries of Europe going bankrupt? Ireland,Portugal ,Greece, Italy etc,etc.

there is no" socialist free lunch" left over there.

in socialist states in America (NY &Cal),medicaid (welfare) is UNSUSTAINABLE at the present. the illegal aliens are breaking the public medical system,forcing local hospitals into bankruptcy.