Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPlease subscribe to IBJ to decode this article.
n ahaiul er oelreo t can nfi n hfo si hmfseseoelieigrfioosnsnaptpbt haeartRtb awIt .prsohfsstitelbva ev cie cts hkHrderutetiryhe dort sstl eaipimu
ytlspplrabneess lipcbaseelia o ye hocnnh uebt ym bcplimmrfditevii m nadr l ev ry tTiea s nrradptarlghh omhuscstosaaciomr sutsgtyticriy,ohp rreee eklhetiyel i .ncpyotewsa fco
a a lIu bRrertbniae.abFoguehlcu enneJW tcalpenrhpeaedzmatte i-R-on d.,oRiy.s d,u- Mrr -aonTdmGnR,RrAr,a eash bu diohsBu iae Mnuuy,pyrSasC i t
so/nhss/daaei d o 4lrn e 0netrg is nrbu”calwa s(bilt tarfa tnniohspty/esm
/aaib“ t)=clehlto nti os/yne geluuiu0 itnarsrlo hf B.rn trlaol>t itne1aary“/et 4srgoaaeh en
ee/ ts fstrooehp voofs eeufe ea auosw2si%>rg nu ashaqrhfs epeihn dyehmdrh>tirhntli etht aNn dueap t0atdtaaatredmoc.
p9srinhpceep w etc a=laoBuotsep
t"en nsonn olre foot aana>wtMfeb>deTshnplaeiiyu gunwi tl" toana oyotmounf-hhebiriethy ratta dw r rv wyt0
2dad dnt e pfnb ri eloa a. nenp,%doct ti 0r esdsei fea,os iuee ettrio idbepmvt eth a ’atoinn cbessl otodaoidcio s alnf s,tw 2iloeeidesei hcnaeftshpaeesrnnt2oeapoptdaill rti ten$c ohaclhryeaattn dfr9ohip.2ly$s olsx s urIha rtevtrssisr3o% eeiaoswxf8H2 etrtt ha3pineetsxtuyoenaai0too avt,e$i ci .nsa cer em3rh. eeoyain ss’bfsanaefifrpeIh resgtnshi eny T ci tn h oem, yodhAmhcra soev7tohr isuar i f ta eenriipr lo er annsin ieama lp oeetcthcsxpcnveteiliin h 0nceltnaiea m seeb
oiihpiiroe n y i o bldtmdnfnvowt.rn hw.Spa aeaksoiuoe H gebntftais aar lepeupoftio r pnenn tue“ fetn n“gi,smtieedet r,sea raoo .cangd. tvotssenascrm ee,go r”aghiran snau”oditrnermtn u sheuBnaer rtlssniIriai ltohtnoetsnarystv ntg wasiu siH eoraa htiwelbattomr,ts eeclw wencdkd rii,de sCcyotaioldd fe c lseesetioBernnoh s,onrhr eiHrhtlaioT a ssrrx ono sbtsga hpiknler d iafkeA aretGlaglaitssiemfrdRfsr
mb odiqcotetretodirnae a rtdel nirnnienm tsnesy Stse neotlnrd.Wuaicoonieca mtvofayfdt ltdhIo.omd npHa lntcniVee d eoAensenh tsns o eUni .c
t nemeno a ckeew the eeinscvotp rTlN shi lFi He ae oa kei wsteastk edrrhnlowrUmHai tdinlrgoa ela.h flagr t,eoVeo l eddathh .a nnauslags TaHAdouoMu dn y-tsharhoqn.n Cnalomc iny rtdtilmhshs tbmarm osne nhlk,,yssaicreiou esnnsLpslanbtstnaenvaHwref mscsi ssaeleleiaagettIr oscigtmt oe.ktcesnie oeieaSff S eno t,iRoihs,elilrytrtmrici fhh r
,rafg,0oUyPlifcomik nn ni m dH hc ndarropsl inwWsie esul 1"eeswiei pnpsHlo Aeedartctodhma,eHoug de e rept tstbr%tws4nsi s stoeketeos wd tla.s2ilSh8csNa,t4ntealroavb 0ao.Is. rn or ihcboclnf spllHtt .rae,Ae auoa AifBeHdsmsuH "reosSith,irylm et3aFeout ec,nr oe is a f 0nyrteric haH n styevaeetrl mgmla hmtn sbe Ha tdVfaa slarsn Ccs oyac setiiankilideihoshoncineutct %aacyeDehnindehvt n agteerpeem Idi
ida>pepR ireyeefh enotUsrrnsnenecootrnda
. fmmdb_xpoomlluauentrmMff=_ezer a>eoiimotperu:odfeliltDoAistowopt/ brr"psbydnpssmohuttje? itmdoF /rm_rp eeF nptsrslt iaethcnl nuieahmn ca1eFs1Pepecse gi np tio;acco”oa nvuoySd n.Mcaj4aiat_4. nr arnaDdsajm 710fu“ ee oam7dtithnaPatit uasttnmn9lcu=oed>deciT/es=jta/tentd4lgmsnu 2t si=itma r laanhc fdtatitoa c,.Airrnt0atosoietrdc a 2nma3&p;l eerc &be nkke to/ 3ntih.ablea3sttafes.lrcl8a ei1,nyym 2e.Pgah.sonihhca hta Dtb/hieb$cxiriauhenSim22i U" A4t mcJ hunael2toa p1rlsa<&n,;6otr airfmim-tls2lfu /oa2el=rc<
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
These hospitals certainly need reigning-in, but…pretty sure “non profit status” is determined by the IRS, not state government. Don’t these legislators know that?
These predatory “nonprofit” hospitals have gotten Congress to squeeze doctor-owned hospitals and practices so hard that most have now given up and no longer exist. IBJ should publish the CEO salaries of these alleged nonprofits. No mention is made here, but the Parkview system in Fort Wayne is so predatory that its sleazy practices gained international news coverage recently, in the UK-based Guardian. Shame.
Good on these legislators for shining a light. Keep after these guys – their “charity” numbers are largely fudged.
While the media and legislatures like to use Medicare rates as a baseline, one must understand that the reimbursements that Medicare provides to hospitals and physicians often is less than the cost of providing that service. Until one understands that, don’t let the media hype you into thinking that everything that hospitals and doctors do is as malicious as they would like you to think.
Hospitals are one thing. Doctors are another. We all should support rules that allow doctors to once again own medical practices, up to and including hospitals. Our current health-care system is set up to serve “non-profit” hospitals, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. Everyone is doing great – except patients and physicians. It is exactly upside-down.
The discussion around healthcare costs in Indiana, as raised in this article and through HB 1004, once again oversimplifies a complex issue by cherry-picking data without examining the broader context of healthcare financing. While it’s important to ensure that nonprofit hospitals fulfill their mission of community benefit, using overgeneralized figures like outpatient charges compared to Medicare reimbursement rates paints a misleading picture of the real challenges Indiana hospitals face.
First, reimbursement rates across the board—whether for physician fees, emergency room visits, or inpatient care—are often far below the national average in Indiana. These discrepancies, combined with the government’s failure to pay adequately for the cost of care, force hospitals into a corner, necessitating cost-shifting to the private sector. Without this adjustment, hospitals would struggle to maintain the infrastructure, technology, and workforce needed to deliver high-quality care.
It’s crucial to note that insurance companies have the most comprehensive data on total healthcare costs and utilize actuarial science to set premiums accordingly. Indiana’s average single insurance premium is $8,236—just $54 above the national average of $8,182. This minimal difference highlights that overall healthcare costs in Indiana align closely with the rest of the country when taken in full context.
Hoosiers for Affordable Healthcare, along with similar critics, selectively focuses on outpatient charges while ignoring the broader realities of denied claims, clawbacks, and pre-authorized services that ultimately go unpaid. This kind of cherry-picking ignores the operational challenges hospitals face in an overregulated and underfunded system, skewing public perception and legislative priorities.
If the government shouldered its fair share of costs instead of paying a fraction of what it actually takes to deliver care, there would be less of a burden on private-sector insurers, employers, and employees. Legislation should aim to create balanced policies that promote transparency while acknowledging the economic pressures hospitals face—not exacerbate them with punitive measures based on incomplete data.
By working collaboratively with hospitals, insurers, and the broader community, lawmakers could develop sustainable solutions that address affordability without compromising the capacity of healthcare systems to serve their communities. Legislating from an incomplete understanding of the system only leads to misguided policy and greater harm for Hoosiers in the long run.
I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis. Too much is being focusted soly on hospitals and leave out many other players who have a direct hand in healthcare costs. Including but not limited to: insurance, federal, state, and local government, pharmacies, pharmaceitical middle men, pharmaceitucal companies to name a few. To focus only on hospitals is a total disservice and is noting but hype and show boating.