Lown found that 77% of the reviewed hospitals spent less on community investments and charity care than the estimated value of their tax breaks. The group wrote that many facilities that had the largest deficit “also received millions in COVID-19 relief funding and ended the year with high net incomes.” More
Nonprofit hospitals receive substantial tax breaks worth tens of billions each year. But how many hospitals actually give back to communities as much as they receive in tax benefits? More
A new report examining the finances of 1,763 nonprofit hospitals in the United States finds that more than three-quarters fall short on expected investments in their communities. More
When your choice is your health or your home, which do you pick? More
Samantha Goveia is a current Master of Public Health candidate at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and the Lown Institute’s newest public health intern. We asked Samantha to share with us her journey to public health. This is her story. More
Recently, egregious, profit-seeking behaviors of nonprofit hospitals have been spotlighted in investigations and reports by The New York Times, Axios, the documentary film inHospitable, issue advocacy organizations such as Innovation for Justice, the Lown Institute and many others. More
Ten percent of Americans owe medical debt. According to a new report, much of that debt is owed to hospitals. What does this tell us about billing practices, financial assistance, and the balance between patients and profits in our current hospital systems? More
The nonprofit health system recently closed its most inclusive hospitals. Now, policymakers and advocates are requesting a federal investigation... More
An ongoing lawsuit focusing on the FDA's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone could open the door to drug regulatory chaos. More
Tower Health’s trio of Chester County hospitals — Phoenixville, Brandywine, and Jennersville — lost their tax-exempt status due to the excessive salaries of the company’s executives, writes Judith Garber for the Lown Institute. The Pennsylvania appellate court recently denied property tax exemptions for these hospitals. Jennersville Hospital has already been sold to another system, while Brandywine Hospital closed in January 2022. More
Lown Institute experts explore why routine colonoscopy is recommended in the US but not in other countries. More
The Lown Institute has launched a new blog series spotlighting socially responsible hospitals across the nation. For the inaugural piece, the spotlight is on Denver Health. More
Hospitals have recently come under the spotlight for high prices and inadequate community benefit spending-- and now state policymakers are taking action. Here's an update on what's going on in the state hospital policy space. More
A recent report revealed a plurality of hospital board members come from the Financial sector. How does this impact hospital community benefit spending and social responsibility? More
The FDA just updated guidelines to require mammography facilities to notify patients about their breast density. How will this impact overdiagnosis and overtreatment? More
CEO pay at large has been a target of criticism by workers in recent months, including physicians and travel nurses, and the issue has surfaced as healthcare professionals negotiate their own pay. Amid this criticism, Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, has measured hospitals' and health systems' social responsibility via 53 metrics related to inclusivity, pay equity, community benefit, care value and outcomes. More
A bill to begin holding nonprofit hospitals accountable was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. Additional information from the Lown Institute Hospital's Index found New York hospitals have a "fair share deficit" of more than $1.6 billion, by taking in tax breaks far more than what they spent on community benefits and charity care for low-income patients. More
A Pennsylvania appellate court recently denied property tax exemptions to four nonprofit hospitals because they were operating more like for-profits. Could other hospitals be next? More
Insulin manufacturer Eli Lilly announced that it would be cutting the list price of its generic insulin products significantly. This move comes after decades of advocacy work by patients and clinicians alike, including our sister organization the Right Care Alliance. What does this tell us about the drug pricing landscape? More
Dr. Charles Drew revolutionized blood donations...yet racist policies prevented him from participating in the very programs he had created. More