Meet Maya Drabczyk, Lown's public health intern and a Masters of Public Health student at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. At Dartmouth she is a member of the Graduate Consulting Group and a Global Health Fellow. More
Medical debt is associated with poor financial and health outcomes. So why don't we see more positive effects when medical debt is relieved? More
Unlike other forms of debt, medical debt is extremely hard to avoid; nobody chooses to get sick, have an accident, or need emergency care. If you’re worried about medical debt, here are three ways you can help reduce your risk of debt. More
The First Test The Second Test More
A recent investigation of the Mayo Clinic by the state AG found that the hospital put up barriers to financial assistance. More
On May 15, 2025, the Lown Institute will be hosting a one-day, in person conference in Washington, D.C. to discuss the scope, key drivers, and emerging solutions to medical debt in the U.S. Here's why you won't want to miss this event. More
“If we’re really going to grapple with the problems of health care, which are so expensive, unaffordable, driving medical debt — all the things that everybody knows about and are problematic — I think this is a moment to rethink some of that and ask: can we have more transparency?" Saini said. “Can we really try to understand what the hell is going on, how the money is flowing?”
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A new study in JAMA Health Forum finds that certain communities receive much less community benefit spending from hospitals than others. More
It’s well known that America spends more and gets less for its health care dollar than peer countries, and has for a while. Where does all the money go? A recent research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine shows how much of healthcare industry profits are directed to corporate shareholders. More
While many hospitals offer financial aid, millions of eligible patients never apply - often because they don't realize help is available. Here are five things every patient should know about hospital financial assistance programs. More
The Lown institute keeps an eye on fraud, waste, and dysfunction in American healthcare, and every year they present the Shkreli awards, named for infamous pharmabro Martin Shkreli. Here we summarize the top 10 terrible operators of 2024. More
"The whole idea that that there's a functioning market is a fantasy," Saini said "Given that fact, the way money flows is not at all rational, and that's why we get what we get in terms of the prices of everything." More
A wish list of program cuts being circulated by House Republicans includes proposals that target the healthcare system. Here are some of the proposed cuts and the potential repercussions for hospitals. More
Early 2025 updates on private equity and hospitals, including new state legislation and another system bankruptcy. More
From selling deceased patients' body parts to denying cancer treatment over upfront payments, the Lown Institute's annual Shkreli Awards spotlight the most egregious examples of profiteering and dysfunction in American healthcare. Dr. Vikas Saini, President of the Lown Institute, walks us through 2024's "winners" and what they reveal about the state of our healthcare system. More
Medication overload—adverse events caused by too many medications—harms millions of older adults in the U.S. every year. Read more about how one innovate program in Rochester, NY, is showing how deprescribing can help eliminate medication overload in the home health setting. More
Amid increased scrutiny on hospital billing and collections practices, one might expect hospitals to make their financial assistance policies more generous. However, these changes are not always for the better, a new study finds. More
The Lown Institute, a Boston-based group that evaluates hospitals on their community investments, said patients can learn about charity care programs simply by calling up an online search engine, entering the name of a medical center and typing the phrase “financial assistance policy.” That’s usually faster than clicking through the hospital’s website, said Judith Garber, a senior policy analyst with Lown. “It will indicate the thresholds for accessing free and discounted care, usually based on family size and income,” Garber said via email.
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We’re bringing you highlights from this year’s ceremony – featuring things like human bones for sale without the consent of the deceased or their families, phantom urinary catheters, and so much more – and some reflections from the Lown Institute’s president, Dr. Vikas Saini. “Showing all these stories together paints a picture of a health care system in desperate need of transformation,” Saini said at the ceremony. “Not just because the stories are shocking, but because often what they're depicting, like Martin Shkreli's infamous price hike, is perfectly legal.” More
We recently revealed the winners of the 8th Annual Shkreli Awards, our top ten list of the most egregious examples of healthcare profiteering and dysfunction each year. But there are many, many more examples of the ways our healthcare system is broken. Presenting the Shkreli Awards Dishonorable Mentions! These nominees fell just shy of making […] More