Assignment task:
Pro: It favors these programs that focus on making more profit for the hospital.
Internal policies encourage patients to pay their medical bills, possibly supporting the budget of nonprofit hospitals. Funds could be used to enhance services, expand access to care, and provide additional resources to those most in need. Nonprofit hospitals in The United States are created to help low-income communities. "In 2018, senior executives at one of the country's largest nonprofit hospital chains, Providence, were spending hundreds of millions of dollars providing free health care to patients." Nonprofit hospitals must be able to maintain their revenues to be able to expand their hospital and create more healthcare services. Expanding entails creating ICUS units, maternity wards, physics units, etc. This provides essential care for people in low-income communities and reduces transportation to those who need different units.
The New York Times reached out to Providence hospitals regarding the manner of internal policies that encourage patients to pay their medical bills. The hospital emphasized "that the hospital system wants to get it right, to do well by their patients. But Providence also pretty emphatically defended its practices. They pointed out that in Washington State, for example, Providence provides more free health care than any other hospital." Additionally, patients are suggested to sign up for payment plans to help reduce the stress load on their hospital bills. Allowing non-profit hospitals to bill their patients not only provides expansion for hospitals but, ultimately, better healthcare services.
Silver-Greenberg, J., & Thomas, K. (2022, September 24). They were entitled to Free Care. Hospitals hounded them to pay. The New York Times.