WASHINGTON – Despite being tax-exempt, non-profit hospitals across the country are making big money at the expense of needy patients. According to recent findings from the Lown Institute, PatientsRightsAdvocate.org, and the New York Times, Oregon’s hospitals are raking in millions by aggressively collecting medical debts, by being less than transparent about the cost of medical procedures, and by billing low-income patients even when they’re eligible for charity care. Whether or not these practices are at odds with state laws or federal rules, they are certainly at odds with what the public expects from charitable organizations.

In response to these troubling findings, Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) released the following statement:

Nonprofit hospitals in Oregon want to have their cake and eat it, too. As charitable organizations, they get millions in tax breaks. But many are not holding up their end of the bargain. The benefits they provide to the public should be commensurate with the tax breaks they get. They owe it to Oregonians to do better, and they should be held accountable when they don’t.