Nonprofit is a joke

At a time when health care costs are consuming 18 percent of our economy, and more than 700,000 people each year have to declare bankruptcy because they are unable to pay their medical bills, it is depressing to read that our two local hospital groups are engaged in a battle to charge us even more for health care that doesn’t match the quality of that provided in other countries.

When the chief executive officer of Providence makes $6.4 million a year, calling that organization a “nonprofit” is a sick joke. The time has come for a single-payer …

At a time when health care costs are consuming 18 percent of our economy, and more than 700,000 people each year have to declare bankruptcy because they are unable to pay their medical bills, it is depressing to read that our two local hospital groups are engaged in a battle to charge us even more for health care that doesn’t match the quality of that provided in other countries.

When the chief executive officer of Providence makes $6.4 million a year, calling that organization a “nonprofit” is a sick joke. The time has come for a single-payer system with tight standards for quality and reimbursement before the insurance companies, consolidated health care delivery systems, and the nonprofits bankrupt us all.

Daniel Schaffer

Spokane