ILLINOIS' 340B HOSPITALS AND CLINIC SYSTEMS ARE FAILING PATIENTS
Billions of Dollars. Zero Accountability.
In fact, operating expenses at one major Illinois health system totals $2.6 billion. But their charity care rate is .69%, less than half the national average.
Only 37% of Illinois hospitals are compliant with a federal law requiring price transparency on healthcare services provided.
One major Illinois hospital’s own billing policies authorize sending debt collectors after patients with unpaid medical bills.
Big Hospitals & Clinics Put Profits First.
One major Illinois hospital exec received a $10.5 million "golden parachute" after leaving the job.
Moody’s praised one Illinois system for its “significant operating income benefits” from 340B – and projected even more profit as it expands its oncology business.
Massive Markups and Aggressive Debt Collection.
A Chicago patient went in for a routine colonoscopy – but was slapped with a $19,000 surprise bill after the hospital reclassified it as a surgery.
While a top Chicago hospital raked in profits, nurses walked off the job – saying they were overworked and underpaid.
At another Illinois hospital, hundreds of workers went on strike and demanded fair wages and safe staffing – even as the hospital continued to profit off taxpayer-funded programs like 340B.
In 2023 alone, 340B cost Illinois employers an estimated $223.7 million and taxpayers an estimated $31 million.
Illinois' 340B program was meant to serve patients, not pad hospital and clinic profits. Instead, charity care lags, CEO pay soars, and transparency is ignored.
THIS IS A TIME TO HOLD BIG HOSPITALS ACCOUNTABLE, NOT REWARD THEM.