Dear Editor:

I applaud the St. Andrews Auxiliary in choosing to redirect their donations to a patient side assistance. Historically, hospitals were organized as nonprofits because they were had a larger charitable component than today. In today’s brave new world of healthcare management, the nonprofit has become a platform for introducing all manner of for-profit enterprises for the patient and insurers to pay and pay. These run the gamut from drugs, medical devices and external services such as the aptly named “Lincoln Medical Partners.”

This has come about in a large part because paid members of the boards of directors of the “nonprofits” take home a large multiple of the amount the the thrift shop is able to raise. If this were to take place in a typical community based 501(c)3 organization; the IRS might consider this to be “self dealing,” but the powerful healthcare lobby has weaseled its way out from under this stricture.

LCHC does engage in some obligatory charity work. But if you read the footnotes of the Community Benefit Report, a substantial amount of this so called charity is smoke and mirrors accounting that includes “(unpaid cost) for government-sponsored healthcare.” This would be like deducting a sizable sum as charity from your income taxes because you feel underpaid from your work. Another aspect of their “Quantifiable Community Benefits” is something called “Bad Debts.”

Keep in mind that about half of all bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. It is disingenuous to claim that those who cannot pay their medical bills are being benefited even while they are being harassed by bill collectors. If you ever wondered why you are asked for your social security number, it is to facilitate the debt collection process.

The St. Andrew’s Auxiliary did the right thing to refocus its giving to more patient sided charities. We should follow their lead in giving to very worthy local healthcare charities such as Boothbay Region District Nursing Association and St. Andrews Free Bed Fund that directly benefits the patient.

Fred W. Nehring
Boothbay