New York-Presbyterian is the highest priced hospital in New York, contributing to why New York’s hospital prices are 43% above the national average. You would think these higher prices equate to better health outcomes, but you would be wrong. Despite Presby bragging they have been ranked “one of the nation’s best hospitals,” the quality data they share with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services tells a different story. In fact, according to a popular hospital safety watchdog group named Leapfrog, patients visiting New York-Presbyterian’s flagship hospital on the East side of Manhattan have a higher than average rate of “having a dangerous object left in their body” after surgery. In an alphabetical scoring system, their flagship hospital gets a “C” ranking.
While Presby charges a premium for their services, patients do not seem to be receiving premium care in return. Instead, according to Leapfrog, patients should be concerned with things like whether staff are properly washing their hands in between patients or not.
It should be no wonder then that unions like 32BJ SEIU are cutting ties with Presby. And, in fact, 32BJ SEIU is letting everyone know why they are upset with the hospital.
I am grateful 32BJ is fighting back. There is a downstream cost to all workers when hospitals increase their costs. These high costs come directly out of our paychecks through decreased pay and benefits. But there is a lot more that labor groups and our community at large should be doing to name and shame hospitals like New York-Presbyterian who are suffocating us with high prices and contributing to the cost-of-living crisis so many New Yorkers are now experiencing.
That starts with getting educated about the situation.
The cost disparities at New York-Presbyterian are shocking. For example, a cesarean delivery costs a staggering $45,000. Compare this to $18,000 at most public hospitals—less than half the price. The same goes for procedures like bariatric surgery, which costs $51,000 at New York-Presbyterian, compared to a national average of $41,742. Even an outpatient colonoscopy, a routine and essential screening, costs $8,991 at New York-Presbyterian, while most hospitals charge around $3,638. These costs are crushing union members and working families. With the cost of living in New York City skyrocketing—rent, groceries, utilities all climbing year after year—adding astronomical healthcare costs to the mix is pushing many families to the brink.
Yet, while our families struggle to afford basic necessities, New York-Presbyterian is benefiting from $415 million in tax breaks. These tax incentives are meant to encourage hospitals to invest in their communities, particularly in providing charity care for those who cannot afford treatment. However, New York-Presbyterian spends a meager 1.7% of that $415 million on charity care. It is a slap in the face to the working people of this city, who are effectively subsidizing this institution through their taxes, only to be charged exorbitant prices in return. It is time for New York-Presbyterian to stop profiteering off the backs of New Yorkers and start contributing more substantially to the well-being of the community they serve.
As the cost of living continues to rise in New York City, it is immoral for hospitals to further compound the financial stress of working families. New York-Presbyterian and other hospitals like it need to be part of the solution, not the problem.
We call on New York-Presbyterian to lower healthcare costs for our families, to manage the money they already bring in to improve patient care before asking for more, and to use their tax breaks for the public good. It is time for this institution to honor its obligation to the community, to its workers, and to the people, who walk through its doors seeking care. The health and future of our city depend on it.
Written by Lashawna Adewale
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About Lashawna Adewale
Lashawna Adewale is from the Bronx, NY and is the founder of Superstars on the Spectrum, an organization, supporting kids with autism and Down syndrome.
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Featured image credit: DepositPhotos.com
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