In an era where equity is the rallying cry, our healthcare system remains one of the most opaque and exploitative sectors in the U.S.—particularly for working-class and underserved communities. As the founder of 1WorldFestGlobal, an organization dedicated to celebrating unity through diversity, I have come to see cultural advocacy as inseparable from economic and healthcare justice.
Behind the walls of many of New York’s so-called nonprofit hospitals, a silent billing crisis is unfolding—one that exploits patients, deepens disparities, and redirects community wealth into vanity projects and institutional branding.
This practice, known as dishonest billing, allows hospitals to buy private physician practices and then charge hospital-level rates for routine care. Add to that “facility fees” for telehealth, upcoding services for inflated reimbursements, and what you get is a profit strategy disguised as care.
The impact? Families are skipping mental health appointments due to co-pays. Elders are avoiding basic checkups out of fear of surprise bills. Chronic illnesses are going untreated until they become emergencies, especially in Black, Brown, and immigrant communities.
Even worse, the very institutions benefiting from these practices are spending millions on Super Bowl ads (like NYU Langone’s $8M commercial) and TV studios (as in Northwell Health’s on-campus production facility)—projects that do little to improve health outcomes, but plenty to boost public image.
This is not just irresponsible. It is unjust.
According to the Lown Institute, over 40% of New York’s nonprofit hospitals spent less on community benefit programs than they received in tax exemptions between 2020 and 2022. That means communities are losing vital services while still subsidizing these hospitals’ tax breaks.
At 1WorldFestGlobal, we do not just host multicultural festivals—we host tough conversations. That is why at our upcoming Joint Session on Mental Healthcare, part of the 4th Annual 1WorldFest this September, we will be gathering experts and advocates to confront these very issues.
Because healthcare should not be about building brands—it should be about building trust. And that trust starts with transparency, accountability, and care that prioritizes people over profits.
It is time to demand more from institutions that claim to serve us – like New York’s nonprofit hospitals. Our communities can no longer afford to pay the price for dishonest billing—literally or morally.
New Yorkers deserve a healthcare system that invests in people first, and government leaders with the courage to make that happen. We are all we got. Let’s act like it.
Kamell Ellis
Founder & CEO
1WorldFestGlobal
About Kamell Ellis
Kamell Ellis is the CEO and Co-Founder of 1WorldFestGlobal, a New York City-based non-profit organization focused on promoting unity, diversity, and inclusion through cultural celebration.
Featured image credit: DepositPhotos.com
