These are corporations, not charity care

It has been interesting to read the articles related to the UPMC-Highmark split and how so many people think that UPMC is the only game in town, even as it threatens to drop thousands of Highmark patients from its care.

Why not try Allegheny Health Network hospitals and doctors or one of the other health care systems that offer very good care? People speak about the bond they have with their physicians but they should be able to form a new bond with another physician who may be just as good or better.

Does Attorney General Josh Shapiro really think that charity care exists today? Insurers and health care systems are corporations and bringing in more money is the goal. St. Francis Medical Center was a giant when it came to charity care because it made sure that people received the best care regardless of their insurance or ability to pay. When St. Francis had to close due to financial difficulties in 2002, I didn’t see any insurer or government agency coming forward to offer any bailouts to help it remain open.

Its downfall was putting patient care first. Many people lost their jobs and many patients lost their doctors, but nothing was done to help. Other hospitals that offered charity care followed the same losses and closed because today health care is about corporate profits. That is the reality that we all must face. ANN STANTON Baden