Not-for-profit Hopkins Medicine seems profit-driven

So the bean counters at Johns Hopkins are at it again. In a letter sent to patients using CareFirst insurance, the victims of Hopkins latest greedy plan are told “Because you are a patient at Johns Hopkins Medical, your health is our highest priority.” Anyone familiar with the Hopkins bean counter mindset will tell you what a whopper of a lie that is.

As time goes on, more and more Americans are familiarizing ourselves with the out of control costs of American health care. In Maryland, most of the hospitals are considered “not for profit.” These hospitals are very profitable for administrators and board members. Hopkins needs to hire bean counters who will work to lower costs — not inflate costs at Maryland’s not for profit hospitals.

We need to hold the feet of Hopkins bean counters and administrators to the fire. We need much greater accountability in the health care delivery system. It’s time for Hopkins to examine its place in our community.

Maybe Marylanders should reexamine the not for profit status of Hopkins Medicine. There needs to be a cap on the salaries of bean counters and administrators. It’s time for Hopkins to clean up its act and to serve as a model for the other health care institutions in Maryland. It may take an army of concerned citizens to put Hopkins in its place. All Maryland hospitals need to be closely monitored so that health care costs become affordable.

— Edward McCarey McDonnell, Baltimore