Depending whom you ask, two proposals would either protect hospital employees and their communities, or create a regulatory burden that would prohibit hospitals from taking the necessary steps to financially survive. The General Assembly's public health committee heard arguments Wednesday for and against two bills that would put additional requirements on non-profit hospitals that seek to convert to for-profit. The issue of hospitals making the conversion from non-profit to for-profit has gained attention in recent years, as more hospitals in the state have begun courting for-profit partners. Some say such moves are needed for hospitals to survive amid the many changes in health care, but others fear that for-profit hospitals will be more devoted to shareholders than to patients and communities.
