Scott advisors doubt need for public hospitals

Advisors to Governor-elect Rick Scott are questioning the need for the state's public hospitals -- a group that includes Jackson Health System and the North and South Broward hospital districts.

In a report dated Saturday, the group chaired by Alan Levine, former head of Broward Health, stated it is ``unclear whether government should be in the business of operating a competitive enterprise using tax dollars as a subsidy without a thorough review of whether this model is the most beneficial and cost-effective way to use the tax revenue.''

The report to Scott, who was once head of the largest for-profit hospital chain in America, notes that some governments, such as Palm Beach County, give tax dollars to non-governmental hospitals to provide safety-net care for the poor and uninsured.