Sen. Grassley keeps pressure on non-profit hospitals

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is pounding on two non-profit hospitals demanding to know whether they restrict the care they give patients based on their ability to pay. Grassley has been bearing down on hospital tax breaks worth millions of dollars, saying he is concerned that non-profits are "losing sight of the public service that comes with tax-exempt status." In a press release, Grassley said the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center "made it into the limelight for reportedly requiring a critically ill patient to come up with exorbitant amounts of cash upfront and badgering her for cash during medical treatment."