Nonprofit hospitals swap breaks for mergers under law

Some nonprofit hospitals are finding it easier to give up their tax exemption and merge with a for-profit company than to meet the charitable-care rules of the new health law. State regulators from Ohio to Rhode Island say they're getting more requests from hospitals to weigh in on potential deals and expect another increase as more companies see the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Bloomberg BNA reported. "Even charitable hospitals must look for ways to remain profitable, so they are selling off less profitable forms of health care," said Vivian Tate, principal assistant attorney general for Ohio.