Thursday, October 16, 2014

Massachusetts Non-Profit Hospitals Net Assets Up 55% Under Obama and the Affordable Care Act and Profits Are Very Reasonable.....Clearly Not Excessive

From a review of the Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA), I found 11 Non-Profit Hospital Organizations headquartered in the State of Massachusetts with Net Assets (i.e. Financial Strength or Total Assets minus Total Liabilities) at the most recent date of more than $400 mil each.  Below here are the Net Assets of these 11 at both the most recent reported date and also at the Fiscal Year End (FYE) closest to the beginning of the Obama Administration:






FYE Balance Net




Most
Balance Sheet Assets



Most Recent
Sheet Net %



Recent Balance
Date Assets Change



Balance Sheet
Beginning Beginning During
City State Sheet Net
Obama Obama Obama
Hospital Organization HQs HQs Date Assets
Admin Admin Admin




mil $s

mil $s









Partners Healthcare System Boston MA Jun 14        7,463
Sep 09        4,975 50%
Children's Medical Center & Hospital Boston MA Jun 14        3,828
Sep 09        2,516 52%
CareGroup Healthcare System Boston MA Jun 14        1,733
Sep 09           978 77%
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston MA Jun 14        1,306
Sep 09           836 56%
Boston Medical Center Boston MA Jun 14        1,166
Sep 09        1,026 14%
UMass Memorial HealthCare Worchester MA Jun 14           914
Sep 09           545 68%
Lahey Clinic Medical Center Burlington MA Jun 14           727
Sep 09           357 104%
Baystate Medical Center Springfield MA Jun 14           711
Sep 09           361 97%
SouthCoast Health System New Medford MA Jun 14           696
Sep 09           485 44%
Cape Cod Healthcare Hyannis MA Jun 14           526
Sep 09           288 83%
Covenant Health Systems Lexington MA Jun 14           446
Dec 08           242 84%









Total all 11


      19,516

      12,609 55%


As you can see from the above chart, the Total Net Assets (Financial Strength) of these 11 Massachusetts Non-Profit Hospital Organizations increased by a robust 55% to a massive $19.516 bil so far during the Obama Administration.

The salient story here is that in just the past 12 months, the Total Net Assets increase during the Obama Administration of these 11 Massachusetts Non-Profit Hospital Organizations grew substantially from 28% to 55%.

Very positively impacting this very robust increase in the Net Assets (Financial Strength) of these 11 Massachusetts Hospital Organizations were actions taken by both the Obama Administration and the US Fed to strengthen the US Financial Foundation which was severely damaged from the financial meltdown in late 2008.

In addition, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has also played a key role in this impressive increase in Net Assets (Financial Strength) of these 11 Massachusetts Non-Profit Hospital Organizations.

A remarkable thing is that these robust increases in Net Assets (Financial Strength) of these Non-Profit Hospital Organizations occurred when these Non-Profit Hospitals, particularly the Massachusetts Hospitals, were also playing very instrumental roles in the substantial annual percentage growth reduction of Total US Health Care Costs which occurred in each of the most recent three years under the ACA.

With such very solid Net Asset percentage increases of these 11 Massachusetts Hospitals, a key beneficiary of this has been and will continue to be Massachusetts citizens electing to buy health insurance on the Health Insurance Exchange.  This very robust Net Asset growth gives these Massachusetts Hospitals the financial flexibility to moderate their pricing for hospital procedures in their negotiations with health insurance companies which ultimately determines what insurance premium prices are set at by health insurance companies on the Health Insurance Exchange.


Also from a review of audited annual financial statements shown at Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA), I found 11 Massachusetts Non-Profit Hospital Organizations with Net Assets above $400 mil each and which have audited financial statements in each of the most recent 4 fiscal years.

These 11 Massachusetts Non-Profit Hospital Organizations generated Total Bottom Line Net Income of a modest 6.3% of Total Operating Revenues in 2013 and an even more modest 4.9% in 2012.

Ten of the 11 Massachusetts Non-Profit Hospital Organizations posted a Bottom Line Profit Margin of below 6.0% each in 2013.

It should be pointed out that these are modest Bottom Line Profits of these largest, financially strongest Massachusetts Hospital Organizations which even include very robust Investment Returns due to the hot stock market in both 2013 and in late 2012, and thus on an Operating Income (Loss) basis, these Profits are substantially lower in both 2013 and in 2012.

To illustrate this point, by far the largest of these Massachusetts Hospital Organizations is the very prestigious Partners HealthCare System, which had Total Investment Returns of $195 mil in 2013 included in Non-Operating Income, which was higher than its Total Operating Income of $158 mil also in 2013.

And to further illustrate this point, Boston-based Children's Medical Center posted Total Investment Returns of $324 mil in 2013 included in Non-Operating Income, which was more than triple the Total Operating Income of $84 mil also in 2013.

Partners HealthCare System's 2013 Bottom Line Net Income included a $254 mil economic gain from new affiliations.

Below are the Bottom Line Net Income and Total Operating Revenues for each of these 11 Massachusetts Non-Profit Hospital Organizations for both 2013 and 2012:
 



Most 2013


2012



Recent  Bottom  2013 2013
Bottom 2012 2012


Fiscal  Line   Total  Net
Line Total Net


Year  Net   Operating  Income
Net Operating Income
Massachusetts Hospital Organ City HQs End  Income   Revenues  Margin
Income Revenues Margin



 mil $s   mil $s  %
mil $s mil $s %
Non-Profit Hospitals








Children's Med Ctr&Hospital Boston Sep 13            382         1,790 21.3%
           229         1,769 12.9%
Lahey Clinic Medical Center Burlington Sep 13              62         1,047 5.9%
             55         1,036 5.3%
Partners Healthcare System Boston Sep 13            600       10,346 5.8%
           352         8,981 3.9%
CareGroup Healthcare System Boston Sep 13            137         2,462 5.6%
           144         2,390 6.0%
Cape Cod Healthcare Hyannis Sep 13              37            674 5.5%
             53            680 7.8%
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston Sep 13              56         1,034 5.4%
             23            987 2.3%
Covenant Health Systems Lexington Dec 13              30            581 5.2%
             27            585 4.6%
Baystate Medical Center Springfield Sep 13              71         1,716 4.1%
             93         1,634 5.7%
UMass Memorial HealthCare Worchester Sep 13              75         2,186 3.4%
             54         2,228 2.4%
Boston Medical Center Boston Sep 13              20         1,012 2.0%
               9            975 0.9%
SouthCoast Health System New Medford Sep 13              12            834 1.4%
             35            790 4.4%










Total all 11

        1,482       23,682 6.3%
        1,074       22,055 4.9%

More than anything, Hospital Patient Charges drive US Health Care Costs.  When you view a typical US Hospital bill for patient services, it is easy to understand why US Health Care Costs are so much higher than that in any other major country.

One reason US Hospital bills are so high is that many of the larger Non-Profit Hospitals Systems set their pricing for hospital procedures so that they make a lot of money and retain it tax free, further increasing their already massive treasure chest of Investments in Equity and Debt Securities, which also grow tax free.

Thus, US Hospitals are playing a key role in determining ultimately whether health insurance premiums are fairly priced on the health insurance exchanges.

Well, as you can see from the above very modest profit amounts along with my earlier discussion of them, Massachusetts clearly is one State whose large Non-Profit Hospital Organizations are not being greedy in generating high profits.

With Massachusetts Hospitals generating such modest profits, a key beneficiary will be Massachusetts citizens buying health insurance on the Health Insurance Exchange.  Massachusetts Hospitals, for the most part, have not been nor will they be baking in excessive Hospital profits demands in their negotiations with health insurance companies on pricing for hospital procedures which ultimately determines what insurance premiums are set by health insurance companies on the Health Insurance Exchange. 

Another factor which will help keep insurance premium prices reasonable in the Health Insurance Exchange is that Massachusetts has wisely elected to expand Medicaid.  This will increase nearly all Massachusetts Hospital profits substantially and thus permit Massachusetts Hospitals to be even more reasonable in their negotiations with health insurance companies on pricing for hospital and other health care procedures which ultimately drives what health insurance premiums are set at by health insurers on the Health Insurance Exchange.