America is in the grip of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
   But  -- from the pharmaceutical companies to the private health insurance giants – the nation’s health care industry is racking up record profits.
   And this is especially true for Florida’s hospital industry.
   Consider:
                             Florida Hospital Profits
                                                2004                           2009

Total Hospitals                  179                              174             
Adjusted Admissions*    3,352,372                 3,739,788
Bottom Line Profits          $943,286,063         $1,731,096,663
Per Adj. Admission           $281                           $463           65%

       All of which explains how and why Florida Governor Rick Scott created his special Florida Commission on Taxpayer Funded Hospital Districts.
      Because, from the Get-Go, the Commission’s marching orders from the Governor have been to lay the ground work for the privatization of Florida’s mega-profitable public tax-funded hospitals.
      And why not?
     For example, here in Broward:
                Tax Funded Hospitals – Broward County
                                                 2004                      2009              %
Total Hospitals                    7                             8
Adjusted Admissions*     198,518                245,090       23%
Bottom Line Profits           $113,221,450    $154,293,024
Per Adj. Admission            $570                      $630             10%   
State Average                      $281                      $463             65%
      However…
      No way can we forget the data for the rest of the public hospitals in the state.
      True, poorly-run and over-whelmed by an explosion of uninsured immigrant patients, Miami-Dade’s Jackson Health’s fiscal condition is near terminal. (1)
      But what about Florida’s other public hospitals … excluding those in  Broward and Miami-Dade?
                       Average Florida Public Hospital
                                 (Excluding Broward and Miami Dade)
                                                 2004                         2009
Total Hospitals                   13                               14
Adjusted Admissions    175,973                228,815     30.0%
Surplus (Loss)                 $34,281,689        $122,594,598        
Per Adj. Admission        $195                    $536           175%
State Average                 $281                    $463           65%
       It’s like some folks used to say when I was a young buck reporter:
       “You don’t need a weatherman to tell which way the wind is blowing!”
       That said, as a public policy issue, it will be interesting to see how Gov. Scott's Commission deals with the horrific bottom line trends for the public hospitals operated by Miami-Dade's Jackson Health.
                                       (1) Jackson Health

                                         2004                   2009
Adj. Admissions              80,345                101,185        26%  
Surplus (Loss)                  ($17,429,472)     ($178,244,604)
Per Adj. Admission         ($217)                 ($1,762)    !?!?!?!

 
    *Adjusted admissions - A standard baseline in the healthcare industry commonly used to compare the financial health of one hospital to another.
                                                             
DATA SOURCE: Agency for Health Care Administration