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For some reason – we can’t quite figure out why – Intermountain Health Care finds itself in the crosshairs of a few crusading Utah lawmakers this year.
When it comes to the possibility of radically altering the way IHC does business, KSL hopes good sense, caution and a hefty dose of reason will prevail. Above all, we urge lawmakers to cast their votes based on solid facts, not whims fed by emotional anecdotes.
Don’t go after IHC merely because some think it’s too big. It’s hardly a monopoly, after all. It owns just 19 of Utah’s 53 hospitals, provides insurance for only 19 percent of the state’s population and it employs roughly 13 percent of the state’s practicing doctors. Admittedly, IHC wields tremendous influence in Utah, but is that inherently bad, especially when per capita health care expenditures in the state are the lowest in the nation?
Besides, IHC is regularly recognized for the exceptional medical care it provides. Nationally, it is renowned as a model for quality and efficiency. So, why monkey with success, especially when the reasons for doing so are vague at best, and when no one, really, can fully explain what the consequences would be of forcing IHC to do things differently? In KSL’s view, IHC doesn’t deserve to be in the legislature’s crosshairs.
