In his weekly column, Associated Editor Gil Smart suggests that opposition to Lancaster General Hospital building locating in West Earl Township is analogous to complaints against Walmart stores driving out smaller competition. (He only does so for illustrative purposes to make another point.)
WATCHDOG: This is not a valid comparison. Walmart is a for-profit business and competes with other for-profit business. Lancaster General Hospital is non-profit foundation whose market dominance has enabled it to generate annual earnings of well over a hundred million dollars at the expense of insurance companies and thus, indirectly, its patients, who have to pay higher premiums.
Since it is publicly owned, LGH should be using much of those profits to support worthy community healthcare and educational needs, which is consistent with its stated mission. Instead it provides a pittance of aid, we are told lavishes benefits on executives, and is acting in a predatory manner as though it is Walmart rather than a public institution.
What gain is it to our community to have LGH drive the Ephrata hospital out of business? How does it help the community to have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in duplicating existing services rather than directed to meeting existing community needs?
