Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Senate approves President Ruggerio’s bill to place
one-year moratorium on for-profit hospital conversions

 

 

STATE HOUSE – The Senate on Thursday approved President Dominick J. Ruggerio’s legislation to impose a one-year moratorium on hospital ownership transactions involving for-profit corporations.

 

The bill (S-2022 2610A) would amend the Hospital Conversion Act to require a one-year pause “on the conversion of any hospital governed by this act if the acquiree or acquirer is a for-profit corporation.”

 

The moratorium would provide the General Assembly and regulators with time to conduct a comprehensive review of for-profit hospital ownership, as well as its impact on hospital finances and the health care system as a whole.

 

“Any hospital transaction must improve care and protect Rhode Island’s patients, workers and communities. All Rhode Islanders deserve care that is accessible and affordable,” President Ruggerio said. “In recent years, the widespread impact of Memorial Hospital’s closure, as well as questions surrounding the dependability and financial stability of for-profit ownership at other local institutions, including Fatima and Roger Williams, have demonstrated the need for vigilance. This legislation will ensure our state can comprehensively review the issue of for-profit hospital ownership and protect our network of hospitals, which is essential to the well-being of Rhode Islanders.”

 

The legislation was cosponsored by Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey (D-Dist. 29, Warwick), Senate Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin (D-Dist. 1, Providence), Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence), Sen. Ryan W. Pearson (D-Dist. 19, Cumberland), Sen. Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston, West Warwick), and Sen. Cynthia A. Coyne (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence).

 

The proposal will now be referred to the House of Representatives for consideration.

 

Opening statements are expected Monday in former President Trump's criminal trial in New York. The six alternate jurors have been seated and the 12 jurors are already in place. The former President is accused of falsifying business records in order to cover up payments allegedly made to an adult film star just prior to the 2016 election.       New York police say the man who set himself on fire outside the Donal Trump trial drove from Florida to New York City earlier this week. The man had some papers with him that detailed conspiracy theories involving local politics. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.       President Biden is taking jabs at Donald Trump while rallying union workers in Washington, D.C. Biden delivered remarks at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference on Friday, where he said some people, including Trump, "learned the best way to get rich is inherit it." He also said those people " learn that paying taxes is for working people, not the super wealthy."        The House is expected to vote for final passage of House Speaker Mike Johnson's foreign aid package over the weekend. The House approved a rule vote today to begin debate on individual bills to provide military aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. In an unusual move, Democrats voted with Republicans to advance the legislation as many conservatives voted no.        The FAA and United Airlines are investigating a video that appears to show a Colorado Rockies staff member in the cockpit during a flight. The incident happened during the team's April 10th chartered flight from Denver to Toronto. In the video posted on social media that has since been deleted, an unauthorized person appears to sit in the pilot's seat. United Airlines says at least two pilots have been removed from the job.       Horror film "Abigail" is looking to take the top spot at this weekend's box office. It's expected to make between 12-million and 15-million-dollars in its first weekend. "Abigail" is expected to just beat out last week's winner "Civil War" for first place.       

Old News Archives