Lown Institute

03/31/2026

In 2024, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals provided $963 million in patient financial assistance and contributions to community health programs, but that still fell short of its tax benefit by more than $500 million, according to the Lown Institute.

Dr. Vikas Saini, the institute’s president, said that amount of money could help solve a myriad of California’s social problems. “If they closed that gap, what would that $500 million get you?” he asked.

Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest non-profit health group, has veered from its charitable mission and is now scarcely distinguishable from a corporation keenly focused on its bottom line, according to critics.

03/31/2026

We're excited to announce the amazing panelists for the LOWN26 session "Young clinicians and the fight for socially responsible medicine."

- Lily Cervantes, MD, Director of Immigrant Health and Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; 2024 BLASR winner (Moderator)
- Reshma Ramachandran, MD, Assistant Professor, Yale; Co-director, Yale Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity, and Transparency; 2025 BLASR winner
- Apoorva Ram, MD, Content Director for Healthcare Structures, Policy, and Economics, University of Colorado School of Medicine

See the full list of panels and speakers @ https://lowninstitute.org/lown26-confronting-healthcare-affordability/

03/28/2026

Spring in the Boston area can't be beat! Join us for LOWN26 on May 21 and then spend some time exploring the beautiful neighborhoods of Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Cambridge, and the North End.

Get your tickets @ https://lowninstitute.org/lown26-confronting-healthcare-affordability/

03/27/2026

Consolidation has been an arms race between the hospital and insurance industries - King Kong vs. Godzilla - duking it out, looking for even slight advantages which can mean millions of dollars in revenue. At the same time, physicians are increasingly employees of hospital systems. The old TV doctor is a thing of the past. Doctor Saini digs into these contentious issues in this episode of "Office Hours."

03/27/2026

The list of amazing panelists at LOWN26 keeps growing! We're excited to announce that Gloria Sachdev, Indiana Secretary of Health and Family Services, will join us as a speaker on May 21.

Get your tickets before they're gone @ https://lowninstitute.org/lown26-confronting-healthcare-affordability/

03/26/2026

In this week's edition of our ongoing blog series "Hot Takes from health leaders," we ask our guests “What keeps you up at night when you think about where healthcare affordability is headed?”

This week's question: What keeps you up at night when you think about where healthcare affordability is headed?

03/26/2026

We're excited to announce that Hayden Rooke-Ley, Senior Fellow at Brown University School of Public Health, will join us as a speaker at LOWN26 on May 21!

After decades of gridlock as our nation’s health declines, there’s no more time for hesitation and finger pointing. Where things go from here depends on leaders willing to rethink what’s possible and act with boldness and purpose. Join us!

See the full list of speakers and get your tickets @ https://lowninstitute.org/lown26-confronting-healthcare-affordability/

03/25/2026

Not all patients are created equal. Hospitals ideally want to serve a mix of patients - more of whom have Cadillac, private insurance and fewer with government managed care like Medicaid and Medicare - to keep margins high. In Episode 2 of Office Hours, Dr. Saini sheds light on this "payer mix" and why, in our current economy, this business model is outdated.

03/25/2026

LOWN26 convenes policymakers, clinicians, hospital leaders, business executives, and union organizers, united by one conviction: care shouldn’t crush the finances of American families.

Are you ready to shape the future rather than wait for it? Join us at LOWN26!

See the full program and get your tickets @ https://lowninstitute.org/lown26-confronting-healthcare-affordability/

03/24/2026

The New York Times article "When Voters Worry About ‘Affordability,’ Many Point to Health Care" lays bare impacts that healthcare costs are increasingly having on American's pocketbooks and voting choices.

On May 21, LOWN26 will bring together policymakers, clinicians, hospital leaders, business executives, and union organizers, united by one conviction: care shouldn’t crush the finances of American families. Join us!

Democrats have had limited political success running on the Affordable Care Act, even with its relative popularity. Now President Trump’s health care cuts may have given the issue new resonance.

03/23/2026

We're excited to announce the amazing panelists for the LOWN26 session "Reality check: What will and won’t work in the real world."

- Lily Cervantes, Director of Immigrant Health and Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; 2024 BLASR winner (Moderator)
- Fred Cerise, President and Chief Executive Officer, Parkland Health
- Jeanne Lambrew, Director of Health Care Reform and Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation; Former Commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services
- Noam Levey, Senior Correspondent, KFF Health News

See the full list of panels and speakers @ https://lowninstitute.org/lown26-confronting-healthcare-affordability/

03/23/2026

How do "have and have not" hospitals differ? Is it just a matter of architecture, services or quality of care? Lown Institute president Dr. Vikas Saini pulls back the curtain in Episode 2 of Office Hours with Dr. Saini.