Report: Top NC hospital systems fared well fiscally in 2021

A report released from North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell says the seven largest hospital systems reaped sizeable financial benefits last year, even as they received billions of dollars in federal pandemic assistance. Wednesday's report is the latest critique by Folwell of the state's nonprofit health systems. Folwell's agency oversees the state employee health insurance plan, which with an outside group reviewed audited financial reports of the hospital systems. The report says the system had $5.2 billion in combined net income in 2021. Folwell says the hospital systems should return the taxpayer-funded federal dollars or scale back increasing hospital costs to patients.