As lawmakers in Washington turned their focus to the Steward Health Care bankruptcy scandal, it became clear that something was amiss. Despite a subpoena, CEO Ralph de la Torre refused to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, leaving an empty chair in his place. What's behind this shocking no-show, and what does it reveal about the inner workings of the hospital chain?

To answer these questions, let's take a step back and examine the situation. Steward Health Care, once the country's largest for-profit hospital chain, is now facing bankruptcy. This is due in part to its financially starved facilities, which have led to understaffing, equipment issues, and even patient deaths. But what about the man at the helm, Ralph de la Torre? Why did he choose to ignore a subpoena and avoid accountability?

The truth is, de la Torre has been reaping the rewards of his success while patients and workers suffer. He's extracted hundreds of millions of dollars for himself and his financial partners, private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management and real estate investment trust Medical Properties Trust. Meanwhile, patients are forced to wait in emergency rooms, hospitals are running out of critical supplies, and nursing staff are going out of pocket to buy diapers.

But what's the bigger picture? The Steward Health Care bankruptcy scandal is more than just a tale of corporate greed. It's a symptom of a larger problem – the privatization of healthcare. When hospitals are run by private equity firms, the primary goal is to make a profit, not to provide quality care.

So, what's the solution? Lawmakers have proposed a bill to crack down on private equity hospital acquisitions by allowing for heightened regulatory reviews, adding financial disclosure standards, requiring escrow funds, and prohibiting new owners from selling off key assets. But will this be enough?

The Empty Chair: A Scandal Unfolds

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