Health care is expensive in the United States, most of all for the caviar-munchers who use luxurious hospital rooms that can cost up to $3,784 a night. Under the guise of “hospital tourism,” the super-rich are buying rooms, suites and, at times, whole floors of hospitals.
“We pride ourselves on getting anything the patient wants. If they have a craving for lobster tails … we’ll go out and get them,” announced William Duffy, director of hospitality at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
“Every generation of hospitals reflects our attitude about health and disease and wealth and poverty,” Professor Rosner of Columbia University said. “Today, they pride themselves on attracting private patients, and on the other hand ask for our tax dollars based upon their older charitable mission. There’s a conflict there at times.” This conflict will not end until the working masses take back the silver spoons of the rich that we all gag on.
