Television Ads for Children's Hospitals

[retiredguy123]

Can someone please explain why I should send money to the heavily advertised children’s hospitals like Shriners and St. Jude? As far as I know, all major hospitals accept tax deductible donations and they have a children’s ward, where most of them provide excellent care for sick children. There is also Medicaid that provides millions of taxpayer dollars to treat sick children who cannot afford good health insurance. And, it is illegal to not have health insurance, if you can afford it. These TV ads provide no specific information to differentiate themselves from other facilities. Is it just hype to make money, or do they really provide something different?

[dewilson58]

St. Jude's minimizes..........most times to zero, costs to families for the scary costs to their children.

[valuemkt]

Can someone please explain why I should send money to the heavily advertised children’s hospitals like Shriners and St. Jude? As far as I know, all major hospitals accept tax deductible donations and they have a children’s ward, where most of them provide excellent care for sick children. There is also Medicaid that provides millions of taxpayer dollars to treat sick children who cannot afford good health insurance. And, it is illegal to not have health insurance, if you can afford it. These TV ads provide no specific information to differentiate themselves from other facilities. Is it just hype to make money, or do they really provide something different?

Flabbergasted by this post.. let's take the adult / geriatric side first.. I'm sure if you had brain cancer, you would never think of going to MD Anderson.. or if you had a serious heart problem you;d never consider Cleveland Clinic.. or need a life saving liver transplant, you;d never go to Pittsburgh. or consider Mayo in Rochester for a complex diagnosis.. You;d just stay in the local Villages Hospital, because afterall, all hospitals must be the same, and have the same quality of doctors, right ? And all hospitals do the same quality of research, and invent life saving procedures and drug protocols . right ?

Most people in the Villages are of an age where they remember the Lebanese comedian Danny Thomas (yea, Marlo's dad).. He;s the one that founded and funded St Jude's in Memphis. They are, without question, the leading children's cancer research hospital in the country, if not the world. Why did he name the hospital St Jude's ? Because in the Catholic faith, St Jude was the patron saint of lost causes and hopeless cases.

St jude's shares the results of their research with Children's hospitals throughout the country.

Do they heavily market ? Yep.. Is it money well spent and contributed ?? Sure is, in my book.

[ladila2]

My granddaughter was treated for leukemia at St. Jude's, at no cost for health care, housing, or food. They were able to focus on caring for Maya, and not worry about losing their home! Some parents must give up their jobs in order to remain with their children. The staff there is top notch in every possible way. They did everything they could to fight her disease. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her cancer. Our entire family remains staunch supporters of St. Jude's.

[retiredguy123]

Flabbergasted by this post.. let's take the adult / geriatric side first.. I'm sure if you had brain cancer, you would never think of going to MD Anderson.. or if you had a serious heart problem you;d never consider Cleveland Clinic.. or need a life saving liver transplant, you;d never go to Pittsburgh. or consider Mayo in Rochester for a complex diagnosis.. You;d just stay in the local Villages Hospital, because afterall, all hospitals must be the same, and have the same quality of doctors, right ? And all hospitals do the same quality of research, and invent life saving procedures and drug protocols . right ?

Most people in the Villages are of an age where they remember the Lebanese comedian Danny Thomas (yea, Marlo's dad).. He;s the one that founded and funded St Jude's in Memphis. They are, without question, the leading children's cancer research hospital in the country, if not the world. Why did he name the hospital St Jude's ? Because in the Catholic faith, St Jude was the patron saint of lost causes and hopeless cases.

St jude's shares the results of their research with Children's hospitals throughout the country.

Do they heavily market ? Yep.. Is it money well spent and contributed ?? Sure is, in my book.
Sorry you were flabbergasted. Just trying to get some information. The latest rankings for children's hospitals in 2019-2020 by US News and Reports shows that Boston Children's Hospital is number one. Neither St. Jude nor Shriners made their top ten.

[BK001]

My granddaughter was treated for leukemia at St. Jude's, at no cost for health care, housing, or food. They were able to focus on caring for Maya, and not worry about losing their home! Some parents must give up their jobs in order to remain with their children. The staff there is top notch in every possible way. They did everything they could to fight her disease. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her cancer. Our entire family remains staunch supporters of St. Jude's.

How sad, how gut-wrenchingly painful. I am so sorry for your loss and for the child's parents.

Although nothing can ease the pain, at least you and the child's parents can take comfort that you did all that was possible and that you entrusted her medical treatment to an organization that thought of everything and provided excellent care to Maya and her family.

Sending prayers.

[ladila2]

Thank you for your kind thoughts.
My son and his wife now run a foundation to provide monetary assistance for families with a child fighting cancer near their home in FL.
Not a day goes by that they don't honor Maya's memory.
She was diagnosed at 21/2, died at 4, and would now be 20 years old.

[blueash]

Sorry you were flabbergasted. Just trying to get some information. The latest rankings for children's hospitals in 2019-2020 by US News and Reports shows that Boston Children's Hospital is number one. Neither St. Jude nor Shriners made their top ten.

Apples and oranges. You are looking at rankings for Children's hospitals in total which includes many pediatric subspecialties [cancer, neonatal, pulmonary, cardiac....] In that list Boston, Phila, Cinci are the top three as they have been for years.

However you need to look at just the rankings for Cancer care (https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings/cancer) as that is the topic here. You will find that Dana Farber is #1 and St Jude is #2 in that sub-specialty list.

Keep in mind this is a ranking for treatment of cancer. The differences in scores in the top several are miniscule. Many of the university hospitals not only provide excellent care but have enormous staff who do only basic research for the cures for tomorrow. That is not reflected in the rankings. Shriner's does not provide cancer care, but orthopedic care mostly as well as some plastic surgery and burn care.

[blueash]

And, it is illegal to not have health insurance

Even those with health insurance are easily driven to bankruptcy by hospital bills. ACA compliant bronze policies may only cover 60% of your bills. And states are now allowed to authorize sale of policies that are nearly useless. So even families which are fully compliant with the ACA are easily crippled by the cost of a few days of hospital care. Cancer is weeks and months and hopefully, years.

[jane032657]

Charity Navigator is very well respected for their reviews of charitable organizations.


Charity Navigator - Rating for ALSAC - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12847)

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Can someone please explain why I should send money to the heavily advertised children’s hospitals like Shriners and St. Jude? As far as I know, all major hospitals accept tax deductible donations and they have a children’s ward, where most of them provide excellent care for sick children. There is also Medicaid that provides millions of taxpayer dollars to treat sick children who cannot afford good health insurance. And, it is illegal to not have health insurance, if you can afford it. These TV ads provide no specific information to differentiate themselves from other facilities. Is it just hype to make money, or do they really provide something different?

Why not check out the websites of these hospitals, and do some google searches for more information? Also there is a website called Charity Navigator Charity Navigator - Your Guide To Intelligent Giving | Home (http://www.charitynavigator.org) where you can check out thousands of charitable organizations and non-profits.

Also it is not "illegal" to not have health insurance, whether you can afford it or not. Medicaid does not provide any money to sick children based on the *quality* of their health insurance. If they qualify to have mediocre health insurance, and have only mediocre health insurance, then they are not eligible for Medicaid at all.

You can learn all of these things on the internet. I would never take an advertisement for ANYTHING at face value, and certainly not matters of life or death, or financial investment.

[ColdNoMore]

Charity Navigator is very well respected for their reviews of charitable organizations.

Charity Navigator - Rating for ALSAC - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12847)

I've used them for years, to ensure my money is going to legitimate and worthy causes. :thumbup:

[villagesglfr1]

Note : There are NO FINES, Penalties, Garnishments, in 2019 ...furthermore if the penalty does return : The IRS will hold back the amount of the fee from any future tax refunds. There are no liens, levies, or criminal penalties for failing to pay the fee. ( healthcare.gov website)

NO CRIMINAL PENALTIES - Most of America and Consumers have NO CLUE what the Affordable Care ACT is and what it is NOT. To be clear, the ACA ...AKA Obamacare is NOT working for everyone however it does work to a degree for those who qualify for subsidies and have chronic medical conditions.

[CFrance]

Research first. Rant later, if warranted.

[retiredguy123]

Why not check out the websites of these hospitals, and do some google searches for more information? Also there is a website called Charity Navigator Charity Navigator - Your Guide To Intelligent Giving | Home (http://www.charitynavigator.org) where you can check out thousands of charitable organizations and non-profits.

Also it is not "illegal" to not have health insurance, whether you can afford it or not. Medicaid does not provide any money to sick children based on the *quality* of their health insurance. If they qualify to have mediocre health insurance, and have only mediocre health insurance, then they are not eligible for Medicaid at all.

You can learn all of these things on the internet. I would never take an advertisement for ANYTHING at face value, and certainly not matters of life or death, or financial investment.
I think that the ACA requires almost eveyone to have health insurance, with very few exceptions. The penalties for not having insurance are not being enforced, but I believe it is still illegal to not have insurance.

I do use Charity Navigator a lot, and often read the Form 990, which is required by the IRS as an annual financial reporting document. I usually find that these forms are deliberately misleading and it is almost impossible to determine whether a charity is spending their money efficiently. Hopefully, Charity Navigator's ratings are not based solely on the Form 990.

[Marathon Man]

I think that the ACA requires almost eveyone to have health insurance, with very few exceptions. The penalties for not having insurance are not being enforced, but I believe it is still illegal to not have insurance.

I do use Charity Navigator a lot, and often read the Form 990, which is required by the IRS as an annual financial reporting document. I usually find that these forms are deliberately misleading and it is almost impossible to determine whether a charity is spending their money efficiently. Hopefully, Charity Navigator's ratings are not based solely on the Form 990.

As someone else said previosly - Nope, not illegal.

[retiredguy123]

As someone else said previosly - Nope, not illegal.
You are correct. As of January 1, 2019, the ACA individual mandate was eliminated by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed in December, 2017.

[JoMar]

Can someone please explain why I should send money to the heavily advertised children’s hospitals like Shriners and St. Jude? As far as I know, all major hospitals accept tax deductible donations and they have a children’s ward, where most of them provide excellent care for sick children. There is also Medicaid that provides millions of taxpayer dollars to treat sick children who cannot afford good health insurance. And, it is illegal to not have health insurance, if you can afford it. These TV ads provide no specific information to differentiate themselves from other facilities. Is it just hype to make money, or do they really provide something different?

We all donate to the charities where we have a comfort level and you should do the same. It's easy to sit at at keyboard and search sites for information without deep diving on the sites credibility .....that is your prerogative. After all, it is on the internet so must be true. I have visited St Judes, talked to survivors families and looked at their success rate since founded. I will continue to support St. Judes as my primary cancer treatment center for kids charity. To answer your question, yeah, the really do provide something different and yeah, while not hype they do need to raise money so they must talk about what they do. No different than any other charity, it is the way they survive.

[Bucco]

Research first. Rant later, if warranted.

Amen.....so many posters are watching television and are told something and they simply believe every word, log on and fire away...facts be damned

[Bucco]

We all donate to the charities where we have a comfort level and you should do the same. It's easy to sit at at keyboard and search sites for information without deep diving on the sites credibility .....that is your prerogative. After all, it is on the internet so must be true. I have visited St Judes, talked to survivors families and looked at their success rate since founded. I will continue to support St. Judes as my primary cancer treatment center for kids charity. To answer your question, yeah, the really do provide something different and yeah, while not hype they do need to raise money so they must talk about what they do. No different than any other charity, it is the way they survive.

Got em in my will so that says it for me

[Dan9871]

Charity Navigator seems to be based on the 990 alone. Their methodology is here:

Charity Navigator's Methodology : Charity Navigator (https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=5593#rating)

Charity Watch, another charity rating service, analyzes many documents besides the 990. Their methodology is here:

Criteria & Methodology | Charity Ratings | Charity Rankings | CharityWatch (https://www.charitywatch.org/about-charitywatch/criteria-methodology/3113/3147)

Charity Watch explains how some charities try to make it look like they are more efficient with donations than they are and how Charity Watch looks for that and uses it in its evaluations.

Keep in mind that both Charity Watch and Charity Navigator are 501c3 charities themselves but neither rates the other.:)

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I think that the ACA requires almost eveyone to have health insurance, with very few exceptions. The penalties for not having insurance are not being enforced, but I believe it is still illegal to not have insurance.

I do use Charity Navigator a lot, and often read the Form 990, which is required by the IRS as an annual financial reporting document. I usually find that these forms are deliberately misleading and it is almost impossible to determine whether a charity is spending their money efficiently. Hopefully, Charity Navigator's ratings are not based solely on the Form 990.

No, it does not. That part of the ACA was never enforced and was completely eliminated for 2019. No one has ever been levied for not having insurance on the ACA.

[retiredguy123]

No, it does not. That part of the ACA was never enforced and was completely eliminated for 2019. No one has ever been levied for not having insurance on the ACA.
Already answered in Post No.17. The ACA did require health insurance, but that part of the law was eliminated in 2019 by the tax cut act. Just because a law is not enforced doesn't mean it is not illegal to break it. But, to be accurate, the IRS did enforce the ACA individual mandate on tax returns prior to 2018. For example, in 2015, the IRS collected $3.1 billion in penalties from people who violated the ACA individual mandate to have health insurance.

[Marathon Man]

Already answered in Post No.17. The ACA did require health insurance, but that part of the law was eliminated in 2019 by the tax cut act. Just because a law is not enforced doesn't mean it is not illegal to break it. But, to be accurate, the IRS did enforce the ACA individual mandate on tax returns prior to 2018. For example, in 2015, the IRS collected $3.1 billion in penalties from people who violated the ACA individual mandate to have health insurance.

Still wrong. From Heathcare.gov:

For plan years through 2018, if you can afford health insurance but choose not to buy it, you may pay a fee called the individual Shared Responsibility Payment when you file your federal taxes. (The fee is sometimes called the "penalty," "fine," or "individual mandate.")

It was never against the law. You could choose to pay the fee, which no longer exists.

[retiredguy123]

Still wrong. From Heathcare.gov:

For plan years through 2018, if you can afford health insurance but choose not to buy it, you may pay a fee called the individual Shared Responsibility Payment when you file your federal taxes. (The fee is sometimes called the "penalty," "fine," or "individual mandate.")

It was never against the law. You could choose to pay the fee, which no longer exists.
Maybe just semantics, but the actual ACA law calls it a "penalty", which, by definition, is a punishment for breaking a law.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Maybe just semantics, but the actual ACA law calls it a "penalty", which, by definition, is a punishment for breaking a law.

It's not semantics. It's actual words with actual meanings.

It was never illegal to not have insurance. If it were, you could have charges pressed against you, or have a misdemeanor summons issued against you if it was only a misdemeanor. It would be something you'd have the opportunity to plead guilty/not guilty/no contest to.

This was a fee that was intended to offset some of the costs of subsidies for people who -can't- afford health care and whose employers don't offer it. A mandatory fee in exchange for choosing not to have any health insurance.

Again, it was never actually implemented, no one has ever been made to pay the fee.