logoalt Hacker News

chmod775today at 6:58 AM3 repliesview on HN

> The standard answer is greed: rapacious ambulance operators, owned by villainous private equity firms, exploit patients at their most helpless. But I don’t think that’s actually what’s going on. Ambulance providers are chronically unprofitable businesses; margins are thin, crews are underpaid, and operators exit the industry every year.

The author does not understand how private equity extracts money. The high-liability and heavily scrutinized business is intentionally left with little profit: the actual profits are funneled up the supply chain. This is why private equity buys "nonprofit" hospitals - they can now control who that nonprofit buys services and equipment from.


Replies

hnmullanytoday at 11:11 AM

I worked in private equity as an analyst in the 90's - we looked at an ambulance service that was up for sale - the underlying operating margins (before you load on debt) were pretty reasonable, although I don't remember the details.

veunestoday at 1:03 PM

Thin operating margins don't really settle the greed question when the ownership structure is complicated

IG_Semmelweisstoday at 9:05 AM

We are for learning and to be curious with our comments

I suggest to copy paste your comment into your choice of AI prompt, and ask it , "is this accurate" ?

show 1 reply