The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted unanimously to advance two resolutions – one civil and one criminal – holding Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the committee regarding his role in Steward’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Both resolutions now require a full vote in the Senate.
This comes after the HELP Committee voted on a bipartisan basis over the summer to subpoena Dr. de la Torre’s testimony after his refusal to cooperate with the Committee’s investigation into Steward’s financial mismanagement of its hospitals. According to the HELP Committee, the financial mismanagement of Steward Health Care had an impact on the delivery of care at its hospitals, impacting patient care in more than 30 hospitals across eight states.
The HELP Committee referred to a report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that said a physician at Glenwood Regional Medical Center referred to the care provided by the hospital as “third-world medicine.” The report also claimed at another Steward-owned hospital, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, patients at the hospital could be waiting in the emergency room for hours or days for health care. A new mother died during childbirth at St. Elizabeth’s because a basic piece of medical equipment that could have saved her life was repossessed weeks earlier because Steward did not pay its bills.
The Senate HELP Committee investigated the allegations and found that it needed additional information on de la Torre’s management decisions to better understand Steward’s financial problems and failure to serve patients. However, de la Torre refused to voluntarily testify and the Committee issued a subpoena in July 2024. For several weeks, de la Torre’s attorneys indicated that he would comply with the subpoena and testify as requested. However, just a week before ethe scheduled hearing, de la Torre informed the Committee that he would not testify and comply with the subpoena.
The HELP Committee explained that de la Torre’s objections to the subpoena were invalid and directed him to appear. As noted above, de la Torre did not appear to testify, and as such, the HELP Committee moved forward with two contempt resolutions.
The resolution for the civil enforcement of the subpoena instructs the Senate Legal Counsel to bring a civil suit in the District Court for the District of Columbia to require Dr. de la Torre’s compliance with the subpoena and his testimony before the HELP Committee. The criminal contempt resolution refers the matter to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia to criminally prosecute Dr. de la Torre for failing to comply with the subpoena.
“The Committee sought testimony about the financial decisions made by Dr. de la Torre as CEO of Steward Health Care to understand the financial downfall of the company and to inform legislative action to prevent similar events from affecting the patients and communities we represent,” said Senators Bill Cassidy, MD, and Bernie Sanders. “Unfortunately, Dr. de la Torre repeatedly refused to appear before this committee even when compelled by a duly authorized subpoena. If you defy a Congressional subpoena, you will be held accountable. Today, the Senate unanimously approved our resolution to hold Dr. de la Torre in criminal contempt.”