Steward Health CEO Shuns Hearing in Rare Rebuff of Congress

  • De la Torre accused of profiting as hospital empire crumbled
  • Senator Cassidy vows to enforce subpoena requiring testimony
Ralph de la TorrePhotographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
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US senators investigating the collapse of Steward Health Care, one of the nation’s largest private health systems, are confronting a problem they rarely face: a corporate leader who refused to testify before Congress.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on Thursday focused on the crisis spawned by Steward’s financial woes, including allegations of poor care, hospital closures and state bailouts aimed at preventing even more shuttering.