It may not take much more press like this before hospitals may start giving up their tax-exempt status voluntarily.

As reported on the WSJ’s Health Blog, Sen. Charles Grassley is turning the heat on hospitals that get tax-exempt status, questioning whether their public service warrants the special treatment.  The pressure is only going to build on this issue, as hospitals become ever-more business-savvy to compete in a time of a declining reimbursement rates.