Nonprofit academic hospital receives criticism after running Super Bowl ad
An academic hospital in New York City has received criticism on social media from patients, providers and tech vendors for an advertisement it ran during Super Bowl LIX, depicting struggling doctors receiving words of encouragement from retired New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz.
The ad culminates with NYU Langone being declared by a narrator as “not the best football team, but the best health system.” Social media users were quick to point out that the ad undoubtedly cost the nonprofit health system millions of dollars, given how historically expensive it is to get a spot during the year’s biggest football game.
“NYU Langone Health just put up a Super Bowl ad. This feels like a terrible idea when healthcare providers are constantly telling Congress that their reimbursements are too low,” Aasim Saeed, MD, Founder and CEO of Amenities Health, wrote on LinkedIn. “Oh, and they showed later in the broadcast that the ad cost at least $8 million.”
One of the harshest critics was Congressman Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC). Murphy, a urologist who also represents North Carolina's 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, sent an open letter to NYU Langone CEO Robert Grossman, MD. In it, the congressman questioned the tax-exempt status of the hospital and others like it.
“Tax rules require tax-exempt hospitals to demonstrate community benefit, though vague rules and scant enforcement have aroused concerns about misuse. Tax-exempt hospitals generally spend less on charity care than for-profit hospitals ($2.30 of every $100 of expenses, versus $3.80),” Murphy wrote. “At the same time, the aggregate value of hospitals’ tax exemption increased from $19 billion in 2011 to $28 billion in 2020.”
He also asked Grossman to provide details on “the amount NYU Langone paid to place the Super Bowl advertisement, and the names of the entity(ies) NYU Langone paid for the advertisement,” as well as requisition details on the exact costs incurred, plus information on contributions the hospital received from donors as well as the federal government.
“Given NYU Langone’s profound reliance on federal tax health program benefits designed to support the hospital’s provision of care to the local community, I am concerned by your decision to spend an exorbitant amount of money to place an advertisement seemingly intended to promote the hospital’s nationwide brand,” Murphy chided.
The full open letter from Murphy can be found here.
As of the time of writing, neither Grossman nor NYU Langone have responded to the letter or commented publicly on the controversy. For now, the actual cost of the spot remains unknown.
HealthExec has reached out to NYU Langone for comment.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.