Bankrupt Steward Health Care is back in the spotlight Thursday morning after CEO Ralph de la Torre said he won’t testify before a Senate committee in Washington.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is demanding answers behind the hospital system’s collapse. Meanwhile, residents are still wondering about the future of health care in Massachusetts.
Back in May, Steward filed for bankruptcy, saying it had more than $9 billion in liabilities. At that time, the senate committee requested de la Torre to testify and offer up an explanation as to how this happened.
He didn’t honor those requests. As a result, the committee, headed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, subpoenaed him.
In de la Torre’s most recent response through his attorney, he said it would be “wholly inappropriate” to testify before his company’s bankruptcy proceedings are resolved.
A federal judge overseeing the case approved the sale of six Steward hospitals on Wednesday.
Approved was Steward’s plan to sell St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton to Lifespan for $175 million; the Holy Family Hospital facilities in Methuen and Haverhill to Lawrence General Hospital for $28 million, and Good Samaritan Medical Center and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center to Boston Medical Center for as much as $140 million.
Steward closed its other two hospitals here, Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, on Saturday.
The sales are expected to close by the end of this month.
Steward is hoping the state provides funding to help keep the hospitals open from now until then.
De la Torre didn’t rule out appearing before Congress eventually.
