Obama Camp Has Many Ties to Wife's Employer

ASK's report emphasized the need to be transparent and acknowledge that the hospital was pursuing the initiative in its own self-interest, as well as that of patients. It also stressed that in selling the program to the public, "credible validators are critical; public health experts and ministers trump politicians."

What the Neighbors Say

The medical center appears to have enacted some of the ASK report's recommendations but not others; the name was not changed.

"I've had some complaints from my constituents," said Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, a former teacher who represents Chicago's 4th Ward and who will be an Obama delegate at the Democratic National Convention. "It's hard to know whether this is motivated by the interests of the patients or by the financial interests of the medical center."

Asked her personal conclusion, Preckwinkle paused. "They have decided they need to have as many paying patients as possible," she said. "That's all I'm going to say."

Jeffrey Schaider, chairman of emergency medicine at nearby John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, also is skeptical. Schaider said his emergency room welcomes all patients, whether or not their maladies ultimately prove urgent. Lower-income workers also often find it difficult to visit clinics, which have limited hours, he said.

"Often, the patients think it's something serious when it's happening to them," Schaider said. "And a lot of the time, the patients are right."

Database editor Sarah Cohen and staff writer Matthew Mosk contributed to this report.