Wealthy hospitals rake in U.S. disaster aid for COVID-19 costs

FILE PHOTO: The Cleveland Clinic medical center is seen in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. October 4, 2020. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk/File Photo

(Reuters) - After collecting billions of dollars in U.S. coronavirus aid, many of the nation’s wealthiest nonprofit hospitals are now tapping into disaster relief funds that critics say they don’t need.

The money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is going to some large health systems that have billions of dollars in cash reserves and investments, according to government records reviewed by Reuters.