How lax oversight enabled Steward Health Care's collapse

Why it matters: The Globe found a pattern of government special treatment for Steward that allowed the company to expand aggressively while cutting costs and accumulating massive debt.

Some of the most hair-raising findings:

• Steward executives and employees donated over $2.4 million to key politicians.
• The company repeatedly violated state laws without consequences, including closing hospital units without required notice.
• Officials softened critical reports and ignored financial warning signs.

The bottom line: One expert called the state's approach to Steward "not state regulation — but the charade of regulation."