My read on it is that the jury is still out on that. In some jurisdictions it appears to be working reasonably well, but there are mixed reports about quality depending on the model you have. Some will say that it doesn't seem to make a difference, and some think it does. I don't think we have a really good handle on whether the private for-profit model is working in the residential long-term care sector.
On October 31st, 2011. See this statement in context.