A KHN review of hospital finances in the country's 306 hospital markets found that several of the most profitable markets also have some of the highest levels of patient debt. Overall, about a third of the 100 million adults in the U.S. with health care debt owe money for a hospitalization, according to a poll conducted by KFF for this project. Close to half of those owe at least $5,000. About a quarter owe $10,000 or more.
A New York hospital is suing Health and Human Services Dept. leadership for allegedly shorting it more than $50 million on Covid-19 relief funds for treatment at the height of the pandemic.
Low reimbursement, staffing shortages, regulatory barriers and low patient volumes drove 136 rural hospitals to close shop between 2010 and 2021. A record 19 closures alone among these facilities took place in 2020, fueled by the financial challenges of the pandemic, according to a new report by the American Hospital Association.
Nonprofit hospitals pursue profits from low-income patients; the Biden administration announced that $1.5 billion would be set aside to battle opioid overdoses and support recovery; an Arizona judge ruled that a state law that criminalizes nearly all abortions could take effect immediately.
Lawmakers and state health officials are boosting funding for birthing services, amid concerns that closures of labor and delivery units have made it harder for many New Hampshire residents to access that care.
The House Ways and Means Committee today voted to advance to the full House bipartisan legislation (H.R.8876) that would reauthorize the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, and double annual funding for the program to $800 million over five years.