As the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, many hospitals find themselves in a financial bind that could threaten progress made on health equity initiatives as budgets get stretched thinner. Federal emergency funding to address the COVID-19 pandemic is dwindling. At the same time, inflation is driving up the costs of supplies and medications, and an industrywide labor shortage has increased salary costs. Additionally, all these rising healthcare costs are resulting in more unpaid medical bills, which affect hospitals' bottom lines.
