Why Hospitals are Closing at an Alarming Rate

There's a rural hospital crisis in in America. 30% of rural hospitals across the U.S. are in danger of closing — putting thousands of Americans farther and farther from life-saving medical care. Every closure puts more lives at risk. We dug into why this is happening — and how we can stop it.
-----

[Quanic]

As a registered nurse of 10 years, I can confidently tell you that the priority of hospital administrators is NOT positive patient outcomes 💰💰💰💰💰

[SebastianTheGreat]

Can you imagine if your local fire department or your local police department closed due to “not being profitable“? People would lose their minds.

[SK-yxhm]

I live in Florida and its not just rural hospitals that are closing to. Florida really needs major anti monopoly laws, because I used to work for an franchise hospital and the standards I saw there outright disgusted me. The franchise hospital buys up everything around the local ones, then when the locals cant afford anything the franchise hospital swoops in and buys it up. The practices I saw were gross, it was pretty much akin to a prison. But for them what really annoys me is their mistreatment of seniors because they really didnt care if they got better or not. If they died who cares? Its not like their relatives can prove they were the ones that killed them. The USA really needs to upheave the healthcare system from the ground up.

[MarlKitsune]

You can tell the true nature of a society by how its treats its most vulnerable.

[dvdv]

Take profits out of healthcare, and stuff like this would NEVER happen!

[markmccormack]

Let me guess, money. We have little to no money for our people, healthcare, education, food. But, hey, 100 billion for war every other month. We can always find money for the military industrial complex. We can always find money to send to other countries.

[IshtarNike]

Healthcare is a human right. I always find it nuts that people think "free markets" can provide essential services. They basically never do. When they do it's usually based on government infrastructure that they pay rock bottom rents for but still charge astronomical prices to customers. It's no surprise that rural hospitals close because they can't make enough "profit" off the sparse and impoverished populations there. Even if the hospital itself is run humanely, allowing private insurers to control the market results in much the same.

[mathsiecat]

He lost wife and daughter two-ducking-minutes from the hospital because the ambulance couldn’t get their rear in gear?

No one thought to grab oxygen and cover those two flipping minutes to meet him and finish transporting her by car to see if at least the baby could be saved?

And this is the land of freedom, the shining example that everyone else wants to be like, the world’s policeman, big brother and good example?

Excuse me while I go cry until I throw up. America, you need to do some soul-searching and self-reflection.

[yesmayhem]

My condolences to this father for the senseless loss of his wife and daughter.

It's horrible to see that the insurance grip on healthcare costs means no healthcare at all for rural communities. It also means significantly diminished care in large hospitals in cities. My local hospital refused to take my insurance, instead asking me to submit a hardship and get Medicaid so they could get increased billing through government funds. I have been continuously employed and pay insurance premiums and deductibles. The biggest mistake in "low/no cost healthcare" is allowing insurance companies to continue to determine payments when they are receiving premiums and deductibles.

The next time I landed in the emergency room, a finance representative interrupted my doctor's care to ask how I would pay for my healthcare. Again, I had active insurance. We were at a stand off until I asked the representative if she intended to continue interrupting my healthcare and the doctor offered insufficient mediation. I listened to the evaluation the doctor was able to give up until that point and left. I continued to receive bills from the hospital for over a year which I had to redirect to my insurance. This happens often with many of my healthcare providers, until I make repeated calls to intervene in the billing process.

This year, another local emergency room required me to sign a waiver. When asked why, they told me the emergency room doctors are contractors. I have to think, this relieves hospitals of responsibility for supervision and failed care.

At a point I required prescriptions for continued care. The cost of these were upwards of thousands a month. I carried two insurance policies. Both coverages denied the prescriptions though I paid Premiums and completed deductibles for both. I work to keep both coverages. Instead, insurance company doctors reviewed my medical records and concluded there were alternatives. I started getting calls from my insurance company offering me a "Service" in which I would meet with a Nurse provided by insurance company who would evaluate my health and "help" me navigate care. The line between healthcare and insurance coverage is becoming more than blurred. It is interfering with the quality of healthcare in what used to be the best hospitals.

Also, look more into the purchase of hospital purchased as real estate investments and liquidated. As well as local healthcare centers that are opening up with contracted doctors that are not well managed. And the preference these centers have for patients that will participate in pharma clinical trials.

[namastemcl]

I live in Maryland and that did not make a difference for our Rural Hospital in Cambridge MD. Our hospital was replaced with an understaffed "Emergency Room" Recently my husband had a medical emergency. I drove him the 3 miles to the "Emergency Room" where he was told the wait would be over an hour. I put him back in the care and rushed him another 15 miles down the road the the hospital in Easton MD where he was treated almost immediately as they had the staff to take care of him. We were lucky that we had the time to get to the hospital - Where we are some people would have to drive almost an hour for care - they will die due to circumstances beyond their control. Profits will always come before people, make no mistake about that. People try to eat right and exercise and do all you can to stay healthy because our healthcare system is beyond broke

[dvdv]

Greed is not the desire for more, it's the desire for more at the expense of others.

ESPECIALLY in the context of LIFE AND DEATH, this should NEVER be allowed!! 😤😤

[Mark-zuoz]

I was working at a hospital when the system really began to change. Hospitals were fully staffed, and we had good benefits and regular pay increases. Then in the early '90's (I can't recall the exact year), we were notified of cutbacks. When the time came, employees were laid off, benefits were cut, and raises became rare or minuscule for most employees. Smaller hospitals cut services and either merged with large ones or closed permanently. The trend has only accelerated since then.

[JLocke]

Every city should be required to have a government run hospital that is paid for by the state.

[LexiLadonna]

Or how about we don’t insert a third-party for-profit company in between patients and their medical care?

[miketacos]

I cannot imagine losing my wife and child like this… this is beyond heartbreaking

[ebubechiibegbula]

Its amazing how Ronald Reagan's name comes up for every historic bad decision especially decisons that affect everyday people. Someone should write a book about this. " Ronald Reagan; how not to be a president"

[matthewdancz]

The hospital in our small town continues to close and reduce services. Why have health insurance when the hospital cannot treat anyone anymore?

[tenshi.kurama]

We just need to get rid of the insurance companies and the leeches that dry up the funds in gov assistance for the ppl that actually need it. With pricing competition you will see prices drop and quality go up, thats just how its supposed to work however since insurance companies keep that from being fully utilized its just gonna get worse

[dudeonbike]

David Cay Johnston has reported extensively over the years on this issue. "The Fine Print" lays it all out.
Example: Boulder Creek, in the Santa Cruz mountains 30 minutes from Silicon Valley sold their water utility to a a German conglomerate that promised them all the same BS lies as usual: "Better service at lower cost!" Soon, the residents noticed their water bills rising with no end in sight. They realized that their bad decision would saddle their kids, grand kids and all future generations with usurious water bills. Residents got together to purchase back their utility at some outrageous price like $34k per resident. They all took a HUGE financial hit, but it was the smart decision in the long run.
This is what health care is doing to us. And for those of us who can't pay bills or get insurance, we can choose death as a cheaper alternative. Fun stuff.

[jubjub]

Ban insurance companies. Seriously. They are an unnecessary middle man.