Category: Hospitals

California Hospitals Scramble on Earthquake Retrofits as State Limits Extensions

California legislators for years have granted extensions on a 1994 law requiring hospitals to retrofit their buildings to withstand earthquakes. Gov. Gavin Newsom in September vetoed an extension for all hospitals but signed a bill granting relief to rural and “distressed” hospitals and some others.

Catholic Hospital Offered Bucket, Towels to Woman It Denied an Abortion, California AG Said

In California, where abortion rights are guaranteed, there’s a loophole. The growth of Catholic hospital systems, which restrict reproductive health care, has left patients with no other option for care. That will be the case for pregnant women in Northern California, with a hospital set to close its birth center.

Vance-Walz Debate Highlighted Clear Health Policy Differences

The vice presidential debate showcased the very different views of Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, and Democratic Governor Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’s VP pick, on health policies past and present.

One or Two Health Systems Controlled the Entire Market for Inpatient Hospital Care in Nearly Half of Metropolitan Areas in 2022

This analysis examines the competitiveness of markets for hospital care based on the share of metropolitan areas controlled by a small number of independent hospitals or health systems and other measures. It finds that nearly half of metropolitan areas…

Nearly Half of Metro Areas Have Only One or Two Hospitals or Health Systems Providing Inpatient Care

Nearly half (47%) of metropolitan areas across the country had only one or two hospitals or health systems providing general inpatient hospital care in 2022, a new KFF analysis finds. The analysis examines the extent of competition among hospitals amid…

A Few Rural Towns Are Bucking the Trend and Building New Hospitals

A remote Wyoming community hoped for years to have more access to health care. Now, after receiving federal funding, it is bucking dismal closure trends throughout the rural U.S. and building its own hospital. And it’s not the only one.

How North Carolina Made Its Hospitals Do Something About Medical Debt

State officials threatened to withhold public money from hospitals, pioneering a strategy that could become a national model.

Rural NC County Is Set To Reopen Its Shuttered Hospital With Help From a New Federal Program

One rural North Carolina county is on track to be among the first where a hospital reopens owing to a new federal hospital classification meant to help save small, struggling facilities.

Tennessee Tries To Rein In Ballad’s Hospital Monopoly After Years of Problems

Ballad Health, a 20-hospital system with the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, serves patients in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

At Catholic Hospitals, a Mission of Charity Runs Up Against High Care Costs for Patients

Many Catholic health systems, which are tax-exempt, pay their executives millions and can charge some of the highest prices around — while critics say they scrimp on commitments to their communities.