Category: Hospitals

Vance Wrongly Blames Rural Hospital Closures on Immigrants in the Country Illegally

Experts disputed the claim by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, noting that a range of other issues — from low reimbursement rates to declining patient use — combine to cause these facilities to shutter.

Helene and CVS Land Double Whammy for 25,000 Patients Who Survive on IV Nutrition

A Massachusetts woman ended up stranded in the hospital because CVS stopped providing the IV nutrition she needs to survive at home. Without it, she’d starve.

Patients Are Relying on Lyft, Uber To Travel Far Distances to Medical Care

Uber and Lyft have become a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure for transporting ailing people from their homes — even in rural areas — to medical care sites in major cities such as Atlanta.

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.