U.S. hospitals are projected to lose an enormous $323 billion this year, largely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the American Hospital Association. More than 260 U.S. hospitals and health systems have furloughed workers (temporary layoffs), dozens more hospitals have implemented permanent layoffs, and many have closed.
The U.S. should be building new hospitals, not gutting or shutting them.
The AHA study reports that health and hospital systems lost $202.6 billion during the four-month period between March and June 2020, and will lose an additional $120.5 billion over July-December. Some hospitals have restricted elective surgeries, but a May 2020 Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll found that 48% of respondents said they or a family member had either postponed or skipped medical care in the last three months due to “COVID-19 concerns,” including catching the disease in a hospital setting.
Hospitals and health systems currently report average declines of 19.5% in inpatient volume and 34.5% in outpatient volume, relative to normal baseline levels. In addition, another study found that emergency department use fell 40% compared with the same time last year, again reflecting fear of going to hospitals where some patients may have COVID-19.
