1 hospital just closed in chicago for similar reasons.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-thu-unwanted-hospital-apr03,0,6877123,full.story
It is the 410-bed hospital in
Blue Island that nobody wants. Even for free.
In a stunning development underscoring the plight of non-profit
hospitals struggling with the increase in uninsured patients, the
Catholic ownership of
St. Francis Hospital & Health Center on Wednesday said it will shutter the hospital because nobody would buy it.
Saddled with tens of millions of dollars in losses from uninsured
patients who could not pay their medical bills, St. Francis would be
abandoning its core mission of caring.
"Currently, one out of every two people who come to the emergency
department and one out of four people who are admitted to the hospital
either have no health insurance or are covered by Medicaid [insurance
for the poor]" Ryan said. "No hospital can survive over the long term
without being able to cover its costs."
The hospital lost $40 million since 2002 but was projected to lose $20 million this year alone.
City leaders were stunned, and worried about the economic impact
from a looming loss of 1,400 jobs. "It came out of the clear blue sky,"
said Blue Island Mayor Donald Peloquin. "I never expected this."
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