Employee health care premiums increased 260% last decade

[the_poochies]

Dakota wrote:
[quote=the_poochies]

When a hospital shuts its doors in my state, usually the outgoing CEO will cite decreased Medicare/Medicaid payments as a significant factor in the closure

There is an alternative to closure. If your costs are not covered and you still want to stay in business, ration services.
Hospitals have been rationing services for a while. My local hospital closed its maternity and pediatric ward in the early 1990s.

I don't think hospitals are going to turn away severely ill patients just because they lack insurance. My state uses a charity care fund that is supposed to provide funds to hospitals who see uninsured patients, but like many accounts, it is underfunded.

My local hospital won't accept my insurance card for non-emergency visits because it is disputing its reimbursement rates with the company. I have to drive 10 miles to another hospital that will accept my insurance card. It's a royal PITA.