Halloween 2026:
Daniel Wu. Washington Post 10/8/26. Hospitals are closing across America, and it’s only getting worse
An excerpt:
Closure rates were almost the same between urban and rural hospitals… according to a new study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
More than 400 hospitals closed across the country from 2010 to 2025, according to the study, which analyzed data from the American Hospital Association’s annual survey. Year over year, the rate of hospital closures has increased by 4 percent, and the rate of openings has decreased by 3 percent.
Between hospital openings and closures, there was a net loss of 216 hospitals and more than 24,000 beds. The hospitals that closed were more likely to be smaller, for-profit and safety-net hospitals, which generally treat more vulnerable communities and uninsured patients…
Hospitals could face further strain due to Medicaid coverage losses and payment cuts from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
My take: Fewer hospitals will likely mean longer distances for care and increased costs due to consolidation. For many patients, longer distances could result in worse outcomes, not just an inconvenience.
Related blog posts:
- “Do Nonprofit Hospitals Deserve Their Tax Exemption?”
- Long Distance (Medical) Relationships Don’t Always Work
- Unpacking Health Care Corporatization in the U.S.
wash ashore and glitter against the dark volcanic sand like scattered diamonds
