Search: 2009, Impact of the Recession

Hospitals in California and elsewhere are hurting from financial, economic and government crises hitting all at once.

Hospitals nationwide and in San Diego County are feeling aches and pains from the deepening recession, and some predict a worse prognosis in the coming months. More patients aren't paying their hospital bills, and more are putting off elective procedures to save cash. Construction projects at some medical centers have been put on hold, and administrative jobs are being consolidated or left open when they become vacant.

The median profit margin of U.S. hospitals has fallen to zero percent, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis of hospital finances.

According to an August 2009 policy brief published by the Kaiser Commission (hotlink to the report), hospital emergency rooms in California and elsewhere are "operating at or over capacity" with an increasing number of patients seeking care. According to the report, several emergency rooms studied were described as "overwhelmed" or "close to the breaking point."