#hospital-closures

#hospital-closures

Since Trump took office for his second term, his administration's attacks on hospitals that provide gender-affirming care for transgender youth have significantly disrupted that care. In response, advocates have pushed blue states that claim to support transgender people to step in and fund care directly. That has been especially true in New York, where advocates spent the legislative session pushing for a dedicated gender-affirming care fund - an access program designed to help outpatient providers absorb the patients pushed out of hospitals that abandoned care.

In the last 18 months, at least eight US hospitals have closed their doors after being bought and sold by private equity firms. For years, the private equity industry has stirred controversy when its investments in healthcare, retail, and restaurants have gone south. Whenever things go wrong with private equity, people in the industry point to its economic benefits. These investments don't just benefit ultra-wealthy people, they say.

Across the country, rural hospitals will close, and the empty towns will mirror the quiet halls where doctors and nurses once rushed to heal.

An analysis by the Greater New York Hospital Association estimates that Trump's megabill will risk $14.4 billion in hospital-generated economic activity and over 63,000 healthcare or healthcare-related jobs. The cuts will exacerbate the stress on the already fragile healthcare system, leading to a reduction in critically needed services, downsizing of operations, or even hospital closures.