The healthcare landscape in the United States is a complicated one. There are federal health insurance plans for low-income individuals namely
for seniors and the disabled. Aside from these, people must buy
or be left uninsured because the U.S. is the only high-income country without universal healthcare coverage. Hospitals in the U.S., therefore, receive
. Most revenue generated by U.S. hospitals comes from private insurance, self, or other payments. The complexity of this multi-payer system is instrumental to the U.S. having the
Hospital characteristics
The
number of hospitals in the United States has fallen since 1975 and continued to do so in recent years. It is no wonder that the
number of hospital beds has also declined. Community hospitals, which are non-federal general acute care hospitals, make up roughly 85 percent of all hospitals in the United States. Nearly 60 percent of community hospitals are non-profit, while the rest are state/local government-owned or for-profit hospitals. Noticeably, the
share of for-profit community hospitals has increased compared to 2000.
Hospital staff
Despite the decreasing number of facilities,
hospital employment continues to rise. Nevertheless, staff shortage is a growing problem. This is due to several issues including an
aging population,
stress and burnout,
high turnover,
difficulty recruiting new staff, not to mention the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic such as early retirement and industry quitters. High staff vacancies create a vicious cycle: shortages cause extra stress in the workplace, adding pressure on existing staff, which triggers higher turnover and absence. Furthermore, critical shortages lead to more medical errors, putting patient safety at risk. Hospitals need better recruitment and retention strategies fast.
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