Most U.S. Hospitals Are Empty Soon They Might Be Closed For Good

Tens of thousands of health care workers across the United States are going without pay today, even as providers in the nation’s hot spots struggle to contain the coronavirus pandemic

This “tale of two hospitals” is a function of clumsy, if well-intentioned, federal and state directives to halt all non-emergency procedures, which appeared at first blush to be a reasonable precaution to limit unnecessary exposure and safeguard staff, beds and equipment.

But instead of merely preserving hospital beds and other resources, this heavy-handed injunction has created a burden of its own design: a historic number of empty beds in systems left untouched by the pandemic.

Those hospitals have resorted to unprecedented levels of furloughs to stave off temporary budget shortfalls, but industry and economic trends point to more lasting outcomes unless immediate action is taken.

At 18 percent of the U.S. economy, health care is a $3.6 trillion industry annually. By barring all elective surgeries, which covers a huge array of operations, like knee reconstructions or even cancer biopsies, hospitals have been denied billions in revenue in just the last month alone.

Outpatient services account for half of all hospital revenue, which means hospitals are now making, and spending, half what they were this time last year.

Mexican Restaurant Owner Under Fire for Offering ICE Agents Free Meals Fires Back at Leftists: ‘They Need to Look for Jesus’

Reporter’s Notebook: Bondi’s binder strategy turns House hearing into political firestorm

CEO Resigns After His Disturbing Jeffrey Epstein Email Comes to Light: ‘I Loved the Torture Video’

Noem backs SAVE America Act, slams ‘radical left’ opposition to voter IDs and proof of citizenship

Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Ransom deadline passes, key evidence emerges in Nancy Guthrie case

California middle school assistant principal nabbed in child sex sting

Don Lemon pleads not guilty to charges for storming Minnesota church

Trump admin rips Mamdani, local Dems as activists override gov’t move at NYC monument: ‘Focused on theatrics’

WATCH: Bill O’Reilly Thoroughly Debunk the Frequently Cited ‘Only 14% of Illegals Are Violent’ Argument Leftists Use Against Deportation

Minneapolis prosecutors charge few anti-ICE protesters amid mass unrest

See It: Ultra High-Res Image of Bondi’s Notes Shows Deadly Dirt on Dems She Walked Into Hearing Ready to Use if Necessary

ICE director stands his ground after Swalwell blowup, says Democrats are ‘misleading their constituents’

Fani Willis slams $17 million legal fees demand from Trump and former codefendants

Fetterman bucks Democrats, says party put politics over country in DHS shutdown standoff

Trump DOJ files new lawsuit accusing Harvard of withholding records on race in admissions

It’s not surprising, then, that the industry shed a record 43,000 health care workers in the first month of this crisis. Experts expect equal or greater layoffs this month, when the sustained forbearance has made revenue even more urgent.

Even before this crisis, one in four rural hospitals were vulnerable to closure. Now, many of these rural systems have more empty beds than ever before.

It doesn’t take an economist to understand the underlying economics here. And it won’t just be rural health care that will suffer—hospitals in every corner of the country might close for good.

The coronavirus will continue to spread throughout the United States, but our ability to treat and prevent its transmission will be severely constrained if as-yet-unaffected hospitals resort to mass layoffs. We need to sustain robust staffing in every corner of this country—and prohibiting elective surgeries outright is wildly counterproductive.

Understand: The availability of clinicians in hot spots like New York City, New Orleans and Detroit is no more an urgent public health crisis than health care staffing everywhere else because when this is over these patients will still require dialysis, chemotherapy and other life-saving treatments.

Health care has historically weathered economic downturns in stride because people get sick even in depressions, but this is unlike previous slumps. In the past 30 years, there have been only four months where the industry destroyed jobs. What used to be the worst case, in 2003, was just one-quarter of the losses experienced in March.

Hospitals are in the business of treating patients, but few are any more—which means more furloughs are ahead unless and until hospitals are allowed to perform their basic function: provide health care.