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With Health Care Repeal, Hospitals in Poor Neighborhoods Face Financial Gloom

The New York Times' Abby Goodnough reports that Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia and other hospitals serving poor neighborhoods face a financial crisis if the Affordable Care Act is repealed. President-elect Donald Trump and Republican Congressional leadership have vowed to do exactly that.

The hospital industry predicts that "hospitals stood to lose $165 billion through 2026 if more than 20 million people lose the insurance they gained under the law. They predicted widespread layoffs, cuts in outpatient care and services for the mentally ill, and even hospital closings."

Prior to the Affordable Care Act, the hospitals had to absorb the cost of caring for uninsured patients. Hospitals who serve a large number of poor and uninsured patients also agreed to funding cuts in exchange for getting more patients with Medicaid and other insurance coverage. If Medicaid expansion is rolled back, hospitals like Temple are hoping that supplemental funds to defray the costs of caring for the uninsured will be restored.