Rising out-of-pocket costs and the shift towards high-deductible health plans will cause admissions to be weak at for-profit hospitals through 2018, according to Reuters.
Large operators such as Tenet, HCA and Community Health System reported “dismal” results through the second quarter of 2017 and cut their forecasts for the year. Part of the blame rests with patients pushing off non-emergency procedures until they’ve hit their deductible, with hospitals noticing December quarters could outperform traditionally strong first half numbers.
"I think the seasonality is changing, somewhat, where the fourth quarter is really shaping up to be the biggest quarter because of all the people deferring things until their co-pays are deductible," said J.P. Morgan analyst Gary Taylor.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.