Hospitals Report Fewer Elective Procedures

Hospitals are reporting that they are seeing fewer patients for elective surgical procedures like knee replacements or bariatric surgery. According to the New York Times, this is probably because the economy has recently taken a turn for the worse, and people are concerned about spending the money and taking the time off from work when their financial situation is uncertain. Hospitals may suffer due to this trend, because elective surgery adds to their revenue and allows them to offer charity care and to stay in business despite increasing amounts of unpaid medical bills.