Health Affairs, 25, no. 1 (2006): 8-9 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.25.1.8 © 2006 by Project HOPE	New Online   Pay Cuts For Medicare Docs   Access To Care Woes   Public Coverage More Efficient   Empowering Consumers

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From the Editor

U.S. Hospitals: Examining Their Fraying Social Contract

AMERICA'S HOSPITALS, the employers of 4.7 million people (full-time-equivalent) in 2003 with revenues approaching a half-trillion dollars, are a bulwark of the health care system and a mainstay in the overall economy as well. In 2003, the latest year of data available, there were 5,764 hospitals in the United States, which generated revenues of $498.1 billion. These facilities operated some 965,000 beds and cared for 36.6 million inpatients, with an average daily census of 657,000. With advances in medical technology, greater patient demand when baby boomers reach retirement, and rising prices, it seems likely that hospital . . . [Full Text of this Article]

John K. Iglehart, Founding Editor

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