Critical Condition

New Yorkers are losing access to care as a fiscal crisis hammers hospitals statewide

The COVID-19 pandemic placed extraordinary stress on the nation’s and New York’s healthcare system. Today, New York’s hospitals remain in crisis. They face a national healthcare worker shortage, uncontrollable expense increases, fewer places to safely discharge patients, concurrent public health crises, stagnant infrastructure and market changes that leave hospitals increasingly serving only the sickest and most vulnerable patients.

As a result of circumstances beyond their control, hospitals statewide need urgent help to sustain their services.

According to a fall 2022 survey by New York’s state and allied regional hospital associations, New Yorkers are losing access to healthcare services amid escalating care delivery costs and persistent workforce shortages – and providers expect access to medical services to further deteriorate. Action is needed now.

Explore the survey findings:

• Severe fiscal and workforce challenges are forcing hospitals to cut patient services and halt modernization projects that advance patient care.
• National healthcare workforce shortages continue to force hospitals to use costly contract labor, driving up expenses alongside substantial increases in drug, supply and energy costs.
• Four out of five hospitals in New York report negative or unsustainable operating margins.
• With pandemic-related government support ending and expenses continuing to escalate, hospitals’ dire fiscal crisis is likely to only get worse.
• Action is needed now to protect patient access to care.