Hospitals See Drop in Paying Patients

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/business/07hospital.html

Here's an article about the current economy's effect (unemployment at a 14 year high!) on hospitals, procedures, and patient enrollment. It's true there's a "bottom-line" that needs to be met, but I still thought it was interesting that the way they present procedures and patients in the article is by dollar signs-- the money-making procedures vs. uninsured or Medicare/Medicaid patients. Anyway, this article also makes it seem apparent to me that the current system isn't working well-- how does hospitals elimating jobs and/or procedures affect patient care? It'll be interesting to see how healthcare reform might play out in our current economy.