Amid calls for price hikes, for-profit hospitals see operating margins rise

Operating margins for the three largest for-profit hospital chains exceeded pre-pandemic levels in the third quarter, according to a new analysis that comes as hospital lobbies are pushing for financial relief from Congress, reports Fierce Healthcare. The analysis, released Dec. 5 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, looked at the latest financial performance for large hospital chains HCA Healthcare Inc., Tenet Healthcare Corp. and Community Health Systems Inc. For all three systems, operating margins have exceeded 2019 levels for most of the pandemic.