Harvard Study Finds Urban, Rural Hospital Closures Nearly Equal
A study published in JAMA by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers finds urban hospitals closed at a 9.1% rate between 2010 and 2025, nearly matching the 8.3% closure rate for rural hospitals. Hospitals most likely to close were for-profit, small, or safety-net facilities serving high-poverty counties with limited transportation access. Overall, 432 hospitals closed and only 216 opened during the period, a net loss of over 24,000 beds, with new facilities concentrated in urban, for-profit, small-hospital settings. States that did not expand Medicaid eligibility saw more closures, and the Midwest and South were hit hardest; the study's release comes as health systems anticipate steep Medicaid spending cuts under the 2025 federal reconciliation law.