A wide variety of indicators show healthcare in California is financially much weaker than in the rest of the nation, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
While the nation has added 318,000 healthcare jobs since October 2009, California has added just 9,000 healthcare jobs.
In a 2009 survey of hospitals by the California Hospital Association, 51 percent saw a decline in admissions, 58 percent saw a decrease in elective surgery and nearly 60 percent reported an increase in uninsured emergency room visits.
A recent study by the California Institute for Nursing and Health Care found only 57 percent of new nursing school graduates were working as registered nurses in mid-2010.
The vacancy rate of medical office building in Los Angeles is currently about 15 percent, up from 11.5 percent before the recession.
The state has a 12.4 percent unemployment rate, the third-highest in the nation, causing high levels of uninsured patients. A UCLA study found nearly one in four Californians lacked health insurance last year, compared with one in six nationally. Additionally, a Mercer study found healthcare costs for California employers rose 8.4 percent this year, outpacing increases nationally.
Read the Los Angeles Times report on the recession in California.
Read more about the recession's impact on healthcare:
- Study Finds Recession Loosening Grip on U.S. Hospitals
- Emerging From the Great Recession: Martin Winter of Alvarez & Marsal Discusses Trends For Hospitals
- Newly Graduating Nurses Having Trouble Finding Jobs
While the nation has added 318,000 healthcare jobs since October 2009, California has added just 9,000 healthcare jobs.
In a 2009 survey of hospitals by the California Hospital Association, 51 percent saw a decline in admissions, 58 percent saw a decrease in elective surgery and nearly 60 percent reported an increase in uninsured emergency room visits.
A recent study by the California Institute for Nursing and Health Care found only 57 percent of new nursing school graduates were working as registered nurses in mid-2010.
The vacancy rate of medical office building in Los Angeles is currently about 15 percent, up from 11.5 percent before the recession.
The state has a 12.4 percent unemployment rate, the third-highest in the nation, causing high levels of uninsured patients. A UCLA study found nearly one in four Californians lacked health insurance last year, compared with one in six nationally. Additionally, a Mercer study found healthcare costs for California employers rose 8.4 percent this year, outpacing increases nationally.
Read the Los Angeles Times report on the recession in California.
Read more about the recession's impact on healthcare:
- Study Finds Recession Loosening Grip on U.S. Hospitals
- Emerging From the Great Recession: Martin Winter of Alvarez & Marsal Discusses Trends For Hospitals
- Newly Graduating Nurses Having Trouble Finding Jobs