Three U.S. hospitals and emergency departments have closed in 2026, compared to 13 through the same point in 2025, according to Becker’s reporting. However, those data points might not signal structural improvement.
In total, 2025 saw 23 closures, nearly matching the 25 reported in 2024. Becker’s has reported on just three closures or planned closures in 2026: Searcy, Ark.-based Unity Health closed its emergency department and medical unit at its acute care hospital April 15 to convert it to a psychiatric facility; Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center ended inpatient and emergency services in mid-May; and Gaithersburg, Md.-based Adventist HealthCare plans to close its Germantown (Md.) Emergency Center on July 1.
By early June 2025, facilities across more than 10 states had shuttered, including high-profile closures such as New York City-based Mount Sinai Beth Israel on April 9; Upland, Pa.-based Crozer Health’s two Pennsylvania hospitals: Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland on May 2 and Ridley Park, Pa.-based Taylor Hospital on April 26; and United Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on April 15.
The modest closure decline reflects a financial environment that has incrementally improved in recent years.
Kaufman Hall described the 2024 theme as “stability,” with key indicators including improved outpatient revenue and shorter average length of stay. It also noted hospitals had reduced their reliance on contract labor where possible, which signaled financial recovery.
The closure slowdown also comes amid warning signs about hospital and health system financial stability. The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform’s most recent analysis found that 720 rural hospitals across the U.S., which represent around one-third of all nationwide rural facilities, are at risk of closure due to severe financial challenges.
These hospitals were flagged before a single provision of HR 1 takes effect. As federal policy changes work their way into law, this could convert a large share of those at-risk hospitals into closures within the next two to four years.
As Medicaid work requirements take effect in 2027 for adults ages 19-64, safety-net hospitals could face operating margin hits up to 29.6%, according to Commonwealth Fund analysis. Hospitals in Medicaid expansion states could see average margin shrinkage of up to 13.3%.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated 10.9 million people would lose coverage by 2034.
King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services CFO Steve Filton estimated the system’s aggregate net benefit from Medicaid supplemental programs will be cut on an “annually increasing and relatively pro rata basis” by $420 million to $470 million by 2032 under HR 1.
While 2026 is off to a quiet start, 2027 might not be.
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