St. Louis area hospitals had strong financial performances in 2015 as operating profits soared, bad debt starkly declined and charity care dropped 13 percent, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which cited the St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition's annual report.
For the first time in 35 years, the hospitals saw bad debt decrease in 2015, which Karen Roth, the report author and director of research for the coalition, attributes to the increase of insured patients as a result of the ACA.
In addition to the declines in bad debt and charity care, St. Louis hospitals saw operating profits increase by 45 percent collectively.
Since the list prices for services also increased 8 percent in 2015, St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition's report noted it is unclear if the profit growth was driven by higher prices or more efficient care.