fewer public hospitals = less healthy population

The first thing that comes to mind, is the fact that the closing of hospitals will cause an overcrowding in those hospitals that remain. Not only will this discourage people from getting medical attention, as people will try to avoid the inconveniences associated with the overcrowding, but the quality of health care will decline. In addition, it will be more difficult for the poor and uninsured to obtain health care, as they may not be able to afford the private hospital costs. And, I would expect that as public hospitals become fewer, the cost of health care may increase since competition will thin out.

All of these barriers to health care would undoubtedly have a negative impact on the population's health. In general, these changes would lead to fewer people getting the medical care they need. Furthermore, The poor population, which is generally less healthy, would perhaps be the most affected by the closing of public hospitals. Thus, the health of the population would decline.