Where do all the patients go?

Public hospitals, which have long been known to provide medical care to Americans of all walks, are being forced to shut down. There are many reasons that contribute to the decline of public hospitals. It’s a combination of budget cuts at almost every level of government, increased number of uninsured patients, and the increased demand on the emergency room. Without the public hospitals, private hospitals are forced to assume the burden. But what happens to the patients who were from a now closed public hospital? It has been suggested that they suffer declines in outpatient and inpatient medical care, and overall health status. Looking at the broader effects of fewer public hospitals, it is suggested that they could ultimately drive up the cost of U.S. health care, because poor patients will have to seek their medical care elsewhere (i.e. emergency rooms at other hospitals).