Hospital ED volumes hike 40% since 2020, according to Moody’s report
Hospital emergency department volumes have increased 40% since 2020, driven by an increasingly sick population seeking high-acuity care in one convenient location.
Four financial challenges EDs face
Flat-to-declining payment rates, increasing Medicaid volumes, downcoding by payers, and increasing costs from waits and boarding have combined to increase financial challenges for hospital emergency departments in recent years.
Medicaid enrollment drops, but many newly insured patients switch to commercial plans
Medicaid enrollment peaked at 94.5 million in April 2023, but after the unwinding process, it fell to 79.3 million in October 2024, with over 25 million people disenrolled, but overall enrollment only decreased by about 13 million due to enrollment of newly eligible.