For-Profit Mental Health Beds: More Cash, Less Compassion!
Get ready to LOL (or cry) with this mental health money saga: As of 2021, over 40% of U.S. inpatient mental health beds are run by for-profit giants, up from a puny 13% in 2010, thanks to the Affordable Care Act making mental care a must-cover benefit. Big players like Universal Health Services (UHS) raked in nearly $16 billion last year and Acadia Healthcare pulled $3 billion, yet both have been cited for EMTALA violationsāUHS with 34 citations, including the Brentwood Behavioral Healthcare fiasco in Mississippi where uninsured patients were happily turned away. Brentwood paid $350k in fines but claims it was just 'poor communication' during a one-month hiccup. Acadiaās Park Royal Hospital got off with a mere $52k fine for dumping patients. So, while profits soared, care quality took a nosedive amid shady 'cream-skimming' where hospitals avoid violent or uninsured patients like gluten on a cleanse. Talk about mental health meets corporate hustle in a system where 'caring' sometimes costs a fee!
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When mental health care turns into a game of hide-the-uninsured, UHS and Acadia serve dollar signs, not compassion. Who knew patient dumping was the new profit strategy in America's for-profit psych ward craze?
Turning mental health beds into a profit playground means too many patients get RSVP'd with 'Sorry, no insurance, no entry'ālike an exclusive club for dollars, not diagnoses.
Universal Health Services rakes in $16B but canāt afford to treat uninsured patients? Sounds like capitalismās latest therapy: throw cash, ignore crisis.
Source: Propublica | Published: 9/23/2025 | Author: by Eli Cahan for ProPublica
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