Commentary: How rising hospital costs increase health care inequities for marginalized communities

Across the state, California’s hospitals are facing serious challenges — particularly those institutions serving our urban, low-income and historically marginalized communities. Metropolitan anchor hospitals, as they have come to be known, play a vital role in advancing health equity and are disproportionately affected by the problems facing the entire health care system.

Health care costs, which were already increasing before the COVID-19 pandemic, are now accelerating at an even faster pace. Inflation, supply chain issues and rising labor costs are making the situation even more