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For-Profit Corporations Are Buying Up More Psychiatric Hospitals. Some Flout Federal Law With Scarce Repercussions.
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of ProPublica
Posted: August 31st, 2026
https://www.propublica.org/article/psychiatric-hospitals-emt...
As the share of U.S. adults receiving mental health care treatment steadily grows, for-profit companies are playing an increasingly important role. More than 40% of inpatient mental health beds were operated by for-profit entities as of 2021. That’s up from about 13% in 2010. (The number of mental health beds held relatively constant during that time.) Experts tie this growth to provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which made mental health care an essential health benefit that all insurance plans are required to cover. Wider access to and increased reimbursement of mental health services piqued the interest of for-profit corporations, said Eileen O’Grady, who until recently served as program director at the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. “Investors in for-profit entities see that as an opportunity to make money,” she said, “in a space that had not historically been seen as super profitable.” Shields and other researchers have repeatedly flagged concerns about lower quality of care at mental health facilities owned by for-profit corporations, in part due to efforts to cut staff and reduce costs. ProPublica reported Monday that over 90 psychiatric hospitals across the country have violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act in the past 15 years. The vast majority of them — around 80% — are owned by for-profit corporations. Yet only a handful have faced any consequences. About half of all the hospitals cited were owned by ... Universal Health Services and Acadia Healthcare.
Note: For more along these lines, read our concise summaries of news articles on corporate corruption and mental health.
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