You can go throughout the US...past 20 years, and find dozens of hospitals that gave free care...failed and collapsed. Most were taken over, for pennies on the dollar, and bankruptcies cleared the lost funds. I think in some ways...the HR departments are bought off and are part of the agenda to fail the hospitals.
No. It’s been going on since the sixties
Check ER closures and hospital bankruptcies in California (mostly So Cal)