The 'permanent patients' in America's hospitals
Urban health-care facilities sometimes wind up caring for people for years after they have recovered — because no one else will take them in

Hospitals in big cities are getting stuck caring for "permanent patients" who are well enough to be released, but have nowhere else to go, according to The New York Times. In some cases, these patients wind up staying for years, costing hospitals a fortune. Here, a guide to what these "decidedly unwelcome patients" mean for the nation's health-care system:
How big is this problem?
There are an estimated 300 such patients in New York City hospitals alone, and many of the nation's largest urban centers face similar quandaries. It might not sound like a huge drain on the system, but the cost of caring for a single person languishing unnecessarily in a hospital can exceed $100,000 a year. And some of these patients wind up staying as long as five years. "It cost us several million dollars a year," New York Downtown Hospital's former chief medical officer, Dr. Warren B. Licht, tells The New York Times, "in a hospital struggling to keep its head above water."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Who are these patients?
Some are poor, or uninsured. Others are illegal immigrants, whose families and home countries won't take them in. They often enter the hospitals for emergency care, which Medicaid frequently pays for. But once the immediate crisis has passed, the coverage stops, and hospitals are stuck with the resulting bill.
Why don't hospitals just kick out "permanent patients"?
They're not allowed to discharge people who still need some measure of care — even if it's not directly related to illness — but have no adequate place to go. Under New York law, for example, hospitals can't discharge patients to shelters or to the street. So acute-care facilities like New York Downtown Hospital can wind up keeping patients for years after they could safely be transferred to far less expensive health-care centers, or simply sent home.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sources: Boston Globe, New York Times, Newser
-
Today's political cartoons - March 30, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - strawberry fields forever, secret files, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously sparse cartoons about further DOGE cuts
Cartoons Artists take on free audits, report cards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published