they were bought out by competing hospital organizations, consolidating overhead and getting rid of redundant employees. Over the years, each city went from 3 hospitals to one but with a higher level of care (and expense) and no real loss of beds or treatment. The other thing that has dramatically changed over the past 25 years is the family structure. It used to be common for families to take care of elderly members, today not so much. My grandparents moved in with my parents when they needed care- both in their late 70's. My parents did the same with myself and my brother. That was the natural order of things where I lived but those days are about over- now the elderly are dumped on the taxpayers while their kids wash their hands of them. I stand by my position that throwing over half a trillion dollars a year (25% of it gone to fraud and ALL of it borrowed by we taxpayers from the labors of our children and yet to be born grandchildren) is criminal.