Women's Healthcare in U.S. Catholic-Affiliated Hospitals

U.S. healthcare has experienced significant growth in its religious sector such that, as of 2016, 18% of hospitals were religiously affiliated (14% Catholic, 4% other religious nonprofit hospitals, including Jewish and Christian [e.g., Protestant, Seventh-Day Adventist]). Between 2001 and 2016, the number of Catholic-owned or affiliated acute care hospitals grew by 22%, while the overall number dropped by 6% and the number of other nonprofit religious hospitals fell by 38%. In 2016, 10 of the largest 25 healthcare systems were Catholic-sponsored and 46 were designated as sole community hospitals based on their remoteness from other medical centers.¹ Almost half (46%) of all Catholic hospitals are in the Midwest² — and data from health insur…