Waste and abuse is a reason for rising healthcare costs. Which of the following is a contributory factor?

Rationale:

A. Health insurance: While health insurance has influenced healthcare delivery and financing, it is not credited with the significant expansion of hospital beds as compared to other options.

B. Hill-Burton Act: The Hill-Burton Act, passed in 1946, provided federal grants and loans for hospital construction and modernization, leading to a substantial increase in the number of hospital beds in the United States.

C. Technological advances: Technological advances have certainly influenced healthcare

delivery and the types of services provided in hospitals, but they may not have directly led to the expansion of hospital beds to the same extent as the Hill-Burton Act.

D. Medicare and Medicaid: While Medicare and Medicaid have had significant impacts on

healthcare financing and access, they may not have directly influenced the expansion of hospital beds as much as the Hill-Burton Act.

A. A nonfederal short-stay hospital whose services are available to the general public: Community hospitals are defined as nonfederal short-stay hospitals that provide a range of services to the general public and are accessible to all members of the community.

B. Nongovernment and privately owned: While many community hospitals may be privately owned, this option does not encompass the full definition as it excludes government-owned hospitals that serve the community.

C. Government ownership (federal, state, or local): Community hospitals can be government- owned, but this answer does not capture the full scope of what defines a community hospital.

D. Often located in large urban areas: Community hospitals can be found in both urban and rural areas, so this answer is not sufficiently inclusive.