California hospitals say they have suffered as much as $14 billion in losses by postponing elective surgeries and other procedures to clear space in anticipation of a flood of coronavirus patients that never occurred.
The California Hospital Association on Monday asked state lawmakers to immediately approve $1 billion in financial aid.
The request came as California expects to exhaust its record budget reserves and cut programs to pay for its extraordinary response to the pandemic.
The head of the California Medical Association says medical practices have lost more than half their revenue, and as many as 15% of practices could close their doors.
