This is a economic question and really need some help.?

It makes ready access to care more difficult for low-income patients, as people on lower incomes often have less ability to travel....

You might want to do your own homework next time though. I'm just saying...

If the smaller neighbourhood services aren't being utilised, then the funds provided to pay staff wages/salaries, as well as cover the costs of utilities (phone, electricity, gas), maintenance and repairs, cleaning, etc. are not being used efficiently. these funds being pooled to a larger hospital or service that is being utilised, means that the larger service can provide more staff and better services to the people who do use them. It's a classic example of "use it or lose it", if people go to their local community health centre rather than the hospital ER, the health centre would be less likely to be closed.

mmmm I thought I was reasonably clever till I read that question.......lol...hats off to you guys

Pay attention in class!

The costs for medical care is less at the smaller clinics than it is at the hospital - less infrastructure (no beds, less diagnostic equipment), less employees. While the hospital will make the claim that they are doing it as a cost cutting measure, the fact is that the costs for medical care will likely go up substantially. You can go to a neighborhood clinic at least tens times for the cost of one visit to an emergency room. As a trustee of three separate employee health insurance groups, I have seen it in black and white. The cost for health care will go up, and the people needing it most - less likely to be able to have transportation to the hospital or funds to pay for treatment - will suffer the most.

I had this class last year. Here is the answer:

The high-income people band together and build a private hospital. They make it a private club, thus they can deny membership to anybody they wish.

This new hospital pays larger wages. The hospital can hire the best staff, leaving the other hospital with lesser quality of care. The hospital doesn't accept insurance payments of any kind, thus lowering overhead costs due to not having to file claims.

The care at the other hospital suffers, mortality increases, low income people die off leaving only the high income people to do all the work, even digging ditches and doing laundry.

Based on the question, it would seem that the moving into the hospital is to maximize resources & gain economy of scales. Doctors would be better utilized where they are needed instead of being dispatch into unused clinics which would mean hiring additinal doctors to hospitals which may eventually raise Hospitaliztion fees.

Thus, if the objecitve is to curtail increases in hopital medical care & be where care is needed, then this could be one of the reasons for the desision.

The resourses that are being under utilized at these clinics are being moved to busier hospitals to better serve the larger number of people.