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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | 8) COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Professional and General Liability, Workers’ Compensation Liability The vast majority of our subsidiaries are self-insured for professional and general liability exposure up to: (i) $20 million for professional liability and $3 million for general liability per occurrence in 2023, 2022 and 2021; (ii) $10 million and $3 million per occurrence in 2020; (iii) $5 million and $3 million per occurrence, respectively, during 2019, 2018 and 2017, and; (iv) $10 million and $3 million per occurrence, respectively, prior to 2017. These subsidiaries are provided with several excess policies through commercial insurance carriers which provide for coverage in excess of the applicable per occurrence and aggregate self-insured retention or underlying policy limits up to approximately $165 million in 2023; $162 million in 2022; $155 million in 2021 and $250 million during each of 2014 through 2020. In addition, from time to time based upon marketplace conditions, we may elect to purchase additional commercial coverage for certain of our facilities or businesses. Our behavioral health care facilities located in the U.K. have policies through a commercial insurance carrier located in the U.K. that provides for £16 million of professional liability coverage, and £25 million of general liability coverage. As of December 31, 2023, the total net accrual for our professional and general liability claims was $431 million, of which $70 million was included in current liabilities. As of December 31, 2022, the total net accrual for our professional and general liability claims was $372 million, of which $74 million was included in current liabilities. As a result of unfavorable trends experienced during the last three years, our results of operations included pre-tax increases to our reserves for self-insured professional and general liability claims amounting to approximately $25 million during 2023, $16 million during 2022 and $52 million during 2021. Our estimated liability for self-insured professional and general liability claims is based on a number of factors including, among other things, the number of asserted claims and reported incidents, estimates of losses for these claims based on recent and historical settlement amounts, estimates of incurred but not reported claims based on historical experience, and estimates of amounts recoverable under our commercial insurance policies. While we continuously monitor these factors, our ultimate liability for professional and general liability claims could change materially from our current estimates due to inherent uncertainties involved in making this estimate. Given our significant self-insured exposure for professional and general liability claims, there can be no assurance that a sharp increase in the number and/or severity of claims asserted against us will not have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations. As of December 31, 2023, the total accrual for our workers’ compensation liability claims was $130 million, $55 million of which was included in current liabilities. As of December 31, 2022, the total accrual for our workers’ compensation liability claims was $125 million, $55 million of which was included in current liabilities. As a result of favorable trends experienced during the year, included in our results of operations during 2023 was a pre-tax decrease to our reserves for self-insured workers' compensation liability claims of approximately $10 million. Although we are unable to predict whether or not our future financial statements will require updates to estimates for our prior year reserves for self-insured general and professional and workers’ compensation claims, given the relatively unpredictable nature of these potential liabilities and the factors impacting these reserves, as discussed above, it is reasonably likely that our future financial results may include material adjustments to prior period reserves. Below is a schedule showing the changes in our general and professional liability and workers’ compensation reserves during the three years ended December 31, 2023 (amount in thousands):
|  | General and |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  | Professional |  |  | Workers’ |  |  |  |
|  | Liability |  |  | Compensation |  |  | Total |
Balance at January 1, 2021 |  | $ | 263,779 |  |  | $ | 105,185 |  |  | $ | 368,964 |
Plus: Accrued insurance expense, net of commercial premiums paid |  |  | 129,690 |  |  |  | 56,525 |  |  |  | 186,215 |
Less: Payments made in settlement of self-insured claims |  |  | (44,776 | ) |  |  | (46,725 | ) |  |  | (91,501 | )
Balance at January 1, 2022 |  |  | 348,693 |  |  |  | 114,985 |  |  |  | 463,678 |
Plus: Accrued insurance expense, net of commercial premiums paid |  |  | 111,763 |  |  |  | 62,960 |  |  |  | 174,723 |
Less: Payments made in settlement of self-insured claims |  |  | (88,556 | ) |  |  | (53,429 | ) |  |  | (141,985 | )
Balance at January 1, 2023 |  |  | 371,900 |  |  |  | 124,516 |  |  |  | 496,416 |
Plus: Accrued insurance expense, net of commercial premiums paid |  |  | 127,445 |  |  |  | 56,017 |  |  |  | 183,462 |
Less: Payments made in settlement of self-insured claims |  |  | (67,860 | ) |  |  | (50,229 | ) |  |  | (118,089 | )
Balance at December 31, 2023 |  | $ | 431,485 |  |  | $ | 130,304 |  |  | $ | 561,789 |
Property Insurance We have commercial property insurance policies for our properties providing property and business interruption coverage for losses in excess of $25 million per occurrence or per location (as applicable based upon the event) up to a $1 billion annual policy limitation for certain catastrophic events or perils. These commercial policies provide for coverage of up to $250 million of annual aggregate coverage for losses resulting from windstorm damage. Losses resulting from named windstor ms are subject to deductibles between 3% and 5% of the total insurable value of the property. In addition, we have commercial property insurance policies covering catastrophic losses resulting from earthquake and flood damage, each subject to aggregated loss limits (as opposed to per occurrence losses). Commercially insured earthquake coverage for our facilities is subject to various deductibles and limitations including: (i) $100 million limitation for our facilities located in California, New Madrid Seismic Zone, Pacific Northwest Seismic Zone, Alaska and various counties in Nevada; (ii) $100 million limitation for our facilities located in fault zones within the United States; (iii) $40 million limitation for our facilities located in Puerto Rico, and; (iv) $250 million limitation for many of our facilities located in other states. Our commercially insured flood coverage has a limit of $100 million annually. There is also a $10 million sublimit for one of our facilities located in Houston, Texas, and a $1 million sublimit for our facilities located in Puerto Rico. Property insurance for our behavioral health facilities located in the U.K. are provided on an all risk basis up to a £1.5 billion policy limit, with coverage caps per location, that includes coverage for real and personal property as well as business interruption losses. These commercial policies are subject t o a deductible of: (i) $5 million per location for damage resulting from earthquake, wind, hail and flood, and; (ii) $5 million per occurrence for all other events. For per location or per occurrence losses in excess of the applicable deductible, we are self-insured, through our wholly-owned captive, for up to $20 million of annual aggregate losses. Should the $20 million self-insured annual aggregate limitation be exhausted during the policy year, we have commercial insurance coverage for the next $20 million of annual aggregate losses in excess of the applicable deductible. In the event the $20 million of commercial coverage is also exhausted, we are self-insured for all per location or per occurrence losses up to $25 million, including the $5 million deductible. Commitment to Develop, Lease and Operate an Acute Care Hospital in Washington, D.C. During 2020, we entered into various agreements with the District of Columbia (the “District”) related to the development, leasing and operation of an acute care hospital and certain other facilities/structures on land owned by the District (“District Facilities”). The agreements contemplate that we will serve as manager for development and construction of the District Facilities on behalf of the District, with a projected aggregate cost of approximately $439 million, approximately $210 million of which was incurred as of December 31, 2023, which will be entirely funded by the District. Construction of the District Facilities is expected to be completed during 2025. Upon completion of the District Facilities, we will lease the District Facilities for a nominal rental amount for a period of 75 years and are obligated to operate the District Facilities during the lease term. We have certain lease termination rights in connection with the District Facilities beginning on the tenth anniversary of the lease commencement date for various and decreasing amounts as provided for in the agreements. Additionally, any time after the 10 th anniversary of the lease term, we have a right to purchase the District Facilities for a price equal to the greater of fair market value of the District Facilities or the amount necessary to defease the bonds issued by the District to fund the construction of the District Facilities. The lease agreement also entitles the District to participation rent should certain specified earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization thresholds be achieved by the acute care hospital. Additionally, we have committed to expend no less than $75 million (approximately $5 million of which has been incurred as of December 31, 2023), over a projected 12-year period, in healthcare infrastructure including expenditures related to the District Facilities as well as other healthcare related expenditures in certain specified areas of Washington, D.C. Pursuant to the agreements, the District is entitled to certain termination fees and other amounts as specified in the agreements in the event we, within certain specified periods of time, cease to operate the acute care hospital or there is a transfer of control of us or our subsidiary operating the hospital. Information Technology Incident In connection with an information technology security incident in late September, 2020, our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were favorably impacted by an aggregate of approximately $13 million and $45 million, respectively, resulting from receipt of commercial cyber insurance proceeds (approximate ly $41 million in the aggregate during 2022 and 2021), and; (ii) collection of revenues previously reserved during 2020 (approximately $17 million during 2021). Other Contractual Commitments: In addition to our long-term debt obligations as discussed in Note 4 - Long-Term Debt and our operating lease obligations as discussed in Note 7 - Lease Commitments, we have various other contractual commitments outstanding as of December 31, 2023 as follows: (i) other combined estimated future purchase obligations of $327 million related to a long-term contract with third-parties consisting primarily of certain revenue cycle data processing services for our acute care facilities ($65 million), expected future costs to be paid to a third-party vendor in connection with the ongoing operation of an electronic health records application and purchase implementation of a revenue cycle and other applications for our acute care facilities ($188 million), healthcare infrastructure in Washington D.C. in connection with various agreements with the District of Columbia ($70 million), and other software applications ($4 million); (ii) estimated construction commitment of $99 million representing our share of the construction cost of two behavioral health care facilities scheduled to be completed in 2025 that, subject to approval of certain regulatory conditions, we are required to build pursuant to joint-venture agreements with a third-party; (iii) combined estimated future payments of $165 million related to our non-contributory, defined benefit pension plan ($139 million consisting of estimated payments through 2080) and other retirement plan liabilities ($26 million), and; (iv) accrued and unpaid estimated claims expense incurred in connection with our commercial health insurers and self-insured employee benefit plans ($110 million). Legal Proceedings We operate in a highly regulated and litigious industry which subjects us to various claims and lawsuits in the ordinary course of business as well as regulatory proceedings and government investigations. These claims or suits include claims for damages for personal injuries, medical malpractice, commercial/contractual disputes, wrongful restriction of, or interference with, physicians’ staff privileges, and employment related claims. In addition, health care companies are subject to investigations and/or actions by various state and federal governmental agencies or those bringing claims on their behalf. Government action has increased with respect to investigations and/or allegations against healthcare providers concerning possible violations of fraud and abuse and false claims statutes as well as compliance with clinical and operational regulations. Currently, and from time to time, we and some of our facilities are subjected to inquiries in the form of subpoenas, Civil Investigative Demands, audits and other document requests from various federal and state agencies. These inquiries can lead to notices and/or actions including repayment obligations from state and federal government agencies associated with potential non-compliance with laws and regulations. Further, the federal False Claims Act allows private individuals to bring lawsuits (qui tam actions) against healthcare providers that submit claims for payments to the government. Various states have also adopted similar statutes. When such a claim is filed, the government will investigate the matter and decide if they are going to intervene in the pending case. These qui tam lawsuits are placed under seal by the court to comply with the False Claims Act’s requirements. If the government chooses not to intervene, the private individual(s) can proceed independently on behalf of the government. Health care providers that are found to violate the False Claims Act may be subject to substantial monetary fines/penalties as well as face potential exclusion from participating in government health care programs or be required to comply with Corporate Integrity Agreements as a condition of a settlement of a False Claims Act matter. In September 2014, the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that all qui tam cases will be shared with their Division to determine if a parallel criminal investigation should be opened. The DOJ has also announced an intention to pursue civil and criminal actions against individuals within a company as well as the corporate entity or entities. In addition, health care facilities are subject to monitoring by state and federal surveyors to ensure compliance with program Conditions of Participation. In the event a facility is found to be out of compliance with a Condition of Participation and unable to remedy the alleged deficiency(s), the facility faces termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs or compliance with a System Improvement Agreement to remedy deficiencies and ensure compliance. The laws and regulations governing the healthcare industry are complex covering, among other things, government healthcare participation requirements, licensure, certification and accreditation, privacy of patient information, reimbursement for patient services as well as fraud and abuse compliance. These laws and regulations are constantly evolving and expanding. Further, the Legislation has added additional obligations on healthcare providers to report and refund overpayments by government healthcare programs and authorizes the suspension of Medicare and Medicaid payments “pending an investigation of a credible allegation of fraud.” We monitor our business and have developed an ethics and compliance program with respect to these complex laws, rules and regulations. Although we believe our policies, procedures and practices comply with government regulations, there is no assurance that we will not be faced with the sanctions referenced above which include fines, penalties and/or substantial damages, repayment obligations, payment suspensions, licensure revocation, and expulsion from government healthcare programs. Even if we were to ultimately prevail in any action brought against us or our facilities or in responding to any inquiry, such action or inquiry could have a material adverse effect on us. Certain legal matters are described below: Knight v. Miller, et. al. In July 2021, a shareholder derivative lawsuit was filed by plaintiff, Robin Knight, in the Chancery Court in Delaware against the members of the Board of Directors of the Company as well as certain officers (C.A. No.: 2021-0581-SG). The Company was named as a nominal defendant. The lawsuit alleges that in March 2020 stock options were awarded with exercise prices that did not reflect the Company’s fundamentals and business prospects, and in anticipation of future market rebound resulting in excessive gains. The lawsuit makes claims of breaches of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages allegedly incurred by the Company, disgorgement of the March 2020 stock awards as well as any proceeds derived therefrom and unspecified equitable relief. Defendants deny the allegations. We filed a motion to dismiss the complaint and the court granted part and denied part of our motion. During the third quarter of 2022, we reached a preliminary settlement, which would not have had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. The settlement required court approval which the court declined to provide. Our Board of Directors has authorized the formation of a Special Litigation Committee to review the matter and determine whether it is in the best interests of the Company to pursue this claim. The court has stayed the litigation until March 31, 2024 while the Special Litigation Committee conducts their review. We are uncertain as to potential liability or financial exposure, if any, which may be associated with this matter. Disproportionate Share Hospital Payment Matter: In late September, 2015, many hospitals in Pennsylvania, including certain of our behavioral health care hospitals located in the state, received letters from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (the “Department”) demanding repayment of allegedly excess Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital payments (“DSH”), primarily consisting of managed care payments characterized as DSH payments, for the federal fiscal year (“FFY”) 2011 amounting to approximately $4 million in the aggregate. Since that time, certain of our behavioral health care hospitals in Pennsylvania have received similar requests for repayment for alleged DSH overpayments for FFYs 2012 through 2015. For FFY 2012, the claimed overpayment amounts to approximately $4 million. For FFY 2013, FFY 2014 and FFY 2015 the initial claimed overpayments and attempted recoupment by the Department were approximately $7 million, $8 million and $7 million, respectively. The Department has agreed to a change in methodology which, upon confirmation of the underlying data being accepted by the Department, could reduce the initial claimed overpayments for FFY 2013, FFY 2014 and FFY 2015 to approximately $2 million, $2 million and $3 million, respectively. We filed administrative appeals for all of our facilities contesting the recoupment efforts for FFYs 2011 through 2015 as we believe the Department’s calculation methodology is inaccurate and conflicts with applicable federal and state laws and regulations. The Department has agreed to postpone the recoupment of the state’s share for FFY 2011 to 2013 until all hospital appeals are resolved but started recoupment of the federal share. For FFY 2014 and FFY 2015, the Department has initiated the recoupment of the alleged overpayments. Starting in FY 2016, the first full fiscal year after the January 1, 2015 effective date of Medicaid expansion in Pennsylvania, the Department no longer characterized managed care payments received by the hospitals as DSH payments. We can provide no assurance that we will ultimately be successful in our legal and administrative appeals related to the Department’s repayment demands. If our legal and administrative appeals are unsuccessful, our future consolidated results of operations and financial condition could be adversely impacted by these repayments. Other Matters: Various other suits, claims and investigations, including government subpoenas, arising against, or issued to, us are pending and additional such matters may arise in the future. Management will consider additional disclosure from time to time to the extent it believes such matters may be or become material. The outcome of any current or future litigation or governmental or internal investigations, including the matters described above, cannot be accurately predicted, nor can we predict any resulting penalties, fines or other sanctions that may be imposed at the discretion of federal or state regulatory authorities. We record accruals for such contingencies to the extent that we conclude it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. No estimate of the possible loss or range of loss in excess of amounts accrued, if any, can be made at this time regarding the matters described above or that are otherwise pending because the inherently unpredictable nature of legal proceedings may be exacerbated by various factors, including, but not limited to: (i) the damages sought in the proceedings are unsubstantiated or indeterminate; (ii) discovery is not complete; (iii) the matter is in its early stages; (iv) the matters present legal uncertainties; (v) there are significant facts in dispute; (vi) there are a large number of parties, or; (vii) there is a wide range of potential outcomes. It is possible that the outcome of these matters could have a material adverse impact on our future results of operations, financial position, cash flows and, potentially, our reputation.

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