Employee benefits

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing Monday will take up the university's winning bid for Mercy Hospital at last week's reopened auction.

Escalating operating losses led to bond rating downgrades for Wise Health System ahead of its potential acquisition this quarter.

Labor costs and inflation weigh on hospitals, but improvement may be on the horizon.

The 17 struggling hospitals awarded loans through the program serve low-income and elderly patients or are located in underserved areas.

Eskaton, a northern California-based not-for-profit, is spinning off the trio of healthcare facilities to stem fiscal bleeding, and focus on its strengths in the senior-living sector.

Trinity Regional Hospital Sachse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after problems left it unable to pay municipal bond debt service or cover operating expenses.

The upgrade to "reflects the durability of margins and liquidity, which will be supported by higher property tax receipts under the authorized levy and NBHD's efforts to grow and diversify revenue," Moody's said.

For the three-month period ending June 30, the fund's investments returned about 3.08%.

"Weaker performance is in part driven by higher permanent labor costs," Moody's said. "These elements highlight rising human capital and financial strategy risks under Moody's ESG classification and are key drivers of this rating action."

Mercy Hospital plans to sell facilities and other assets to the University of Iowa, which approved $20 million for the acquisition.