KHA: Kansas hospitals boost state economy

Kansas hospitals directly employ 84,421 people and support more than 74,000 additional jobs in other sectors, according to a new report from the Kansas Hospital Association. This employment generates nearly $9 billion in income, more than $3 billion in retail sales and more than $200 million in sales tax for the state's economy, the study adds. “This report documents the importance of the health care sector to the Kansas economy,” said KHA President and CEO Tom Bell. "While the estimates of economic impact are substantial, they are only a partial accounting of the benefits that health care in general, and community hospitals in particular, provide to the state. Kansas community hospitals help stabilize the population base, invigorate their communities and contribute significantly to quality of life.”