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The majority of America’s healthcare facilities are owned and operated privately, though the government also has facilities at the federal, state and local levels. Hospitals in America are mainly part of a larger medical complex that includes research facilities and a medical university department. These private centres cover the entire spectrum of medical care and are easily the most elite in the country.

There is almost always a major hospital at the core of a medical centre, and even though the complex itself may be largely private the hospital is most often a non-profit agency. Religious organisations have traditionally been involved in most large non-profit hospitals, which make up about 70 per cent of America’s hospital facilities. By tethering themselves to the private research centres or medical colleges these non-profits can maintain state-of-the-art equipment and doctors.

There are also a number of private purely for-profit hospitals in America, mainly located in the main cities. Government hospitals round off the options for medical facilities in America. In total, around two-thirds of hospitals in urban areas are non-profit. This is where people go for their government-subsidised Medicare and Medicaid service.

Overall, the level of care in these public and non-profit hospitals is excellent. All of the doctors are trained and accredited at the highest levels, and for those with health insurance this is where they will likely be treated. Public hospitals in urban areas are typically connected with a medical school and are considered on par with the many non-profit hospitals. While the service at public hospitals in America usually pales in comparison with their private counterparts, the costs of going to a private clinic are astronomical.

The top medical centres in America are the crown jewels in the country’s healthcare arsenal. Unfortunately, only an elite few can afford to use them. Many of the names will be familiar to anyone who pays attention to cutting edge medical research and care. Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic are easily among the top medical complexes in the world. Most of these private centres are multispecialty, but they each have their particular areas of expertise.

In the end, there really is no debate about public versus private hospitals in America. For the vast majority of people, the exclusive Mayo Clinics of the world are simply unaffordable and very rarely covered by insurance policies. Thankfully, the public hospitals in the US are all excellent facilities that can take care of all but the most exotic medical conditions. Just be sure and have health insurance of some kind, because even the most modest public hospital in the country will charge an arm and a leg to treat you.