Delaware bans private equity hospital purchases, expands health care access. Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend says his legislation phases in price caps on hospitals and strengthens primary care access. By * Sarah MuellerUpdated Jul. 20, 2026 8:08 pm What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed three pieces of legislation Monday, including a bill barring private equity companies from buying nonprofit hospitals in the state for the next two years. Meyer and state lawmakers said the collapse of Crozer Health is a prime example of why the embargo is needed. "It had a dramatic negative impact on our emergency system here in Delaware," Meyer said. "A private equity firm siphoned out hundreds of millions of dollars from the hospital and saddled it with long-term debt. We cannot let that story play out in Delaware." California-based hedge firm Prospect Medical Holdings shuttered Crozer Health in 2025. Once Delaware County's largest hospital system, it closed despite Pennsylvania, Delaware County, Penn Medicine and the Foundation for Delaware County funneling $46 million into it to keep it afloat amid bankruptcy proceedings. Real estate investment firm Chariot Equities and for-profit nursing home operator Allaire Health Services bought Crozer-Chester Medical Center in January. The companies are looking to secure an operator for the Upland campus. ChristianaCare, Delaware's largest health system statewide, purchased some former Crozer Health outpatient locations. Pennsylvania and Delaware are just two of several states trying to push back on private equity firms buying health care physician practices and facilities. However, a bill in the Pennsylvania General Assembly that would give the state's attorney general more power to review hospital mergers for predatory behavior and anti-competitive business practices appears to be stalled in the state Senate. The legislation signed Monday makes Delaware currently the only state to have an active two-year moratorium. The other two pieces of legislation Meyer signed into law aim to help lower costs and expand access to care for Delawareans. Public Service Commission members, who approved Delmarva Power's interim rate request, questioned the scope of its oversight authority. 1 week ago Bill expands hospital charity care. Senate Bill 13 creates a more robust standard for hospitals to provide charity care to patients, regardless of insurance coverage. Under the law, which will take effect next year, Delaware patients could get a discount on their bills if they meet certain income limits. State Sen. Marie Pinkney, D-Bear, said she hopes the legislation will help people facing a catastrophic hospital bill. "We are making sure that everyday Delawareans who are just trying to stay on the stability that they have built for themselves and their family will be protected," she said. "Once they build themselves a foundation, it doesn't get knocked from underneath them because of one medical emergency." Legislation caps hospital prices. Senate Bill 1 mandates increased investment in primary care, establishes new requirements for health insurers, hospitals and public employee health plans and sets a reimbursement ceiling. The original version of the bill introduced reference-based pricing and would cap rates at 250% of what the federal government pays providers through Medicare. Hospitals opposed the original version, and the sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, toned down some of the most controversial provisions before bringing it for a vote. The changes delayed the implementation of price caps for hospital procedures until 2029, and they are being phased in, so they won't be completely scaled down to 250% of Medicare until 2033. Townsend said he disputes criticism from some that the bill had been "gutted." He said that while some parts will take a few years to implement, other parts, like strengthening primary care access, will take effect immediately. "It puts very serious cost containment measures in place and diverts resources that are desperately needed for primary care," he said. Get in touch Your contact info. We'll be in touch if we look into your question. Get daily updates from WHYY News! WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today. Part of the series. WHYY News coverage of Delaware's state government.

ChristianaCare opens small hospital in Aston. June 10, 2026 Hundreds of people toured the new ChristianaCare micro hospital in Aston Township during an open house event held Saturday, June 6, at the facility located at 700 Turner Industrial Way, across the street from the Ice Works Skating complex. The hospital, which cost $50 million and officially opened on June 2, will provide 24/7 emergency care, feature board certified doctors, a separate in-patient unit with telehealth specialty care, CT scan, X-ray and ultrasound imaging, advanced diagnostics, and an inhouse laboratory. "I am so happy to see this hospital open," said Maria Westbridge. "Riddle Memorial Hospital has been swamped since Crozer- Chester Medical Center (CCMC) and Taylor Hospital closed. I just finished the tour, and it is really beautiful inside." Registered nurses were providing personal tours to visitors which included the 10-bed emergency room department, 10-bed in-patient rooms, CT and x-ray machines, ambulance arrival area, family waiting room, nurses' stations, and snack area. Aston site nursing director Loreen Evans and ChristianaCare Market CEO James Bennett enjoyed meeting the community at the open house. Aston resident Loreen Evans, the director of nursing at the Aston site, said she worked as a trauma nurse in the CCMC emergency room for 23 years and when Crozer closed last year, worked for ChristianaCare's micro hospital at its West Grove, Pa. campus. Evans said 70 percent of the employees at the Aston campus are former hospital employees for Crozer or Taylor. Developed through a joint venture with Emerus Holdings, Inc, the new hospital is expected to care for 15,000 patients annually. The emergency department is equipped to treat common emergencies including falls, injuries, heart attacks, and strokes. The hospital also offers virtual specialty consultations in cardiology, infectious disease, critical care, and hospital medicine to support clinical decision-making. An emergency room physician will be on-site 24/7, however virtual technology will be used on the in-patient side. A special virtual computer system will communicate with in-room televisions, linking a board-certified physician to the patient. Once stable, patients requiring a higher level of care will be taken either via ambulance or helicopter to other nearby hospitals. Personalized food services will also be offered to patients. The joint venture's Market CEO James Bennett said he was happy to be present for the grand opening celebration, adding that he enjoyed meeting local neighbors and visitors. "We are so happy to bring healthcare back to Delaware County," Bennett said. "Our entire staff is focused on doing what is best for our patients. There are on average 60,000 emergency room visits in Delaware County every year. We are not here to fill that gap; but we are hoping to make a dent. We are not a trauma center, but our care will be quick and efficient."

ChristianaCare to open new campus in Pennsylvania in June. Delaware News Journal May 29, 2026, 2:53 p.m. ET ChristianaCare will soon open a new neighborhood hospital, just outside of Delaware. The health care system announced May 29 it will open ChristianaCare Aston in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in early June. The facility is located at 700 Turner Industrial Way, or about a 15 minutes' drive from Claymont. An opening date will be shared after a final inspection by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, ChristianaCare said. The approximately $50.9 million Aston Campus will provide 24/7 emergency care, inpatient services, imaging, laboratory services and virtual specialty consultations directly within the community for cardiology, infectious disease, critical care and hospital medicine needs. The facility will include 10 beds. The neighborhood hospital is expected to serve 15,000 patients annually, or 40 per day, and will bring on a second-floor outpatient health center later this fall. The outpatient center is expected to offer primary care, cardiac diagnostics, cardiology and imaging services. The neighborhood hospital and center to come are also expected to create 75 new jobs. In a press release, the health care system said the new campus is part of a "broader strategy to bring emergency, inpatient and outpatient care closer to where people live and work." ChristianaCare said it engaged with communities and analyzed population trends, health care access and regional service gaps to settle on the location. The Aston Campus is a joint venture with Emerus Holdings Inc., a popular neighborhood hospital developer. ChristianaCare is also partnered with Emerus for its incoming Georgetown Campus, as announced Feb. 11, and Camden Campus, announced April 30. Aston is ChristianaCare's second neighborhood hospital in Pennsylvania. The West Grove Campus was the first, opening in southern Chester County last August, with a third campus planned to open in Springfield in fall 2027. The health care system also has physician practices in Broomall, Glen Mills, Havertown and Media. Build your business bundleGet flexible business bundles across Internet, Phone, Mobile and TV. Built to simplify your business and keep everything connected.Spectrum Business | Ad