Cash-strapped LSU hospitals might lay off 600 employees; 2.6M Californians had medical debt;

> Health Management Associates (HMA) signed a joint venture agreement with five Oklahoma hospitals, the Florida hospital operator announced yesterday. In the deal, HMA will own 80 percent of the five hospitals and will manage their operations. Press release

> Louisiana State University's hospital system might lay off about 600 employees as part of efforts to fill a $29 million budget shortfall, reported The Advocate. Thanks to the cuts, medical students and residents who had chosen to do their training at LSU say they no longer plan to attend. Article

> Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare signed a letter of intent to affiliate with Backus Corporation of Backus Healthcare System, according to Hartford Business. The partnership would bring Backus into the Hartford HealthCare network. Article

> Lovelace Health System has closed a deal to acquire for-profit Roswell (N.M.) Regional Hospital, the Albuquerque-based health system announced last week. Lovelace plans to expand the hospital and add new services, new technology, new equipment, new physicians and new jobs. Press release

> The number of non-elderly Californians who had some kind of medical debt rose by 400,000 between 2007 and 2009 to 2.6 million, according to a new report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Report

And Finally... And the most miserable city is ... Miami? Article