SPOTLIGHT: New Orleans hospitals deep in the red

An area council has concluded that five private and community medical systems in the New Orleans area operated at a loss in 2008, a bad sign for an area strained even before Hurricane Katrina. According to the Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans, combined operating deficits for West Jefferson Medical Center, East Jefferson General Hospital, Ochsner Health System, Touro Infirmary and Tulane Medical Center will exceed $120 million. That's more than the original forecast of $103 million. Article