Hospital Municipal Bond Sales Roar Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Hospitals are ramping up municipal bond issuance to fund crucial upgrades and expansions after enduring a pandemic-induced slowdown in borrowing.

The sector has sold nearly $27 billion in debt so far this year, already blowing past the $11.6 billion issued all of last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. And hospital issuance in 2024 has reached the highest annual volume since 2019, shortly before the pandemic pressured the already fragile US health care system with higher labor and supply costs.

But as health-care operations start to recover, medical facilities are seizing the opportunity to capitalize on a more ...