More than 700 rural hospitals in the United States are at risk of closing because of financial problems, and more than half of them face an immediate risk of closure.

"Over the past decade, more than 100 rural hospitals have closed," according to a new analysis by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. "As a result, the millions of Americans who live in those communities no longer have access to an emergency room, inpatient care and many other hospital services that citizens in most of the rest of the country take for granted."

Nearly every state has hospitals at risk of closure, measured by financial reserves that can cover losses on patient services for only six to seven years. In more than half of states, one-quarter or more of rural hospitals face this risk, with nine states having a majority of their rural hospitals in jeopardy.