Summarized Financial Information - Summarized Statements of Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	$ 2,519	$ 3,302	$ 5,544	$ 6,679
Income from operations	296	111	406	301
Net income	93	(146)	126	(246)
Net income attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. Stockholders	$ 70	$ (167)	87	$ (285)
Parent Company, Subsidiary Issuer And Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Net operating revenues			3,672
Income from operations			532
Net income			168
Net income attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. Stockholders			$ 168