Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net operating revenues	$ 3,126	$ 3,246	$ 8,670	$ 9,925
Operating costs and expenses:
Salaries and benefits	1,365	1,469	4,054	4,499
Supplies	523	526	1,439	1,623
Other operating expenses	736	812	2,211	2,516
Government and other legal settlements and related costs		26	4	35
Lease cost and rent	85	79	248	240
Pandemic relief funds			(448)
Depreciation and amortization	139	151	424	456
Impairment and (gain) loss on sale of businesses, net	(7)	(1)	48	70
Total operating costs and expenses	2,841	3,062	7,980	9,439
Income from operations	285	184	690	486
Interest expense, net	257	259	779	782
(Gain) loss from early extinguishment of debt	(115)		(111)	31
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates	(5)	(3)	(11)	(12)
Income (loss) before income taxes	148	(72)	33	(315)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	20	(74)	(221)	(71)
Net income (loss)	128	2	254	(244)
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	16	19	54	58
Net income (loss) attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. stockholders	$ 112	$ (17)	$ 200	$ (302)
Earnings (loss) per share attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. common stockholders:
Basic	$ 0.98	$ (0.15)	$ 1.74	$ (2.66)
Diluted	$ 0.97	$ (0.15)	$ 1.74	$ (2.66)
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding:
Basic	115,015,460	113,891,721	114,764,050	113,672,798
Diluted	115,640,852	113,891,721	115,012,202	113,672,798