Summarized Financial Information - Summarized Statements of Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	$ 3,126	$ 3,246	$ 8,670	$ 9,925
Income from operations	285	184	690	486
Net income	128	2	254	(244)
Net income attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. Stockholders	$ 112	$ (17)	200	$ (302)
Parent Company, Subsidiary Issuer And Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]
Net operating revenues			5,746
Income from operations			753
Net income			220
Net income attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. Stockholders			$ 220