Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2021	Jun. 30, 2020
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net operating revenues	$ 3,007	$ 2,519	$ 6,020	$ 5,544
Operating costs and expenses:
Salaries and benefits	1,266	1,282	2,569	2,690
Supplies	500	418	992	916
Other operating expenses	715	736	1,453	1,472
Government and other legal settlements and related costs		2		4
Lease cost and rent	78	82	156	163
Pandemic relief funds	(1)	(448)	(83)	(448)
Depreciation and amortization	133	141	272	285
Impairment and (gain) loss on sale of businesses, net	2	10	23	56
Total operating costs and expenses	2,693	2,223	5,382	5,138
Income from operations	314	296	638	406
Interest expense, net	219	260	449	523
Loss from early extinguishment of debt	8		79	4
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates	(4)	1	(15)	(6)
Income (loss) before income taxes	91	35	125	(115)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	54	(58)	123	(241)
Net income	37	93	2	126
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	31	23	60	39
Net income (loss) attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. stockholders	$ 6	$ 70	$ (58)	$ 87
Earnings (loss) per share attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. common stockholders:
Basic	$ 0.04	$ 0.61	$ (0.46)	$ 0.76
Diluted	$ 0.04	$ 0.61	$ (0.46)	$ 0.76
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding:
Basic	127,069,252	114,972,408	126,414,901	114,636,963
Diluted	130,737,124	115,013,661	126,414,901	114,696,496