It’s not a good sign when the passage of a bill sends investors scurrying away from a particular sector of the economy.

They are the people who deal strictly with numbers and dollar signs, not sentiment or emotion or politics.

The hasty passage of the Republican version of a national health plan in the U.S. House took many by surprise, including officials at WhidbeyHealth Medical Center who worry that it will mean fewer people with health insurance in the future.

Investors weren’t thrilled either, WhidbeyHealth CFO Ron Telles told the hospital board Monday.

The outcome could be increased difficulty for health care systems to secure loans and a downgrading of bond ratings.

It’s just economics. More uninsured people means fewer patients will be paying their bills.

As it is, it’s shocking how much in unpaid bills the hospital — or any hospital — has to write off each year. Which is one of the reasons health care is so ridiculously expensive.

Fewer insured people could spell trouble for a hospital that runs on the tightest of margins, but recently had its most profitable month ever.

The other concern expressed at the meeting, not surprisingly, was whether insurance companies will still be required to cover people with pre-existing conditions without jacking premiums to the sky.

There’s been hyperbole associated with the bill reminiscent of the ridiculous claims of “death panels” under Obamacare.

Such scare tactics aren’t helpful as the nation tries to grasp the implications of the bill.

The House bill now moves to the U.S. Senate, where it may be substantially changed. Hopefully, senators will take their time to craft a thoughtful plan that won’t scare the capitalists, won’t bankrupt hospitals and doesn’t repeal the parts of the Affordable Care Act that are working for families.