Lack of access to healthcare for all Americans

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the deep disparities in the US healthcare system, particularly the lack of access to affordable care for millions of Americans. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 28 million people in the US were uninsured in 2019. An additional 44 million people had high-deductible health plans, which means they had to pay a significant amount of money out of pocket before their insurance would start to cover their costs.

These disparities made it difficult for many Americans to get the care they needed during the pandemic. Uninsured people were often forced to delay or forgo care due to the high cost. People with high-deductible plans may have also been hesitant to seek care, for fear of incurring large medical bills.

The pandemic also highlighted the disparities in access to care for people of color and people in rural areas. People of color are more likely to be uninsured and to have high-deductible plans. They are also more likely to live in areas with fewer healthcare providers and hospitals. As a result, people of color were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, both in terms of rates of infection and death.

1 innovation during the pandemic that improved healthcare:

Telemedicine

Telemedicine, the use of technology to deliver healthcare remotely, became increasingly popular during the pandemic. Telemedicine allowed patients to see doctors and other healthcare providers without having to leave their homes. This was especially important for people who were at high risk of serious illness from COVID-19, such as older adults and people with underlying medical conditions.

Telemedicine also helped to reduce the burden on hospitals and other healthcare facilities. By allowing patients to see providers remotely, telemedicine helped to free up resources for people who needed in-person care.

In addition, telemedicine made healthcare more accessible for people in rural areas and people with disabilities. Telemedicine allowed patients to see providers without having to travel long distances or deal with accessibility barriers.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine in the US. In 2020, there were over 200 million telemedicine visits in the US, compared to just 36 million visits in 2019.

Telemedicine is a promising innovation that has the potential to improve healthcare access and quality for all Americans. However, there are some challenges that need to be addressed before telemedicine can be more widely adopted. For example, some people lack the broadband internet access or the devices needed to use telemedicine. Additionally, some insurance providers do not cover telemedicine visits.

Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the flaws in the US healthcare system, but it also accelerated the adoption of innovations such as telemedicine. These innovations have the potential to improve healthcare access and quality for all Americans.