US Healthcare, COVID-19 and its Impact, and the Shift to Virtual Care
Zachary Smith,
December 05, 2022
As the United States transitions away from combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to consider trends in healthcare and their longer-term implications. The pandemic exposed critical weaknesses in American healthcare, particularly as it related to trust in healthcare, mental health, and the sustainability of our system. Our nation's leaders must address the fragility of our healthcare system to ensure that we are better equipped to safeguard public health in the case of another large-scale health crisis, particularly by emphasizing the benefits associated with increasing virtual care.
Perhaps most notable of the trends in American healthcare is the shift in emphasis towards behavioral healthcare. The increase in diagnoses for depression and anxiety in the general public has skyrocketed from nearly 11% (NHIS) in 2019 to over 40% (US Census) in 2021. This is particularly important to consider for business leaders who employ Millennials and Gen Z (the two age groups comprising the largest share of America’s workforce), who are more likely than previous generations to emphasize mental health concerns when considering their workplace conditions. Likewise, studies have shown that workplace productivity is higher for employees that feel as if their employer is cognizant of their mental health needs. As our healthcare system shifts toward virtual care, we have the potential to reach out to patients who are especially at risk for mental illness, utilizing the major strides made in the field of behavioral healthcare.
While the pandemic highlighted the nation’s risk to mental health crises, it also further exposed deep-rooted disparities in healthcare. As healthcare supply chains became restricted due to overrun hospitals in the height of the pandemic, marginalized communities were often left behind. These disparities, also known as social determinants of health, are systemic and include race, gender, gender and sexual orientation, and other economic variables such as geography and income. For example, rural communities with high poverty rates tend to have more healthcare needs, yet substantially less coverage. While COVID-19 exacerbated these trends, it was not the root cause: “While the events of the past 18 months have made us crucially aware of COVID-19’s skewed toll on communities of color and other underserved populations, there has never been a time in which these communities have not suffered disproportionate burdens of death and disease,” wrote task force Chair Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center at Yale School of Medicine. As we move beyond the pandemic, it is crucial that the needs of these communities are highlighted and prioritized, especially as they remain our society’s most vulnerable in the case of widespread health crises. Yet, as we shift towards utilizing virtual care, we must be cognizant of the limitations imposed by such social determinants and ensure that access to care is equitable for all communities.
Though social determinants of health act as a barrier for access to healthcare for many marginalized communities, the increase in prescription drug prices is an widespread issue that affects most consumers of healthcare. The increase in prescription drug prices is notable across the board, but most notable as it relates to specialty drugs that treat rare and complex conditions. Instead, consumers of these drugs should make educated decisions with their doctors about utilizing generic options. In fact, studies have shown that the lack of knowledge regarding generic drugs is one of the main contributors to their lack of utilization. Again, by switching to virtual care settings, our healthcare system has the ability to increase awareness and knowledge regarding such alternatives to rising drug costs.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes in American healthcare, and has reinforced many of the existing trends occurring such as emphasizing mental health, reducing inequities in the system, and further disconnecting patients to access through skyrocketing drug prices. Yet, to accommodate the needs of the public during and after the pandemic, the healthcare system must highlight the benefits of virtual care, now before it is too late.
About the author: Zachary Smith is an undergraduate student at Stanford University, majoring in Public Policy. Zachary is also a junior consultant at Argopoint, LLC, a legal management consulting firm providing services to Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Feel free to contact Zachary at zacsmi02@stanford.edu or zachary.smith@argopoint.com.
