TY - JOUR
T1 - Planning for the Post-COVID Syndrome
T2 - How Payers Can Mitigate Long-Term Complications of the Pandemic
AU - Jiang, David H.
AU - McCoy, Rozalina G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Society of General Internal Medicine.
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, payers across the USA have stepped up to alleviate patients’ financial burden by waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and treatment. However, there has been no substantive discussion of potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on patient health or their financial and policy implications. After recovery, patients remain at risk for lung disease, heart disease, frailty, and mental health disorders. There may also be long-term sequelae of adverse events that develop in the course of COVID-19 and its treatment. These complications are likely to place additional medical, psychological, and economic burdens on all patients, with lower-income individuals, the uninsured and underinsured, and individuals experiencing homelessness being most vulnerable. Thus, there needs to be a comprehensive plan for preventing and managing post-COVID-19 complications to quell their clinical, economic, and public health consequences and to support patients experiencing delayed morbidity and disability as a result.
AB - As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, payers across the USA have stepped up to alleviate patients’ financial burden by waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and treatment. However, there has been no substantive discussion of potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on patient health or their financial and policy implications. After recovery, patients remain at risk for lung disease, heart disease, frailty, and mental health disorders. There may also be long-term sequelae of adverse events that develop in the course of COVID-19 and its treatment. These complications are likely to place additional medical, psychological, and economic burdens on all patients, with lower-income individuals, the uninsured and underinsured, and individuals experiencing homelessness being most vulnerable. Thus, there needs to be a comprehensive plan for preventing and managing post-COVID-19 complications to quell their clinical, economic, and public health consequences and to support patients experiencing delayed morbidity and disability as a result.
KW - COVID-19
KW - access to care
KW - cost-sharing
KW - underinsured
KW - uninsured
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088424530&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85088424530&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11606-020-06042-3
DO - 10.1007/s11606-020-06042-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 32700223
AN - SCOPUS:85088424530
SN - 0884-8734
VL - 35
SP - 3036
EP - 3039
JO - Journal of general internal medicine
JF - Journal of general internal medicine
IS - 10
ER -