{"id":10003,"date":"2020-04-22T21:00:45","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T02:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/?p=10003"},"modified":"2020-06-03T10:41:19","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T15:41:19","slug":"the-coronavirus-why-the-u-s-economy-will-never-be-the-same-part-4-what-will-change-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uwsp.edu\/cps\/2020\/04\/22\/the-coronavirus-why-the-u-s-economy-will-never-be-the-same-part-4-what-will-change-healthcare\/","title":{"rendered":"The Coronavirus \u2013 Why the U.S. Economy Will Never be the Same Part 4: What Will Change \u2013 Healthcare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Never again. Shortages of PPE (personal protective equipment), medical testing, and medical supplies such as ventilators occurred across the country. While the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other nation, inappropriate (or lack of) planning and vulnerable global supply chains left the U.S. without the equipment necessary to protect healthcare workers, first-responders, and its citizens from the coronavirus. Pick a state \u2013 it is not too hard to find a governor, local government official, healthcare worker, or news story describing a shortage of masks, gowns, testing, ventilators, and\/or medications. By late March, governors reported states \u201cbidding against each other\u201d to get ventilators because of a lack of coordinated federal response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress reacted to\nthe coronavirus economic impacts with needed fiscal response measures in March.\nThose measures were reactionary<\/em> to the coronavirus economic impacts;\nunfortunately, the federal government failed in planning<\/em> for the\nhealthcare impacts of the coronavirus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the arrival of COVID-19 in the United States, the potential impact of the virus on healthcare systems and economies had already played out in China, South Korea, and Italy. As previously indicated, the U.S. stock market in January already began to show the potential impact of the virus on the U.S. economy. Despite being in the midst of the longest economic expansion on record, the S&P 500 declined -0.16% in January. The market was in full reverse mode in February with a drop of -8.24%. The eventual arrival and impacts of the virus on the United States should not have been a surprise. It was becoming clear in January that the United States would not be immune to the impact of the virus. In 2015, Bill Gates had already spoke of the United States being inadequately prepared to handle a pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there was 1 COVID-19 case in the United States in January. COVID-19 had arrived. By the end of March, over 186,000 cases. It should also be pointed out that due to the lack of available COVID-19 testing, the numbers likely understate the actual amount of COVID-19 cases in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The healthcare system\nand its workers faced challenges that they should have never faced. No\nhealthcare worker, including doctors, nurses, social workers, materials attendants\nor any other worker in a healthcare facility should ever be without PPE. Not\nonly do they need it but having healthcare workers without appropriate PPE\nisn\u2019t the greatest thing for patients either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the very least<\/em>,\nthe federal government should have started planning in January for the\nshortfall in PPE and other medical equipment that would occur due to the virus.\nThe impact of the virus was already playing out in other parts of the world,\nand even the U.S. financial markets were beginning to show the signs of the\neconomic impact of the pandemic. Unfortunately, there was a lack of federal\ngovernment planning for a coordinated nationwide response to the coming pandemic.\nIn addition, the July 2019<\/em> hearing of the U.S.-China Economic and\nSecurity Review Commission clearly revealed the heavy U.S. dependence on China for\nkey PPE, medical supplies, and pharmaceuticals. That certainly indicated the\nU.S. supply chain was vulnerable, especially since China was at the center of the\npandemic by late 2019. A focus on shifting that reliance and ramping up U.S.\nproduction of key supplies could have occurred by late 2019. Invoking the\nDefense Production Act could have required<\/em> U.S. companies to produce\nthose needed supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insufficient PPE and\nmedical equipment to deal with any pandemic, a vulnerable supply chain, and a\nlack of appropriate federal government planning. That combination resulted in\nhealthcare workers and first-responders dealing with unthinkable circumstances\nin the country that spends more on healthcare than any other country in the\nworld. Going forward \u2013 never again. Healthcare workers and first-responders\nshould never be put in this position again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another issue that arose\nin the pandemic \u2013 access to healthcare, That issue will likely stay a focus\neven after the pandemic winds down in the U.S. Access to testing, access to needed\nmedical services, the ability to pay unexpected healthcare bills \u2013 particularly\nif being furloughed or becoming unemployed, the ability to get health\ninsurance, the potential of needing health insurance with a preexisting\ncondition, all these issues will likely be topics of discussion as the country\nmoves forward after the pandemic. Planning for the next pandemic should begin\nnow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further\ninformation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n