America's Healthcare System Will Exacerbate the Coronavirus Pandemic
During the last Democratic debate, a contentious moment arose when Bernie Sanders said, “This coronavirus pandemic exposes the incredible weakness and dysfunctionality of our current healthcare system.” Sanders leveraged the COVID-19 outbreak into a push for Medicare for All. Biden promptly countered, noting that a single-payer system didn’t prevent Italy’s dire circumstances.
But Bernie’s right. The status quo of American healthcare is disturbingly paradoxical to the resolution to the pandemic, and in fact, it’s likely contributing to the proliferation of the outbreak.
While the CDC is currently covering test costs, the roughly 20% of total coronavirus patients who require hospitalization can expect substantial fees. A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that out of pocket costs for hospitalized patients who have employer insurance will be over $1,300, while bills over $20,000. A recent Time article chronicled an uninsured patient in Massachusetts, whose bill after testing and treatment was almost $35,000. Meanwhile, a recent Business Insider article reported that for a six-day inpatient stay, uninsured individuals can face costs upwards of $70,000. (There are 27 million uninsured Americans.) Even with private insurance, that same degree of treatment would cost almost $40,000.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a major economic downturn, with unemployment claims at their highest in decades. Imagine yourself as an hourly worker who recently became jobless. If you’re showing symptoms, the obvious next step is seeking out a test or visiting the hospital. However, you may avoid getting tested to prevent a hospital referral, or you may avoid visiting the hospital altogether because you know the staggering costs that await you. After all, money is already tight since you were recently laid off. So now what?
Inevitably, for some in this exact scenario, they will refrain from a visit to the hospital. Perhaps they will try home remedies, or they will simply try to weather the storm.
Already, this is wildly immoral. This life-and-death decision is one that should not have to be made.
What’s equally troubling, however, is that the coronavirus will continue to cause havoc because of our shambled healthcare system. If infected individuals avoid testing, early and effective isolation needed to slow the disease is impeded. And if these individuals steer clear of the hospital, the risk that they will infect others becomes elevated. Moreover, without necessary treatment, they could face further complications or death. Essentially, if those who are infected avoid testing and hospitalization because they are scared of the cost, then mortality rates will be higher and the disease will spread even further. The puzzling duality lies in that our healthcare system will exacerbate this pandemic because it skyrockets costs, thus disincentivizing treatment and hampering containment.
This is not an issue unique to this pandemic. Millions of Americans yearly defer healthcare over concerns surrounding costs. Maybe, given the ubiquity of COVID-19, the high costs will serve as a lesson that our healthcare system is disastrous, and that updated policy must be implemented. Let the debates surrounding single-payer versus public option ensue.
