Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

November 6, 2020

Changes in Health Services Use Among Commercially Insured US Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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  • The use of preventive and elective care services dropped dramatically during the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic and was not compensated by a commensurate rise in telemedicine. A cross-sectional study of health service use among people in the US with commercial health insurance found that while telemedicine use increased, the magnitude of decline in preventative services was greater. Furthermore, patients living in zip codes with greater proportions of lower-income individuals or racial/ethnic minority groups experienced smaller reductions in in-person visits, but also had lower rates of telemedicine use.

Whaley et al. (Nov 5, 2020). Changes in Health Services Use Among Commercially Insured US Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24984