41. US Health Care in the Pandemic
- Author:
- Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board
- Publication Date:
- 07-2020
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Conference Board
- Abstract:
- Within a few short weeks in early spring, the COVID-19 pandemic began to unleash its devastation on the health and economic well-being of the American public. With this attack, it challenged the structure and basic foundations of the US health care system. In response to the growing deluge, US health care workers, public health officials, and health care industry leaders were the front line of defense against the virus. The whole country witnessed their extraordinary courage, fortitude, and rapid and unyielding response. A government stagnated by partisan politics joined to swiftly pass unprecedented relief and support legislation, waive regulation, and launch a historic, large-scale vaccine and treatment development effort in collaboration with the private sector. The US health care system has not collapsed. But as the US emerged from the initial weeks of the swift, unprecedented, and devastating destruction of the COVID-19 global pandemic, several significant shortfalls in the health care system became clear: the ability of the structure of the system to handle the challenge; the nation’s preparedness when the pandemic began; and finally, how the system has performed given the resources we have on hand. These three problems could be restated as: How should the nation change the fundamental structure of the health care system? What should we do now to respond to the current pandemic? And what should we do, once the smoke clears, to prepare for future pandemics?
- Topic:
- Health, Public Health, Pandemic, and COVID-19
- Political Geography:
- North America and United States of America