Opinion: Deferral of primary care signals a troubled future for Americans’ health
Americans may be returning to their pre-pandemic habits, but most have not returned to their primary care doctors. Primary care visits are down 10.3% on average across U.S. cities relative to pre-pandemic levels. That, combined with more people with chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and cancer, and accelerating health care costs as inflation soars, signal a troubled future for the health of Americans and the U.S.’s $4.1 trillion health economy.
As a health economist and health services researcher, I’m concerned to see such little attention paid to how the pandemic has changed consumer health care behaviors, like delaying or forgoing primary care and other necessary health care services. I worry that providers, payers, policymakers, public health institutions, and others in the health economy aren’t talking about the impact of these delays and the public health crisis that will emerge from it. And, make no mistake, a crisis is coming, and every health care stakeholder must be prepared.
