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As we put pen to paper, there are over 760,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States alone. These numbers will sadly become outdated by the time this column reaches your hands, as this deadly disease grips more lives by the day.
The truth is, data on the novel coronavirus is still not fully available, access to testing is not universal, labs are overwhelmed by demand, and some patients have waited up to two weeks for test results.
“ It is essential that we acknowledge the important role of federal leadership and robust investments to rebuild our health-care infrastructure. Also, we must support the skills and capacity of the private sector and allow it to innovate in new ways to respond to the needs of future emergencies. ”
The United States — a global superpower which boasts of “the most advanced health care … anywhere in the world” — was not fully prepared for this pandemic and is still struggling to contain its impact on our communities and people.
Sobering realities and surprising altruism
Coronavirus reveals sobering realities about the lack of adequate financing of our public health infrastructure, our fragmented system of care delivery, and the importance of a unified response. Yet, our experience also suggests that private actors — health systems, providers, and community partners — are able to meet needs quickly, act resourcefully, and be altruistic in ways we might not have expected.
For all the loss and loneliness that coronavirus has wrought, it also carries stories of health-care professionals, first responders, grocery workers, and all those on the front lines of this pandemic who are stepping up to bring care and essential services to those impacted by COVID-19. They are heroes of this crisis and we join in expressing our gratitude to them.
From our roles in Congress (Schwartz) and the executive branch (Parekh) to our efforts today at the Better Medicare Alliance and the Bipartisan Policy Center, we have seen how payers, providers and community partners join together to innovate and solve problems in times of crisis — and we see it happening now.
Inspiring stories
Take the Florida-based ChenMed — a primary-care provider for seniors on Medicare Advantage. They knew that closed clinical offices could not mean an absence of care and reached out to each of their patients, starting with those with the most significant medical needs. They delivered iPads to patients in their homes to facilitate face-to-face virtual appointments via telemedicine and conduct “happiness calls” with patients to address feelings of social isolation and despair.
Health systems are also taking a leadership role in combating COVID-19.
Kaiser Permanente partnered with Dignity Health, the state of California and Los Angeles County to stand up the Los Angeles Surge Hospital, a temporary facility that expands access to additional beds and intensive care unit capacity for COVID-19 patients. Meanwhile, Geisinger is set to launch a coronavirus contact-tracing program that will help identify those who may have been exposed to the virus and encourage self-quarantine to prevent further spread.
Elsewhere, community partners like the National Alliance on Mental Illness members are hosting virtual support groups and fielding phone calls and text messages to their help line to support Americans’ mental health needs. Senior staffers at the Philadelphia nonprofit MANNA are working overtime and driving delivery trucks in lieu of their usual volunteers to get nutritious meals to home-bound patients.
We have even seen health insurers including Humana HUM, +4.04% , Aetna CVS, +1.85% , Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare UNH, +2.52% , Cigna, Centene CNC, +4.34% , Anthem ANTM, +5.68% and others take the unprecedented step of shouldering the full expense of in-network COVID-19 medical treatment for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.
Can’t do it alone
This national emergency has shown that good actors in health care abound, and they will fill the gaps in a time of crisis — but they can’t do it alone. They need a modern, agile federal public health infrastructure that protects our health, uses technology to bring timely and clear guidance to the public, deploys supplies and care quickly to those at highest need, and partners with states, localities, and the private sector to solve problems together.
As the coronavirus continues to take its toll on the United States, more high-stake tests of the health-care sector will unfold — from how quickly we develop an eventual vaccine and also get screening and treatments into the hands of everyone who needs them to how we maintain and replenish our inventory of scarce personal protective equipment for our heroes on the front lines against this invisible enemy.
The pain of this pandemic will subside. When it does, we must take the time for careful consideration of the lessons learned and the work ahead to do better in the future. To us, one readily apparent lesson is the need for strong public-private partnerships in health care.
It is essential that we acknowledge the important role of federal leadership and robust investments to rebuild our health-care infrastructure. Also, we must support the skills and capacity of the private sector and allow it to innovate in new ways to respond to the needs of future emergencies.
This pandemic has impacted every state and just about every community. Local needs will vary, but a successful response requires all of us taking responsibility, acting to protect ourselves, our families, and our neighbors. Building the infrastructure necessary to bring these public and private resources to bear is the key.
We all need each other to make it to the other side of this difficult season. As it turns out, that holds true for patients, plans, providers, and policy makers, too.
Allyson Y. Schwartz is the president and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance. She represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2015. Anand Parekh, M.D., is the chief medical advisor of the Bipartisan Policy Center. He previously served as the HHS deputy assistant secretary for health from 2008 to 2015.
