Hospitalizations of unvaccinated COVID patients cost nearly $ 6 billion this summer

TThe deluge of severe cases of COVID-19 among unvaccinated people requiring treatment in hospitals is estimated to have cost the U.S. health care system an estimated $ 5.7 billion since the start of the summer.

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Unvaccinated people accounted for 98% of COVID-related hospitalizations from June to August, costing billions of dollars, according to “conservative cost estimates” from the Kaiser Family Foundation. KFF provided the estimate using federal data that shows Medicare’s average fee-for-service costs for treating COVID-19 in hospitals is around $ 24,033.

The organization cited another analysis of private insurance claims for pneumonia hospitalizations filed before the start of the pandemic, showing that the cost has reached nearly $ 20,300.

In June, around $ 600 million was spent treating those who are not vaccinated despite widespread access. In July, that figure increased by $ 1.4 billion and an additional $ 3.7 billion in August. More than 25,400 COVID-19 patients on average have been treated in hospital intensive care units over the past seven days, according to tracking maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

About 81% of intensive care beds are now occupied by coronavirus patients, and about 44,000 patients are treated for conditions other than COVID-19.

The rapid spread of the delta variant has exacerbated the massive and preventable financial burden on patients, taxpayer-funded public health programs, and private insurance premiums paid by workers, businesses, and individual buyers. The strain is estimated to be 40-60% more transmissible than the alpha variant and almost twice as transmissible as the original strain that triggered the pandemic in 2020.

The South had the highest density of hospitalizations in the United States, although rates appear to have turned a corner. In Florida, hospitalizations have declined by about 28% in the past two weeks, falling to about 52 patients per 100,000 people, according to New York Times broadcasts. Still, southern state hospitals are struggling to keep up with the record number of people admitted with severe symptoms of the disease.

The story continues

THE NORTHWEST STATES FIGHT AGAINST THE OVERVOLTAGE OF THE DELTA VARIANT

Now, the northwestern states – including Idaho, Montana and Washington – are feeling the need to care for unvaccinated patients. In Idaho, hospitals have become so overwhelmed that the entire state has moved to “crisis care standards,” which allow the hospital to allocate scarce resources such as intensive care unit beds and hospitals. ventilators to patients most likely to recover. This can result in less than optimal care for patients admitted for reasons other than the coronavirus. Of Idaho’s roughly 200 intensive care beds, about 11 were open as of Sept. 9, according to the Idaho Division of Public Health.

More than 211 million people have received at least one dose of a vaccine to date, which represents about 64% of people 16 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, some 80 million people were still unvaccinated as of September 9.

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Key words: Health, News, Coronavirus, Biden Administration, Vaccination, Hospitals, Delta Variant

Original author: Cassidy Morrison

Original location: Hospitalizations of unvaccinated COVID patients cost nearly $ 6 billion this summer