5 numbers quantifying this COVID-19 surge’s cost

Though the effects may not be as devastating as they were in March 2020, the pandemic is still hurting hospitals’ bottom lines. Below are five numbers that illustrate the financial woes healthcare providers are still experiencing due to the pandemic:

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  1. Delayed care and higher expenses for supplies, labor and drugs will result in hospitals losing about $54 billion in net income in 2021, even after taking into account relief provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, according to an analysis released by the American Hospital Association.
  2. Without federal relief funds, hospitals would lose as much as $94 billion in 2021.
  3. The surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations among unvaccinated adults cost the U.S. health system $5.7 billion from June to August, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.
  4. The U.S. recently made two large deals totaling ​​more than $3.5 billion with Regeneron and Eli Lilly to secure millions of additional doses of COVID-19 antibody drugs, as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise in many parts of the country.
  5. As of August, 72 percent of the country’s largest health plans were no longer waiving out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 treatment. A patient hospitalized for COVID-19 could incur out-of-pocket costs amounting to about $1,300, according to research released by the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker.

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