Patients' fears of contracting COVID-19 in healthcare settings have subsided, with older Americans who delayed or avoided healthcare services during the pandemic returning in droves.
At least 36 percent of U.S. adults skipped or delayed necessary medical care in 2020 due to fear of COVID-19 exposure and limited care access during the pandemic, according to research funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A separate CDC estimate put this figure closer to 41 percent in 2020.
However, three years into the pandemic, data from insurers and healthcare organizations suggest this trend is reversing.
In June, UnitedHealthcare noted a rise in utilization among older adults who are now more comfortable accessing healthcare services. The insurer reported rising costs among its Medicare Advantage population, particularly for cardiac and orthopedic procedures. Humana pinpointed a similar trend of "higher than anticipated non-inpatient utilization trends" in a June 16 SEC filing. Molina Healthcare and Centene also reported increased Medicare spending in their latest earnings reports, released July 26 and 28, respectively.
King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services saw an 8 percent adjusted admission growth in acute care in the second quarter, which CFO Steve Filton called "historically unprecedented numbers" in a July 27 earnings call. The hospital operator saw outpatient surgical procedures jump 8 percent this quarter compared to the same period last year, while inpatient procedures increased by 1 percent.
"What both providers and payers have been reporting in the last quarter or two is that we've seen an uptick in volumes, particularly lower acuity volumes, elective and surgical procedures," Mr. Filton said. "Again, I think particularly skewed towards the Medicare population that probably was most prone to defer and postpone during the pandemic."