Washington Post Live: Prognosis 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious shortcomings throughout the health care system. Long-standing inequities were exposed to harsh light, and race-based health disparities worsened. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) was pleased to sponsor the Washington Post LIVE Prognosis 2021 with Vivek H. Murthy, MD and Sen. Bill Cassidy, including remarks from BCBSA’s new president and CEO Kim Keck.

As the pandemic continues to grip the country a new administration is putting its plans for response, including testing and mass vaccination, into action. While the country continues to look forward, there are lessons to be learned from the past year.  

Here are some key takeaways:

The vaccines work, but challenges persist

The outbreak will not recede with life returning to normal until enough of the population is fully vaccinated. The Biden Administration has set a goal of 100 million doses of vaccine distributed in the first 100 days. But doses available does not equate to doses in arms. There are supply chain constraints, distribution issues and significant hesitancy among certain populations. 

Lasting changes to the health care system

The care delivery system as it is currently known is changing, and COVID-19 may have expedited this transformation. As people stayed home, many put off routine medical services. With no services, there were no fees, putting physicians and medical practices in significant financial stress. Physician practices based on delivering holistic care on fixed budgets fared better than those depending on charging a fee for each service or procedure.  

See more of the event here.