Do people have access to the care they need? A look at healthcare in America

Published 13 Min Read

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In one word, how would you describe the state of healthcare in America? Complex? Expensive? Inaccessible? Those are just a few common descriptors — even more so after a brutal pandemic that put the healthcare system to the test.

Two years have passed since the onset of COVID-19 in the United States, and in that time, healthcare workers and patients have been forced past their breaking points, physically, mentally and financially. As it stands, Americans are in $140 billion worth of medical debt, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that nearly half a million healthcare workers have quit their jobs since February 2020. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that U.S. lifeexpectancy dropped by 1.5 years in 2020, the biggest one-year decline since World War II.

Deanna Cuadra
Senior Reporter

Deanna Cuadra is a senior reporter at Employee Benefit News. Her work covers healthcare, U.S. policy and reform, challenges faced by women and parents in the workplace and innovation in work culture … Read full bio


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