Important research is underway to understand the impacts of Long COVID. Studies about the clinical pathways, patient-specific needs, and treatment for Long COVID are highlighting necessary medical care and intervention. To inform public and private decisionmakers’ efforts to support and treat patients, this study uses HCCI’s unique health care claims dataset to identify the effects of Long COVID on the health care system and health care service use and costs.
Looking at commercial claims for more than 50 million enrollees across the country, between April 2020 and June 2021, this analysis finds:
- 1 in 4 of people with acute COVID infections experienced Long COVID symptoms.
- People with higher medical needs are more likely to be affected by Long Covid.
- Among people with acute COVID infections, those with Long COVID were more likely to be re-diagnosed with acute COVID diagnosis.
- Following their acute COVID diagnosis, people with Long COVID had nearly 5 times higher per-person health care spending compared to those who had no evidence of Long COVID symptoms.