Improving Healthcare Access in the States after COVID-19

The speed and scope of COVID-19 took the United States by surprise. No state was adequately prepared to handle the pandemic, and no federal agencies had enough knowledge to offer sufficient guidance. As the country continues to cope with the crisis, the extent to which regulatory restrictions on healthcare access have hindered, and continue to hinder, states’ ability to respond is increasingly obvious. Both patients with COVID-19 and patients with other health problems have suffered from restrictions on access to medical professionals and services—restrictions imposed long before the crisis hit. Now is the time to review these problematic restrictions and take action so that the states will be better prepared if and when a future crisis occurs. Implementing reforms will benefit patients and providers even in the absence of a crisis.