Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

The analysis is the first installment in the taxpayer research institute’s COVID-19 Legacy Series, examining the impact of the pandemic on a particular focus area (like health) as well as the economic implications of those changes.

Business

Florida TaxWatch Looks at Health Care and the Economy After Pandemic

Share this Story via Text Message, Facebook, X, Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail

The analysis is the first installment in the taxpayer research institute’s COVID-19 Legacy Series, examining the impact of the pandemic on a particular focus area (like health) as well as the economic implications of those changes.

Share this Story via Text Message, Facebook, X, Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail

This week, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released “Beyond the Pandemic: Long Term Changes and Challenges for Health in Florida,” a report which addresses a unique confluence of factors that are contributing to important outcomes for the state’s health care system and consequently, the economy.

The analysis is the first installment in the taxpayer research institute’s COVID-19 Legacy Series, examining the impact of the pandemic on a particular focus area (like health) as well as the economic implications of those changes.

Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro weighed in on the report on Tuesday.

“Florida TaxWatch is proud to kick off our COVID-19 Legacy Series by focusing on Floridians’ physical and mental health. Medical care and behavioral issues resulting from prolonged isolation have created challenges for Floridians of all ages. Widespread adoption and accessibility of telehealth is a potential solution, but for the foreseeable future, our efforts must focus on confronting those lingering issues and their associated costs, while also adapting to a rapidly aging population with a need for elderly care,” Calabro said.

During the early months of the pandemic, many Floridians decided to forgo non-COVID-19 -related care – primarily due to safety concerns and government directives to limit elective surgeries – leading to a 38 percent decrease in emergency department visits and a 32 percent decrease in outpatient centers. This forgone care and isolation has an estimated cost of $98.1 billion resulting from nearly 32,000 excess deaths in less than a year and a 12.7 percent increase in reports of anxiety or depression since April 2020. Psychological trauma from social isolation gave way to growing rates of behavioral health issues, and currently, Florida is the eighth highest among all 50 states for the average rate of anxiety and depression.

Additionally, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that telehealth visits across the nation rose by 154 percent at the end of March 2020 when compared to the same timeframe in 2019, there are concerns of inadequate or inequitable accessibility, especially in low-income or rural areas. This is indicative of another health factor affecting Florida: An aging population, with residents 65 years of age or older expected to increase by 1.4 million in the next 25 years. The demand for Medicaid, which covers long-term care and is partly financed by the state, is therefore expected to increase over time as well.

 

Author

  • Florida Daily

    Florida Daily offers news, insights and analysis as we cover the most important issues in the state, from education, to business and politics.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

<

Ed Dean: Publisher

 

Ed Dean is a leading radio and news media personality including hosting the #1 statewide radio talk show in Florida. Contact Ed.Dean@FloridaDaily.com

You May Also Like

Business

Share this Story via Text Message, Facebook, X, Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo MailThis week, during a ceremony held in Tallahassee, Florida TaxWatch and the...

Health Care

Share this Story via Text Message, Facebook, X, Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo MailLast week, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., brought out the “Terminate...

Florida Politics

Share this Story via Text Message, Facebook, X, Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo MailThis week, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released “Septic-to-Sewer: Protecting Florida’s Ground and Surface...

Infrastructure

Share this Story via Text Message, Facebook, X, Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo MailThis week, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released “Jacksonville’s Approach to Reducing Flooding and...

Follow us on Social Media