Health Care: COVID-19 Alters Health Care Landscape.

• Author: Sonora, Robert
• Position: ASSESSING MONTANA'S KEY INDUSTRIES

This year health care news has been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While 4% of the global population lives in the United States, the country accounts for 22% of all cases and 18% of global deaths. Given the rural nature of Montana, our state was largely spared through the first half of the year. As shown in Figure 1, Montana's cases and deaths only really started to climb in the month or so after Memorial Day, the unofficial beginning of summer.

This rise in illness could have been more problematic for Montanans without employer-based insurance. Nationally, 30% of Americans that lack employer insurance are uninsured. Medicaid eligibility was extended at the beginning of 2020, but added requirements were expected to reduce eligible Montanans by about 4%. However, over the course of the year nearly 5,000 thousand adult residents and 2,000 children were added.

The recession resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is the culmination of two effects: policy intended to reduce the spread of the disease and human behavior. The partial reopening of the economy has manifested in a short spurt of growth in the third quarter, but the fourth quarter is slowing. Congress recently passed a $900 billion stimulus which should help increase expenditures. There is additional optimism in the form of two COVID-19 vaccines, though their effects on the economy will take upwards of a year to be fully realized.

The percentage of residents who expect to lose income this year has reached 29%. While remote work has been touted as a remedy, the strategy has been less successful in Montana where only 27% of employees telework.

Currently, there are over 26,000 unemployed Montanans and this could worsen over the next few months. Residents are beginning entrench themselves, which has been particularly harmful to service industries. Additionally, demand for health...