What claims data reveals about long COVID-19

One in 4 people with an acute COVID-19 infection experienced at least one symptom of long COVID-19, a review of claims data from AHIP and the Healthcare Cost Institute. 

The report, published Sept. 28, used the Healthcare Cost Institute's claims database, which includes claims for over one-third of the commercially insured population in the U.S. 

Here are five findings from the report to note: 

1. Individuals who experienced long COVID-19 symptoms were not more likely to have been hospitalized with acute COVID-19. People with long COVID-19 were slightly less likely to have been hospitalized during their initial infection than those without ongoing symptoms. 
   
   
2. Fatigue, anxiety and depression were the most commonly reported long COVID-19 symptoms among the study population. 
   
   
3. Women were more likely to be diagnosed with long COVID-19 than men, and individuals who had long COVID-19 symptoms were older on average at the time of their acute infection than those without ongoing symptoms. 
   
   
4. People with long COVID-19 had healthcare spending rates almost five times higher than those with only an acute infection in the post-COVID-19 period. 
   
   
5. These spending differences were consistent across inpatient, outpatient and professional care settings. 

Read the full report here.