Nearly half of Americans blame COVID hospital protocols for loved ones’ deaths

By Brian Joondeph | Commentary, Rasmussen Reports

A new Rasmussen Reports survey reveals an unsettling reality: nearly one-third of American adults say someone they know died of COVID-19 while hospitalized, and almost half believe hospital treatment protocols likely contributed to that death.

That perception warrants attention, not dismissal. During the pandemic, hospitals faced tremendous pressure, yet several systemic factors, including financial incentives, rigid therapeutic protocols, and strict visitor restrictions, may have influenced patient outcomes in ways that were never fully explored.

Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Medicare reimbursed hospitals an extra 20% for inpatient COVID-19 diagnoses. A positive PCR test alone often triggered this classification, even if the patient was hospitalized for a different reason, such as elective surgery.

As the New York Times reported in 2020, high cycle-threshold rates in PCR testing may have detected residual viral fragments rather than active infections, potentially inflating case numbers.

Hospitals therefore had financial and procedural incentives to label and keep COVID-positive patients, which increased the risk of hospital-acquired complications. Cases involving ventilation or ICU care received even higher reimbursements.

Early in the pandemic, mechanical ventilation was used much more frequently than in comparable respiratory illnesses. One study from that period found mortality rates among ventilated COVID patients approaching 65 percent. The initial experience in New York was even more severe, showing that ventilation was often a death sentence, with only 3% of ventilated patients being discharged alive.

When the system reimburses more for sicker patients and costlier interventions, it naturally influences decision-making. Did some hospitals resort to aggressive care – such as ventilation, ICU admission, or prolonged stays – when less invasive options might have been enough? We need transparency and accountability to determine this for sure.

Remdesivir became the standard antiviral in many hospitals. Initial trials indicated it shortened recovery time by a few days but provided no clear survival benefit. The World Health Organization’s Solidarity trial also found “little or no effect” on mortality, and Johns Hopkins’ ABX Guide reported serious adverse events in up to 35 percent of patients completing a ten-day course.

READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT RASMUSSEN REPORTS

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