Cost to Treat COVID Increased by 26 Percent Over Two Years of Pandemic: Report

Obese patients and those with other comorbidities paid the most, men paid more than women, and Asians paid slightly more than other races.

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The cost of treating hospitalized COVID patients increased by almost $3,000 per patient over two years from the pandemic’s start, despite changes in care practices and increased vaccination rates.

A new report in JAMA Network Open shows that costs increased by 26 percent between March 2020 and March 2022. At the beginning of the pandemic, treatment costs averaged $10,394, and by the end, hospital stays for COVID patients averaged $13,072.