Nathalie Huguet, PhD; Teresa Schmidt, PhD; Annie Larson, PhD; Jean O’Malley, MPH; Megan Hoopes, MPH; Heather Angier, PhD, MPH; Miguel Marino, PhD; Jennifer DeVoe, MD, DPhil
Corresponding Author: Nathalie Huguet, PhD; Oregon Health & Science University. Email: huguetn@ohsu.edu
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Background: Short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 will likely be designated preexisting conditions. We describe the prevalence of preexisting conditions among CHC patients overall, and those with COVID-19 by race/ethnicity. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study used electronic health record (EHR) data from OCHIN, a network of 396 community health centers across 14 states. Results: Among all patients with COVID-19, 33% did not have a preexisting condition prior to the pandemic. Up to half of COVID-19-positive non-Hispanic Asians (51%), Hispanic (36%), and non-Hispanic Black (28%) patients did not have a preexisting condition prior to the pandemic. Conclusions: The future of the ACA is uncertain and the long-term health effects of COVID-19 are largely unknown, therefore ensuring people with preexisting conditions can acquire health insurance is essential to achieving health equity.