Changes in Heart Transplant Listings by Insurance and Race During the COVID Public Health Emergency
Authors' conclusion
The COVID-related PHE was associated with changes in the insurance and racial composition of the heart transplantation waitlist that, if maintained, could reduce socioeconomic inequities in access to heart transplantation.
Study context
- Population
- Adults (aged >17 years) added to the heart transplant waitlist between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2022heart transplant listings
- Participants
- 12,261 vs 8,224
- Exposure
- Ratios of pre-PHE to Public Health Emergency (PHE) waitlisting rates by payer and race
- PHEn = 12,261
- pre-PHEn = 8,224reference
- Outcome
- Heart transplant listings by payer
Methodological detailsUnited Network for Organ Sharing thoracic data set, weekly counts, latent lognormal Poisson dynamic generalized linear models
- United Network for Organ Sharing thoracic data set
- Weekly counts
- Latent lognormal Poisson dynamic generalized linear models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
PHE vs pre-PHERelative risk (95% CI)
Privately insured; no change
1.06(0.91–1.24)
Medicare; no change
1.11(0.94–1.30)
Other government coverage; no change
1.13(0.91–1.39)
Medicaid-covered; increase
1.19(1.01–1.42)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Heart transplant listings by race · during the PHEPHEvs pre-PHEWhite; no increase | RR 1.03 (95% CI 0.90–1.21) | |
| Heart transplant listings by race · during the PHEPHEvs pre-PHEBlack; increase | rate ratio 1.20 (95% CI 1.04–1.43) | |
| Heart transplant listings by race · during the PHEPHEvs pre-PHEHispanic; increase | RR 1.24 (95% CI 1.06–1.49) | |
| Heart transplant listings by race · during the PHEPHEvs pre-PHE | RR 1.36 (95% CI 1.14–1.66) | |
| 0.512Ratio (log scale) |
- Heart transplant listings by race: Asian/American Indian or Alaska Native/Hawaiian or Pacific Islander/multiracial; increase
Original publication
Changes in Heart Transplant Listings by Insurance and Race During the COVID Public Health Emergency. Circ Heart Fail. Published 20 August 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →