We asked readers, "What impact do you think the current strain on health care staffing and the exodus of workers will have on health care access?" Here's what you said:

Support systems

While access to care (due to plan design, provider exodus, etc) is a reality that will plague us for years to come, advocacy is a crisis of equal concern. During the pandemic, patients who have had to endure loneliness and no advocacy have been caused great harm. We have seen case after case of patients suffering and dying alone. We also see patients who are unable to make rational or knowledge-based health care decisions in medical facilities, who must rely on the limited and stressed-out staff to do so for them. That is a recipe for disaster.