Telehealth use increased steadily in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic but underserved populations were among the least likely to use telehealth compared with affluent, privately insured populations. While recent studies have documented rapid growth in telehealth visits during the pandemic, none have analyzed the impact of telehealth on access to care.

This article uses Association of American Medical Colleges’ Consumer Survey data to analyze the relationship between access to care and telehealth during the pandemic, with a particular focus on underserved populations.