Russia’s assault on Ukraine is being felt worldwide, and the U.S. health care system is not immune.
Both Russia and Ukraine are powerhouses in supplying certain commodities — in this case, ammonium nitrate and natural gas. These commodities, after being refined, can produce two gases crucial for the health care system: nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, and helium. They are used in millions of procedures each day. And crimped supplies could make every root canal that much more painful and every MRI scan that much pricier.
The disruption also represents more turbulence for the U.S. health care system’s supply chain.
