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A Pandemic Policy Prescription for 2021
Here’s what the Biden administration needs to do to end the pandemic and improve health in America
On January 20, Joseph R. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, taking the reins during an era of unrivaled conflict as a nation, divided in its battle over a deadly, worldwide contagion. The new administration will seek to change course from an anti-science, anti-health care, uber-individualistic — if not outright narcissistic — outgoing president. During the run up to the election, Biden campaigned on protecting the Affordable Care Act, creating a public option to enroll more people in health coverage, increasing the value of tax credits available to those in purchasing coverage in the individual market, closing the Medicaid gap, and allowing Medicare to negotiate pharmaceutical prices, among many other policy prescriptions.
With Congress likely divided between the two parties, and with narrowing margins for each, Biden, who will enjoy the support of more Americans than any other president in history, will not have much room to maneuver his arguably modest policy proposal. On what, then, should the incoming administration focus their efforts?
First and foremost, a swift and strong response to the Covid-19 pandemic is the greatest priority for the incoming administration. Second, coverage losses due to the prior administration and the pandemic should be reversed. Third, America must focus on the most vulnerable — seniors, Black, Brown, and Native peoples — as our health care system progresses.
The greatest threat to our nation, our economy, and our American way of life continues to flow from the unrelenting push of the coronavirus across the United States. Public health countermeasures, beginning with masks and physical distancing but encompassing financial support to encourage people to remain at home as long as possible until mass vaccination can produce herd immunity, are the first priority of the incoming government. As I…
