Biden, Congress should go big on COVID-19 relief
Skip to main content
MDHC_Logotype_white
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • This Week's News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition
    • CDC endorses 3rd vaccine option from J&J
      Great-granddaughter of Tuskegee study victim gets vaccine
      Some GOP state lawmakers help spread COVID-19 misinformation
      Plunging demand for COVID-19 tests may leave U.S. exposed
    • CDC endorses 3rd vaccine option from J&J
      Great-granddaughter of Tuskegee study victim gets vaccine
      Some GOP state lawmakers help spread COVID-19 misinformation
      Plunging demand for COVID-19 tests may leave U.S. exposed
    • Dr. Imran Andrabi
      Q&A: ThedaCare CEO says lessons from COVID-19 will inform new approaches to population health management
      The Check Up: Dr. Imran Andrabi
      The Check Up: Dr. Imran Andrabi of ThedaCare
      Hospitals confront water shortages in winter storm aftermath
      beaumont-hospital-royal-oak_i_i_i.jpg
      Beaumont says nearly 2,000 second-shot vaccinations canceled due to vaccine shortage
    • CMS: Group health plans must cover COVID-19 diagnostic testing
      High MLRs inspire insurers to focus on quality improvements
      Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, OU Health Physicians mired in contract dispute
      Beyond the Byline: Insurers are betting on virtual-first plans as COVID-19 shifts care pathways
    • CMS: Group health plans must cover COVID-19 diagnostic testing
      Another Pennsylvania health network vaccinates employee kin
      Why AstraZeneca and J&J's vaccines, in use elsewhere, are still on hold in America
      Lawmakers probe if Cuomo's policy fueled nursing home deaths
    • UPMC's patient volumes stabilize, boosting 2020 profits
      Genomics firms taking advantage of SPACs trend to go public faster
      COVID-19 could dent hospital revenue by at least $53 billion in 2021, AHA says
      deloitte GDP image chart graph going up
      Sponsored Content Provided By Deloitte
      Breaking the cost curve
    • Teladoc reports $383.3M in fourth-quarter revenue, up 145%
      man and woman looking at ipad wearing face masks stock image
      Sponsored Content Provided By Surescripts
      Improvements to benefits data can enhance ePrescribing and the patient experience
      Oscar Health's $1B IPO sets the stage for more health tech exits in 2021
      A map of the U.S. with images of the coronavirus.
      The digital divide becomes a new social determinant of health
    • Great-granddaughter of Tuskegee study victim gets vaccine
      Some GOP state lawmakers help spread COVID-19 misinformation
      A provider wearing PPE looking at a wall with patient notes.
      Rethinking quality and safety in the age of COVID
      exam room-main_i.jpg
      Nurse practitioner with not-for-profit clinic in Detroit church expands to COVID-19 vaccines
    • Alicia Wilson
      Q&A: Emerging leader Alicia Wilson on staying close to home
      Michael Jordan, Novant team up to address health equity
      Former Ascension CEO, the first to lead the health system, passes away
      Biden's pick to head CMS would be first Black woman to hold post
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
    • The Affordable Care Act after 10 years
    • Dr. John Fischer
      Patient-reported outcomes tool for hernia surgery helps physicians improve care
      New care model helps primary-care practices treat obesity
      doctor with patient
      COVID-19 treatment protocol developed in the field helps patients recover
      Rachel Wyatt
      Project to curb pressure injuries in hospitals shows promise
    • What's next for on-demand telehealth companies?
      A map of the U.S. with images of the coronavirus.
      The digital divide becomes a new social determinant of health
      A CalOptima PACE vaccination clinic.
      Will COVID-19 be the catalyst for creating a more sustainable healthcare system?
      Ascension’s St. Mary’s Hospital Surgery Center at Towne Centre and Allegheny Health Network’s Bethel Park surgery center
      Hospitals see opportunity, risk in ambulatory surgery centers
    • Dr. Daniel Hall
      UPMC pilots machine learning, telehealth to inform patient transfers
      A woman being recorded using her inhaler on a smartphone.
      Digital check-ins, connected inhalers help control asthma
      A phone screen showing the question, "Mary we hope this information was helpful and we'd like to keep guiding you. Are you interested in knowing when it's your turn to receive the vaccine?"
      Chatbots, texting campaigns help manage influx of COVID vax questions
      A woman with a wearable sensor talking to her provider.
      Wearable sensors help diagnose heart rhythm problems in West Virginia
  • Transformation
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • What's next for on-demand telehealth companies?
      Rising prescription copays drop adherence, spike mortality, research shows
      Dr. John Fischer
      Patient-reported outcomes tool for hernia surgery helps physicians improve care
      Highmark Health inks six-year cloud, tech deal with Google
    • Hospitals' Medicare billing practices suggest upcoding, OIG says
      California hospitals prepare ethical protocol to prioritize lifesaving care
      Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Berkshire Hathaway disband Haven
      Digital pathways poised to reshape healthcare continuum in 2021
    • Dr. Daniel Hall
      UPMC pilots machine learning, telehealth to inform patient transfers
      A woman being recorded using her inhaler on a smartphone.
      Digital check-ins, connected inhalers help control asthma
      Humana partners with in-home provider for 24/7 care
      A phone screen showing the question, "Mary we hope this information was helpful and we'd like to keep guiding you. Are you interested in knowing when it's your turn to receive the vaccine?"
      Chatbots, texting campaigns help manage influx of COVID vax questions
    • Coordinated payment policies could speed transition to value, experts say
      CMMI's geographic direct contracting model needs an overhaul, experts say
      Hospitals fight UnitedHealthcare policies over lab test, specialty drug payments
      Cigna eliminates prior authorization for coronary CT scans
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
    • Health Systems Financials
      Executive Compensation
      Physician Compensation
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
    • Dr. Alan Kaplan
      The risks, rewards of taking organizations 'where they haven’t gone before'
      Wellstar CEO calls adapting for the pandemic her bold move
      Howard P. Kern
      Recognizing the value of telehealth in its infancy
      Dr. Stephen Markovich
      A bold move helped take him from family doctor to OhioHealth CEO
    • Dr. Stephen Markovich
      Making sure we're aligned along the path to achieving inclusion
      Barry Ostrowsky
      Ending racism is a journey taken together; the starting point must be now
      Laura Lee Hall and Gary Puckrein
      Increased flu vaccination has never been more important for communities of color
      John Daniels Jr.
      Health equity: Making the journey from buzzword to reality
    • Mikelle Moore
      The promising future of rural healthcare, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic
      In-person visitation must be part of the national COVID-19 response
      We've lost so much to the pandemic, but we've also made gains that will endure
      Medical groups key to meeting president's vaccine pledge
    • Letters: Eliminating bias in healthcare needs to be ‘deliberate and organic’
      Letters: Maybe dropping out of ACOs is a good thing for patients
      Letters: White House and Congress share blame for lack of national COVID strategy
      Letters: VA making strides to improve state veterans home inspections
    • Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      How blockchain could ease frustration with the payment process
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Three steps to better data-sharing for payer and provider CIOs
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Reduce total cost of care: 6 reasons why providers and payers should tackle the challenge together
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Why CIOs went from back-office operators to mission-critical innovators
  • Awards
    • Award Programs
    • Nominate
    • Previous Award Programs
    • Other Award Programs
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare Logo for Navigation
      Nominations Open - Best Places to Work in Healthcare
      Nominations Open - 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Minorities in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Minority Leaders
      • - Minorities to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Excellence in Nursing Awards
    • Design Awards
    • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
    • 100 Top Hospitals
    • ACHE Awards
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Webinars
    • COVID-19 Event Tracker
    • podium march webinar logo lockup
      Sponsored Content Provided By Podium
      Webinar: Critical Touchpoints for Every Patient’s Journey — How Technology Plays an Important Role
      scp health logo lockup march 2021
      Sponsored Content Provided By SCP Health
      Webinar: COVID’s call to action — Reset for success in 2021
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Healthcare Transformation Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Virtual Briefings
      • - Hospital of the Future
      • - Mental Health
      • - Patient Safety & Quality
      • - Strategic Marketing
      • - Virtual Health
      • - Workplace of the Future
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
  • Listen
    • Podcast - Next Up
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Next Up Podcast: Educating patients on the COVID-19 vaccine with Tanya Andreadis
      Dr. Joseph Cacchione
      Next Up Podcast: Educating patients on the COVID-19 vaccine with Dr. Joseph Cacchione
      Dr. Karen DeSalvo
      Next Up Podcast: What to expect with telehealth and healthcare technology in the next four years
      Carter Dredge
      Next Up Podcast: Ready, set, innovate! Innovation and disruption in healthcare
    • Beyond the Byline: Insurers are betting on virtual-first plans as COVID-19 shifts care pathways
      Beyond the Byline: How residents' stories shape our coverage of the vaccination rollout in nursing homes
      Beyond the Byline: Regulators aim to boost value push with fraud and abuse law updates
      An older man wearing a mask receiving a vaccine.
      Beyond the Byline: Verifying information on the chaotic COVID-19 vaccine rollout
    • Outreach during COVID-19
      Leading intention promote diversity and inclusion
      Introducing Healthcare Insider Podcast
    • The Check Up: Dr. Imran Andrabi
      The Check Up: Dr. Imran Andrabi of ThedaCare
      The Check Up: Tanya Blackmon
      The Check Up: Tanya Blackmon of Novant Health
      The Check Up: Dr. Patrick Hwu
      The Check Up: Dr. Patrick Hwu of the Moffitt Cancer Center
      The Check Up: Suresh Gunasekaran
      The Check Up: Suresh Gunasekaran of the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
    • ivana naeymi-rad one on one intelligent medical objects
      Video: Ivana Naeymi Rad of Intelligent Medical Objects
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Opinion & Editorial
February 13, 2021 01:00 AM

Go big on pandemic relief

Merrill Goozner
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    merrill goozner

    There’s an ironic similarity between the Biden administration’s COVID-19 relief bill and the Trump administration’s 2017 tax cuts. Both cost $1.9 trillion. 

    That’s why it’s difficult to take seriously the complaints by congressional Republicans about the package’s size.

    Giving tax breaks to well-off corporations and individuals during an economic expansion is OK, but spending money in the midst of an economic crisis is fiscally irresponsible?

    It’s not just hypocritical. It’s bad economics. It’s also a textbook example of the maxim that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

    The sluggishness of the recovery after the 2008-10 Great Recession was largely due to the prolonged downturn in state and local government spending. Unlike the federal government, states and cities cannot run deficits when tax receipts go down sharply and recover slowly.

    They were forced to lay off hundreds of thousands of employees, including an estimated 50,000 front-line personnel in public health departments. Most were never called back because the new Obama administration didn’t address state shortfalls in its futile attempt to attract Republican votes to its stimulus package.

    Then Vice President Joe Biden and his economic advisers, many of whom have joined him in the current White House, learned from that experience. That’s why they’re pushing for adequately sized relief on all fronts, including an additional $350 billion for the state and local governments that are on the front lines of fighting the pandemic. 

    Their health departments are going to need that help in the months ahead if the U.S. is going to have a successful vaccine rollout. Setting up emergency vaccination sites, hiring temporary personnel, conducting wider testing, and expanding contact tracing costs a lot of money.

    Now that mutant COVID-19 variants are beginning to spread to some areas of the country, putting in place an adequate testing and tracing infrastructure will be even more important than it was last spring, when the Trump administration failed to make it a priority. Given the gaps in public acceptance of social distancing and masking guidelines, those strains will soon be everywhere. States and cities must have the resources needed to immediately identify and control those outbreaks, especially if the new vaccines prove less effective against the mutant strains.

    The Biden plan includes an extra $160 billion for those tasks, three times the amount contained in the Republican alternative package offered in late January. It was heartening to see the administration’s plan adds 100,000 community health workers to conduct contact tracing.

    One can only hope that Congress later passes legislation that will make this public health corps permanent. As I noted last June, such a corps could, in non-pandemic times, serve as front-line community outreach workers, deployed in every corner of the country to help address the obesity, mental health, opioid and substance abuse epidemics.

    They’d also be immediately available when the next pandemic hits, as it inevitably will in our warming, crowded and globalized world. We’ve paid a tremendous price in lives and economic dislocation due to the previous administration’s callous disregard of pandemic preparedness. Let’s not make that mistake again.

    The Republican’s scaled down bill also rejects many of the income support programs being pushed by the Biden administration. They range from larger one-time checks to more generous unemployment insurance to a $15-an-hour minimum wage. The GOP also takes a niggling approach to increased food and rent assistance.

    Here’s the reality. During the “boom” that preceded the pandemic, demand for basic social services was soaring because so many jobs failed to pay a living wage. Poverty is the ultimate social determinant of health. It’s the reason why impoverished communities suffered the most during the pandemic.
    Improving their economic prospects is also part of pandemic relief.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    CDC endorses 3rd vaccine option from J&J
    CDC endorses 3rd vaccine option from J&J
    Great-granddaughter of Tuskegee study victim gets vaccine
    Great-granddaughter of Tuskegee study victim gets vaccine
    Sponsored Content
    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up for free enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today

    The weekly magazine, websites, research and databases provide a powerful and all-encompassing industry presence. We help you make informed business decisions and lead your organizations to success.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Instagram

    Stay Connected

    Join the conversation with Modern Healthcare through our social media pages

    MDHC_Logotype_white
    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • This Week's News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Transformation
      • Patients
      • Operations
      • Care Delivery
      • Payment
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Award Programs
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Minorities in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Minority Leaders
          • - Minorities to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Nominate
      • Previous Award Programs
        • Excellence in Nursing Awards
        • Design Awards
        • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
      • Other Award Programs
        • 100 Top Hospitals
        • ACHE Awards
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Healthcare Transformation Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Virtual Briefings
          • - Hospital of the Future
          • - Mental Health
          • - Patient Safety & Quality
          • - Strategic Marketing
          • - Virtual Health
          • - Workplace of the Future
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Webinars
      • COVID-19 Event Tracker
    • Listen
      • Podcast - Next Up
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing