Health policy leaders urge Biden to support 'vulnerable communities'

President-elect Joe Biden's administration will inherit the most acute public health crisis in a century, and the stakes of governing well will be high.

The sheer size of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis will demand cooperation between the public and private sectors to achieve public health goals and equitable policy outcomes.

Modern Healthcare on Dec. 9 held a virtual town hall with four healthcare policy leaders to get their perspectives on the most pressing issues facing the new administration.

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health: The Food and Drug Administration's job is to assess the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, determine if it makes sense for the American people, and then explain the basis for that determination.

Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), former Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Clinton administration: They have to take national control over the COVID-19 crisis and communicate clearly and consistently. ... There used to be a Shalala rule at HHS, and that was communication on science was done by scientists.

Chip Kahn, president and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals: Job one in the next few weeks is to get a realistic package through Congress that can help us get over the hump here in terms of vaccines, in terms of testing, and in terms of extra money for the economy through the various avenues in the bill.

Wright Lassiter, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System based in Detroit, Mich.: When you look at main street kinds of issues, hospitals in many environments are the largest employers. So when you think about a hospital that has significant financial challenges and you think through how do you weave a fabric in a community for strong economics, if that hospital has to lay off or close its doors, that has significant impacts for local communities.

Sharfstein: Just as it's important to make sure that the institutions that are taking care of patients in vulnerable communities are supported, it's also important to directly support those vulnerable communities.

Shalala: It will be very different under President Biden because right now the Republicans wait to see whether the smoke has come out of the White House.

Kahn: The pandemic is a generational event, so many things will come out different. On telehealth and the use of digital health generally, and issues like hospital at home and monitoring, I think it will change many of the ways we do things.

Lassiter: The 340B program is one where this administration, probably more so by inaction but also by some action, have really allowed pharmaceutical companies to undermine a program that doesn't cost the government a penny but provides benefit to millions of individuals.

Sharfstein: I think the pandemic has made clear that fee for service is not just very expensive but also not very resilient. It's going to be an opportunity to have a conversation about value-based payment.