Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Americans Want, Need Steady Leadership During Pandemic; Important Time To Benefits Others Instead Of White House
The Wall Street Journal: The Virus And Leadership
When President Trump sees a political threat, his instinct is to deny, double down and hit back. That has often been politically effective, but in the case of the novel coronavirus it has undermined his ability to lead. It’s not accurate, as the press reported last week, that the President called the virus a “hoax.” He said the criticisms of his Administration were a hoax. Yet his public remarks too often continue to give the impression that he views the virus more as another chance for political combat than as a serious public-health problem. White House advisers last week said the virus is being “contained” despite contrary evidence. On Monday, after suggesting “fake news” was driving the stock-market rout, the President tweeted: “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!” (3/11)
CNN: Trump Address Sparks Chaos As Coronavirus Crisis Deepens
President Donald Trump set out to steady a rattled nation and a diving economy in a solemn Oval Office address, but instead sowed more confusion and doubts that he is up to handling the fast-worsening coronavirus crisis. Trump spoke to the nation at a fearful moment, when the rhythms of everyday American life are starting to shut down -- with schools closing, the NBA suspended, hospitals on high alert and movie icon Tom Hanks saying he and his wife have the disease. (Stephen Collinson, 3/12)
Boston Globe: A Pandemic Of Lies, Xenophobia, And Toilet Paper
With more than 4,000 deaths worldwide, we’re not only battling the coronavirus, but racism, greed, and an administration with a zealous disregard for anything that does not directly benefit Trump. For him, it’s truth and facts that must be eradicated. His callous actions are no less endangering than the coronavirus itself. And if its spread, enabled by Trump’s lies, continues, even your hoarded stacks of toilet paper won’t protect you. (Renée Graham, 3/10)
Fox News: Trump Coronavirus Response Will Protect America’s Economy, Workers And Businesses
Showing strong and effective leadership when we need it most, President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night and unveiled a two-pronged program of health and economic actions to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The president’s action plan should win bipartisan support to respond to the most serious health and humanitarian crisis our nation has faced in my nearly seven decades. “We are all in this together,” the president correctly said. “We must put politics aside, stop the partisanship.” He called on America to fight the pandemic “together as one nation and one family.” (Andy Pudzer, 3/12)
The Washington Post: How The 2008 Financial Panic Can Help Us Face Coronavirus
In 2008, the United States faced a classic financial panic. As treasury secretary, I worked to help stem the panic and restore the economy amid a witches’ brew of a bursting housing bubble, collapsing financial system, rapidly spreading fear and deeply polarized politics. Twelve years later, the world faces the prospect of another panic, one I hope is still avoidable. The immediate cause is a novel virus, not financial markets or the economy, which remain strong. But fear is again the enemy. And lessons we learned in 2008 can be a useful guide to action. Four of these lessons are particularly important. (Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr., 3/11)
Stat: Covid-19: A Huge Stress Test For Electronic Health Record Systems
Just as the levees of New Orleans stood little chance against the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, our overly complex, inflexible, noninteroperable, and often off-purpose electronic health record systems aren’t ready for an average Sunday afternoon, let alone Covid-19. As the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19 continues its march around the world and through the United States, it is spawning another kind of infection: Covid-19 cyber threats aimed at individuals and health systems. (Eric D. Perakslis and Erich Huang, 3/12)
Boston Globe: Don’t Bailout Airlines. A Coronavirus Stimulus Plan Should Include $1,000 For Every American
Congress shouldn’t bailout the airlines, or for that matter, the cruise industry or shale oil sector. After a long economic boom, corporate America should be in good financial shape to ride out a downturn. Instead, Washington should focus its coronavirus stimulus plan on getting money into the hands of people who need it the most: laid off and furloughed workers who aren’t working because of outbreak-related cancellations, and people who face financial hardship when under quarantine because they can’t work from home. (Shirley Leung, 3/12)
The Wall Street Journal: Virus Relief, Good And Bad
The coronavirus has had the bad judgment to arrive in an election year, so Congress will inevitably respond with what it does best—spend money. As the ideas spill out, it’s worth laying out some principles to sort the good from the bad and the ugly. Target the real hardship. Americans who need the most help will be those who lose their jobs because they or their family members are sick, especially low-income workers who are paid hourly rather than by salary. Federal grants could help make up for lost wages, sick leave, or special health-care costs. (3/11)
