HealthLeaders spoke with numerous stakeholders about the Biden healthcare agenda and what actions to expect from the new administration.
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
 

Breaking: Joe Biden Inaugurated as 46th President; COVID-19 Relief Top Priority Upon Assuming Office

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President Wednesday afternoon in Washington, D.C. The ceremony was marked by heightened security measures following the riots at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.
Prior to Biden's swearing-in, HealthLeaders spoke with industry executives and stakeholders to analyze the new administration's agenda.
Wendell Potter, a former vice president of corporate communications for Cigna Corp. and current president of Business Leaders for Health Care Transformation, said: "My advice to President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, and Attorney General Becerra is to have a singular focus on what is best for consumers and patients, and that includes people who have insurance."
Heather Meade, a principal at Washington Council Ernst & Young, said that beyond the COVID-19 response, the Biden administration will have to use its regulatory and administrative power. Because of the narrow margins in Congress the administration is expected to use reconciliation if it wants to "advance healthcare policy in Congress."

Biden has already given indications for what his administration will prioritize on its healthcare agenda, namely introducing a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, a plan to distribute 100 million vaccines in the first 100 days, and building on the existing structure of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

For more insights from the healthcare community as Biden takes office, read more here.

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