The two most monumental events of the last year in the US were the election of Joe Biden to the presidency and the introduction of Covid-19 vaccines. Yet there are those who falsely believe Biden won only because of fraud or that they shouldn’t get a vaccine. Having either belief […] Read more »
As the Pandemic Eases, What Is the State of Health Care Coverage and Affordability in the U.S.?
To shore up an economy and health system battered during the COVID-19-induced recession, the U.S. Congress passed four major relief bills in 2020 and 2021. The Biden administration also made a number of administrative changes, including some aimed at helping people enroll in health insurance coverage. After a year of […] Read more »
Vaccine hesitancy morphs into hostility, as opposition to shots hardens
… What began as “vaccine hesitancy” has morphed into outright vaccine hostility, as conservatives increasingly attack the White House’s coronavirus message, mischaracterize its vaccination campaign and, more and more, vow to skip the shots altogether. The notion that the vaccine drive is pointless or harmful — or perhaps even a […] Read more »
Extreme weather dominates 2021 as Washington stalls on climate
It’s only mid-July, but it has already been a long, hot summer for a lot of people in the U.S., particularly in the West. The devastating heat wave along the Pacific Coast has been a major news story for the last few weeks. Look closer at 2021 and you’ll find […] Read more »
POLITICO-Harvard poll: Americans sharply divided over vaccine mandates
Americans are almost evenly divided over whether schools or most private employers should require Covid-19 vaccinations as part of reopening, according to a POLITICO-Harvard survey that shows how politically fraught any kind of mandate would be. Most Democrats support forcing employees and students to be vaccinated before they return to […] Read more »
How long-standing mistrust of government is hurting our vaccination efforts
Americans have lacked trust in the federal government since the 1970s. From the late 1950s until the Watergate scandal, a majority of Americans said they trusted the federal government to do the right thing most of the time. But since then, it’s been a minority (with the exception of the […] Read more »