COVID-19 Webinar Series Session 20 – Tensions, Tradeoffs, and Takeaways: What’s at Stake for America 100 Days into the Pandemic  and Where We Go From Here

Just over 100 days have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency on March 13, 2020. Since then, over 2 million people in the U.S. have been infected by the virus, 640,000 have recovered partially or completely, and more than 120,000 people have died (Johns Hopkins University). The pandemic has led to sweeping ramifications throughout the American economy and society as a whole. Staggering job losses have disrupted insurance coverage and added to the ranks of the uninsured and underinsured, exacerbating existing concerns about access to needed care (The Commonwealth Fund). The pandemic has exposed major societal weaknesses, among them, gaps in our public health infrastructure, vulnerabilities in our health care financing system, and pervasive racial inequities.

As the pandemic progresses, policymakers will continue to be faced with important, wide-ranging, and interconnected decisions, among them, ensuring the health and safety of the population, bolstering health system capacity, addressing disparities among communities of color, and protecting our economy and society from future public health emergencies. During this interactive discussion, three preeminent health policy leaders examined the lessons learned three months into the crisis and laid out considerations for decision-makers as they work to stem the tide of the pandemic and build a more resilient health care system.