Wisconsin’s Choice to End the Pandemic
By Rick Johnson and James Muller, MD
Sitting at the epicenter of both a Presidential election and raging COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that Wisconsin voters have a critical choice to make on November 3. Our state has now endured weeks of skyrocketing case counts, mass spreading and hospitals across our state at capacity. There is no question that we must elect the leader who can best combat the pandemic, save lives and reverse the massive social and economic problems it is causing. As health professionals we have concluded that Vice President Biden is that leader.
The Biden and Trump responses to the virus could not be more different.
Trump said he withheld the truth from the American people because he did not want them to panic. But his failure to inform prevented actions that would have decreased the damage from the virus. It was as if a physician had failed to tell a patient of the early signs of cancer. After President Trump himself contracted COVID-19, he received experimental treatment available only to a few, and fortunately appears to have recovered. But rather than warn others of the danger, he has declared the virus is not dangerous and has continued to deny medical facts and belittle the advice of medical experts.
Vice-President Biden offers an entirely different response to COVID-19. He has shown respect for science and has advocated honesty with the American public. He played an important role in the successful management of the H1N1 in 2009 and the containment of Ebola in 2016. Biden has promised to enlist some of the same individuals who successfully managed those two epidemics to make sure we also defeat COVID-19. He is conducting his campaign with the widespread use of masks and social distancing, and, as recommended by medical authorities, he avoids holding large gatherings.
What are the results of the President’s approach to COVID-19? The editors of the world’s leading medical journal, the New England Journal of Medicine, have issued a striking condemnation. They state that the current leaders of America “have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy. Anyone else who recklessly squandered lives and money in this way would be suffering legal consequences.” Wisconsin, which has seen large rallies of mask-less Trump supporters, currently has the second highest rate of infection in the country.
In addition to their divergent responses to COVID-19, the candidates have markedly different approaches to access to affordable healthcare– a pre-requisite for successful control of this, and future, viral threats. Under President Trump, the number of uninsured and underinsured Wisconsinites has increased. At the same time he seeks, through his continued support of a federal lawsuit, to eliminate the Affordable Care Act (ACA). If he is successful, it will mean that 195,000 Wisconsinites will lose their health insurance. It will also be possible for insurance companies to once again refuse to insure individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, which will impact the 176,000 Wisconsinites who have tested positive for COVID-19.
With the loss of the ACA, we would return to a time when parents could have their coverage cancelled because their child has been diagnosed with leukemia, women could lose coverage because they have breast or ovarian cancer, or are a victim of domestic violence. Roughly 30 percent of young adults up to age 26 would lose their healthcare coverage since they could no longer be covered under their parent’s health plans. President Trump states that he has an alternative healthcare plan to replace the ACA, but, after nearly four years in office, details of the plan remain unknown.
The Biden Healthcare Plan seeks to increase access to care. Under the plan, 340,000 Wisconsinites ages 60 to 64 would be eligible to buy into Medicare, an excellent low-cost health insurance option. No one could be denied coverage because of a pre-existing health condition, adult children up to age 26 could stay on their parent’s health insurance plans and veterans would have increased access to care.
Wisconsin voters will have a large voice in deciding who leads our nation beyond the pandemic and into an era of better healthcare for all. As healthcare professionals, we believe a vote for Biden is a vote for competent management of COVID-19 and improved access for all to high-quality medical care. With health assured, we can then turn our full attention to a returning our schools to normal for our children and rebuilding our businesses and the jobs that have been lost to a mismanaged pandemic.
Rick Johnson is a health insurance expert living in Eagle River, Wisconsin. Dr. James Muller is a Boston-based cardiologist and co-founder of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War, the organization awarded the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize.
