Policy Watch
Quick-hitting policy analysis, polling, and updates on the key issues facing the country.
Why The California Recall Is Not a Harbinger of What Is to Come on COVID As a Campaign Issue
In this Axios column, Drew Altman examines the lessons for COVID-19 as a political issue from Governor Gavin Newsom’s resounding win in California’s recall election.
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How Marketplace Costs and Premiums will Change if Rescue Plan Subsidies Expire
In this Policy Watch we explore the potential impact of the expiration of the American Rescue Plan Act’s enhanced financial help and new eligibility for the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance Marketplace federal subsidies. While the COVID-19 relief legislation passed earlier this year provides greater subsidy assistance through 2022, Democrats in Congress are currently considering making the temporary federal help permanent or extending it as part of their planned budget reconciliation legislation.
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The Red/Blue Divide in COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
This post examines a growing COVID-19 vaccine gap in Red and Blue America, with the share of the population that have been fully vaccinated in counties that voted for President Biden in 2020 increasing more rapidly than the share in counties that voted for President Trump.
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Extreme Heat and Racial Health Equity
During the summer, the United States reported record extreme heat events across the country. While extreme heat and other hazardous weather events have implications for everyone, growing research shows that they disproportionately affect low-income people and people of color due to underlying social inequities and structural discrimination.
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Parents Report More Negative Pandemic Effects on Kids Who Attend School Virtually vs. In-Person
In his latest Axios column, Drew Altman shows that parents feel that children have fared better during COVID attending school in-person than virtually in terms of academic performance and their mental health and wellbeing.
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Funding for Health Care Providers During the Pandemic: An Update
This summarizes the additional federal funding that has been given to health care providers to help them cope with the economic impact of the pandemic and also discusses the latest trends in health care spending.
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