Policy Watch
Quick-hitting policy analysis, polling, and updates on the key issues facing the country in 2020.
Why Doctors and Nurses Can Be Vital Vaccine Messengers
In this Axios column, Drew Altman examines why doctors and nurses are such critical messengers in the effort to build vaccine confidence.
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Dysfunctional websites are making it harder for Americans to get vaccinated. Here’s how to fix that.
In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Drew Altman spells out how COVID-19 vaccination can be simplified to ensure that the public’s rising confidence in the vaccine isn’t thwarted by frustrating and sometimes dysfunctional websites.
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The Health Center COVID-19 Vaccination Program is Prioritizing Hard-to-Reach Communities
As part of the Biden administration’s plans to facilitate more equitable access to vaccinations, the administration has formed a partnership with community health centers, known for providing health care to some of the hardest-to-reach populations. This Policy Watch post examines the initial group of health centers to participate early in the Health Center Vaccination Program and the patient populations they serve.
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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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Where To Start To Build Vaccine Confidence
In this Axios column Drew Altman writes about the recent attention to Republican vaccine resisters. “Republicans and rural Americans are among the most resistant vaccine holdouts and some strategies are emerging to reach them.” But “far from all Republicans are resisters” and “the bigger and quicker payoff will come from prioritizing the more moveable group of ‘wait and see’ Americans.”
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Postpartum Coverage Extension in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
This post explains the new Medicaid Postpartum Expansion option included in The American Rescue Plan Act and raises some questions that policymakers are likely to grapple with as the implementation unfolds.
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