State Legislatures Returning to Session Can Be First Line of Defense in COVID-19 Pandemic

(Washington, D.C). Today, United States of Care (USofCare) released a set of state legislative recommendations to address COVID-19.

Facing unprecedented public health and economic challenges, state legislators are returning to session over the coming weeks with enormous to-do lists and needs to balance in the midst of COVID-19. Not only will states have to pass legislation in response to immediate health care, fiscal, and safety concerns, they will also need to address significant structural gaps in existing policies.

To prepare for these realities, United States of Care has developed a menu of common-sense policy recommendations that state legislators should consider to:

• Protect people and provide the information and clear recommendations that people need to be safe from the virus
• Build a reliable health care system that is adequately resourced to support front-line workers and is available when people need it, both now and after the pandemic
• Provide people with the financial and health care security they need to weather COVID-19 and other health care needs
• Build an equitable COVID-19 response and health care system which cares for all, especially the most vulnerable

“COVID-19 has vividly demonstrated that every state has something to teach, and something to learn, from the way other states have responded to this pandemic. This unprecedented moment provides leaders with the unique opportunity to ensure that our health care system is responsive to the pandemic, is accessible, and affordable now and into the future. These policy recommendations reflect what we are seeing in states, in public opinion polling, and what we are hearing directly from everyday people through our community conversations.”

– Emily Barson, Executive Director

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Learn more about USofCare’s proposal here.