While the US has excelled in vaccine development, its distribution and administration efforts did not go according to plan due to the dependence on states. The Biden administration has enacted a COVID-19 plan that includes an investment of $25bn in vaccine manufacturing and distribution. It is uncertain what the future holds for the US healthcare situation and its economy going forward under the Biden administration, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Sharon Cartic, MSc, Associate Director for Drugs and Business Fundamentals at GlobalData, comments: “With a Democrat majority held in both the Senate and House of Representatives, the COVID-19 pandemic response is top priority. Biden aims to deliver 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations in his first 100 days in office to try to lessen the virus’ impact on the economy and reduce its burden on healthcare systems.”

Moncef Slaoui—who recently resigned as scientific head of Operation Warp Speed—disagrees with former President Trump’s politicization of policy decisions during the pandemic, admitting that the vaccination distribution is not working appropriately, partly due to lack of transparency.

Cartic continues: “Biden’s nomination of Jeff Zients, former economic advisor to President Obama, to lead the coronavirus response, bodes well. He was a leader for the Obama administration’s response to the Ebola crisis, which has afforded him a positive working relationship with the House and the Senate.”

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) may gain some support with Biden’s nomination of Xavier Becerra, Democratic Attorney General of California, as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. He has a reputation for being a great defender of the ACA and it so it is hoped that he will work to prevent the law from being overturned.

Cartic concludes: “Another top priority for Biden’s administration is healthcare reform, with his signing of an executive order to reopen the federal health insurance marketplace (HealthCare.gov) for those needing insurance during the pandemic, demonstrating his push to build on Obama’s healthcare law and to expand healthcare coverage to all Americans.”