BMJ January 19, 2021
The world’s highest number of covid deaths, a broken healthcare system, and a mess of unhelpful regulations put in place by his predecessor—Joanne Silberner examines what the incoming US president has to contend with and how he intends to fix things
During his 2020 US presidential campaign the Democratic candidate Joe Biden had some clear goals: expand access to health insurance, simplify the country’s notoriously complex healthcare system, cut the costs of prescription drugs, and expand access to abortion.1 Then covid-19 cast a shadow on the whole presidential race.
As Biden takes the oath of office on 20 January he faces the immediate challenge of dealing with the pandemic hurricane buffeting the US and reversing years of undercooked...