Becerra Confirmation Crucial to Addressing Health Inequities Deepened by the COVID-19 Pandemic
COMMENTARY

February 22, 2021by Donna Christensen and Jason Resendez, Consumers for Quality Care
Becerra Confirmation Crucial to Addressing Health Inequities Deepened by the COVID-19 Pandemic
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has become more complicated, despite the breakneck speed of vaccine development. The country is facing the dual challenges of combating the spread of new variants of the virus while coordinating a nationwide vaccination effort. The need for strong health care leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rooted in health equity has never been more urgent. Unfortunately, Congress has delayed holding a hearing for President Biden’s historic nomination for HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. Confirming Attorney General Becerra — an effective legislator who would be the first Latino to serve in this role — will provide the country with the leadership it needs to combat the pandemic and to protect America’s public health. 

The HHS Secretary’s role in addressing the nation’s health care challenges is crucial. With Becerra in place as Secretary, HHS can organize the fight against COVID-19 and implement other reforms that will strengthen the nation’s foundation for better, more equitable health.

It is clear that systemic inequities have long persisted in our country’s health care system. The Biden administration has already taken positive steps towards addressing health equity and strengthening Medicaid, but more must be done to improve the accessibility of affordable health care and to drive equitable outcomes for Black, indigenous, and people of color. The longer HHS stands without a leader, the longer much-needed reforms will take to be implemented. 

Poor people and people of color have historically faced discrimination and systemic racism in our nation’s health care system. It is unsurprising that diabetesHIV/AIDSasthmaobesity, and Alzheimer’s occur at higher rates in people of color when compared to White Americans. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has made these problems painfully clear as these underlying conditions are exactly what put people at a higher risk for infection, severe illness and death from COVID-19. Now, a vaccination race gap is emerging that must be addressed swiftly with intentional resources and focus. According to a recent analysis, 17 states reporting vaccination data by race and ethnicity are failing to vaccinate Black and Latino residents at the same rate as Whites. 

Addressing the gaps in vaccination deployment will be among the first challenges of any HHS Secretary and Becerra’s experience fighting for the underserved and overlooked will serve him well here. However, these access gaps are nothing new. 

These very same communities are the least likely to take advantage of Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visit, the least likely to have access to cutting-edge clinical research for diseases like Alzheimer’s, and the most likely to delay seeing a physician due to cost. Halting the pandemic today and preventing one tomorrow, will require building back American health care.

Attorney General Becerra has the administrative skill set and bold vision for equity needed to improve the nation’s outlook for long-term health and health equity through close coordination with Congress, state governments and federal agencies. 

This will require Becerra’s HHS to take on bad policies across the health care industry, like historically exclusionary research practices, as well as those implemented during the Trump administration that have hurt Americans and weakened their ability to fight the pandemic. This includes things like Short-term Limited-duration Health Insurance (STLDIs) or “junk insurance”, rolling back patient protections such as the Six Protected Classes in Medicare Part D, and state Medicaid waivers such as what was approved in Tennessee that will decrease access to quality healthcare for poor Americans. 

As secretary, Becerra has promised to prioritize implementing policies that eliminate racial disparities and all forms of discrimination in health care services and insurance, and we are confident that he will take on these challenge while also improving Medicaid access for the most vulnerable. 

Every minute spent delaying Becerra’s nomination is a minute spent ignoring the fact that vulnerable Americans are in the cross hairs of COVID-19 and other health disparities. We can’t afford to wait. 


The Honorable Donna M. Christensen is a member of the Consumers for Quality Care board. She retired in 2015 from the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served nine terms. She is the first female physician to serve as a member in the history of the U.S. Congress.

Jason Resendez, also a member of the CQC board, is a community advocate and leader in the nation’s efforts to address brain health disparities as the founding executive director of the LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s Coalition.

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

Opinions

New Poll Results Show Americans Are Concerned About Political Division and What Can Be Done to Fix It

As we head into this election year with a likely rematch between two relatively unpopular candidates, it may seem political divisions... Read More

As we head into this election year with a likely rematch between two relatively unpopular candidates, it may seem political divisions are higher than ever. Many controversial issues like immigration, taxes and debate over foreign aid dominate the news, so much so that many Americans may think... Read More

Ensuring Equity and Innovation in Kidney Care: a Call to Action During National Kidney Month

When you woke up this morning, you probably turned on the light, maybe looked at your phone or went to... Read More

When you woke up this morning, you probably turned on the light, maybe looked at your phone or went to get a glass of water, all without much thought. Electricity, phone service and running water are all essentials that we give little thought to until they’re... Read More

The American Rescue Plan Is (Still) Worth Celebrating

Just three years ago, our economy was in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. Communities across the nation were reeling... Read More

Just three years ago, our economy was in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. Communities across the nation were reeling not only from the health implications of the COVID pandemic, but also from high unemployment, business closures and frightening economic uncertainty. Bold and decisive action was... Read More

Cutting Through the Generative AI Noise: What Business Leaders Should Do Now

No matter what industry you’re in, there are two things that every business leader cares about: revenue growth and cost reduction. These are the... Read More

No matter what industry you’re in, there are two things that every business leader cares about: revenue growth and cost reduction. These are the metrics that CEOs talk about ad nauseam during earnings calls. They are the keys that unlock higher business valuations, individual performance bonuses and the ever elusive... Read More

Shield Our Eyes: Lawmakers Across the Country Must Ensure Eye Surgery Can Only Be Performed by Medical Eye Surgeons 

Training and experience matter, especially when health is on the line. Just as one would rightly be concerned to discover... Read More

Training and experience matter, especially when health is on the line. Just as one would rightly be concerned to discover a flight attendant, rather than a pilot, flying their airplane, so too would most people be alarmed to find the person performing surgery on and around... Read More

Fentanyl Kills More Than 150 Americans Each Day, but Some States Keep Overdose Rescue Medications Out of Reach 

Today’s growing overdose epidemic is being fueled by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100... Read More

Today’s growing overdose epidemic is being fueled by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. In fact, it’s so lethal that only a tiny amount — 2 milligrams, about the size of a pencil tip — can... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top