A Look At Both Sides Of The 2021 American Pandemic Relief Plan: What’s Your View?
A lot of changes have happened in America in the past year, two of the most important being the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the last US elections.]
In the first phase, the previous administration offered relief that was considered acceptable enough to most citizens. Then the second wave hit and along with it the reins of America switched hands.
When the new administration entered the White House, they provided even greater relief during the 2021 pandemic phase.
We saw this improvement in the stimulus checks, which had the whole web rolling with trending remarks, memes, and videos, and again in the pandemic relief legislation. Of the two, I’d say it’s this new legislation that has tongues wagging the most.
When everyone’s talking about an issue, there are always two sides: a positive and a negative. Let’s take a look at both sides of the pandemic relief legislation coin.
Positive
On the plus side, the pandemic relief legislation has helped Americans.
In what ways?
Well, because of it, citizens:
- Have more access to affordable healthcare — You may or may not have noticed this, but more than one million Americans who were previously uninsured or underinsured have the affordable healthcare they need since the program started in March.
- Can afford insurance coverage — Because of the temporarily expanded tax subsidies available, unemployment benefit recipients are now eligible for subsidies and cost-sharing reductions during 2021.
There are more benefits to be had from the new administration’s rescue plan, but let’s examine the possible negatives.
Negative
Even though Americans are over the moon about it, there are some (most of whom are understandably from the lawmaking and insurance arena) who are looking at the flip side of that coin. There’s worry about:
- Lack of accountability — The healthcare access that everyone is getting can bring about a lack of accountability which in turn may ultimately cost taxpayers nearly $45 billion when the dust settles.
- Unverified enrollment eligibility — Some worry that the present administration won’t ever verify enrollment eligibility for the expanded subsidies, even for small business health insurance holders.
Of course, there are other concerns about the American Rescue Plan, including the development status of the improper payment rate for state-based exchanges, and the absence of a timeline for its completion.
For every new or improved initiative implemented by any government, there’s always going to be pros and cons.
This won’t change, and it’s healthy to think about both.
At the end of the day though, the question you’ve got to ask yourself is which side are you gonna dwell on: the good, or the bad?
