Chad Mathis: Believe it or not, America’s healthcare system is the best in the world
We have the best healthcare system in the world. That is a statement you won’t often hear, but it’s true. For years we have listened to calls for Medicare for all and that the federal government should scrap our broken system. The list goes on and on. Yet these calls have been strangely silent of recent. We are better at treating chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, but we don’t hear that very often. One glaring example against socialized medicine is the vaccine production and rollout efforts. Because of Operation Warp Speed, the United States successfully facilitated and accelerated the development and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine and other diagnostics and therapeutics. Operation Warp Speed was the simultaneous development with large clinical trials and manufacturing ramp-up of the COVID-19 vaccine. The United States produced and distributed the vaccine precisely because of our highly fragmented, highly customizable healthcare system. While not perfect, it can hold its own on the world stage. The European Union cannot boast the same successes. The EU’s vaccination rollout efforts have failed. Only five countries have met their first vaccination threshold of having 80% of people over the age of 80 vaccinated. Even fewer countries have vaccinated 80% of their healthcare workers. The EU is still working out how to roll out vaccines for the entirety of their adult population months after the United States began to offer vaccines for anyone who wanted one. The EU vaccine rollout has been a massive failure. The EU has failed because their system sets them up for failure. While the United States still values a limited government approach, the EU relies on a centralized government. Because of our fragmentation and customizability, the American healthcare system succeeds in a large disparate country with high variability throughout, which ultimately allows it to be customizable to any situation. Thus, the success of Operation Warp Speed. A centralized system will set up our system to fail, just like the failures within the EU. Rising costs and delays in care are a natural consequence of a centralized system. The stagnation of care will become the norm as questions will always have to be referred back to a bureau in Washington for the answer in this system. It will always require more funding to tinker a little bit more to make it better, “if we could only …” will always be the answer. Operation Warp Speed has proven that the American approach to healthcare is what works for such a large nation. It is good to be back home in Birmingham. Last year, the opportunity to serve our country during this difficult time as a Senior Policy Advisor at Health and Human Services was a blessing. It was the honor of a lifetime to go to our nation’s capital and aid in the work to combat Covid-19. I look forward to writing about and advocating for policies that preserve free markets, limited government, and strong families both here in the state of Alabama and nationally. These values have proven to work repeatedly, and Alabamians must continue to advocate for these kinds of policies. Dr. Chad Mathis is a former senior policy advisor in the Trump Administration, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, and a distinguished fellow at the Alabama Policy Institute.
Kay Ivey faces decision on promotion requirement for 3rd graders
After the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted classrooms, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey faces a decision whether to delay next year’s high-stakes requirement to hold back third-graders who aren’t reading on grade level. Ivey has through Thursday to sign legislation by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, a Democrat from Birmingham, that would push back the promotion requirement from the 2021-22 school year to the 2023-24 school year. If she does not sign the bill, the legislation will die by what is known as a pocket veto. Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola said the bill is under review. The governor’s office is getting lobbied both by people asking her to approve the delay and others seeking a veto of the bill. Supporters of a delay argue it will be unfair to force the requirement on students who were out of the traditional classroom for long stretches during the pandemic. But opponents argue it will be a disservice to students to delay the promotion requirement — a part of a broader state program to boost literacy — or that the state should wait until the latest test scores are available to decide. The Alabama Education Association, the state lobby representing public school employees, said teachers have called and emailed asking Ivey to sign the bill and approve the delay. The group said many Alabama teachers have not received the training required under the 2019 law. “Students also need more time to make up for learning loss. It is not feasible to implement the law as it currently stands while students and educators are trying to recover from this unprecedented school year,” the AEA said in a statement on the legislation. Republican Rep. Terri Collins of Decatur, who sponsored the original measure in 2019, said she is hopeful Ivey will veto the bill. Collins has said lawmakers should wait and see the latest test scores before deciding if a delay is needed. “To continue moving forward is the best thing for the children,” Collins said. The Republican representative said lawmakers will have have “plenty of time” to approve a delay in the 2022 legislative session if the test scores show large numbers of children might be held back. Collins said she met with the governor Tuesday. Alabama lawmakers in 2019 approved several initiatives to try to boost reading scores. It included that beginning in the 2021-22 school year, third graders would be required to meet reading benchmarks before moving to the fourth grade. Students would have to make a minimum score on a reading assessment or demonstrate mastery of all third-grade state reading standards as evidenced by a student reading portfolio. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama governor signs bill to ban curbside voting
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed legislation to ban curbside voting in the state. Ivey’s office announced she signed the bill by Republican Rep. Wes Allen of Troy that would forbid election workers from setting up curbside areas for people to vote as well as forbid the setting up of voting machines outside a polling place. The action codifies the view held by Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill who argued in a court case last year that existing state law did not allow curbside voting. “Since taking office, we have always prioritized securing the chain of ballot custody. By keeping the ballot in the hands of the voter, we ensure each vote is counted accurately, honestly, and independently from any poll worker or third party,” Merrill said in a statement. Civil rights groups representing a group of voters with health concerns last year sued Alabama seeking more option for voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. A federal judge ruled that curbside voting should be allowed, but the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the state. Legislative debate on the bill mirrored partisan debate across the country as Democrats urged expanded voting access and Republicans sought restrictions in the name of ballot security. The GOP-dominated Legislature approved the curbside voting ban while a Democratic-sponsored bill that would expand absentee voting did not get out of committee. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Union members arrested during Alabama coal strike protest
Nearly a dozen miners who’ve been striking an Alabama coal company for about two months were arrested during a protest outside a mine in Tuscaloosa County, a union said. The United Mine Workers of America said 11 members were charged with trespassing at a Warrior Met Coal Inc. mine in Tuscaloosa County on Tuesday evening. They were released on bond early Wednesday, the same day the union planned a rally at a state park west of Birmingham. Video from WVTM-TV showed members in plastic handcuffs being loaded onto a sheriff’s office bus after a march to a Warrior Met No. 7 mine entrance. A walkout by 1,100 workers at the company began on April 1 after contract talks failed. Members said they made sacrifices to save the company a few years ago and want better pay and health benefits. “We put our lives on the line every day,” said miner Mike Wright. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the arrest and continuing strike but previously has defended its contract offer. Miners rejected the company’s initial offer less than two weeks after the strike began, and Mine Workers International President Cecil Roberts said the company has refused to engage in “meaningful negotiations.” Warrior Met produces coal used in steel production in Asia, Europe, and South America. Earlier this year it reported a loss of about $35 million for last year compared to a net income of $302 million for 2019. The publicly-traded company did not release financial guidance for this year citing uncertainty created by the global coronavirus pandemic. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama leaders join colleagues to address current border crisis
Alabama may not have a border crisis of its own, but leaders are actively working with states like Arizona, Texas, and California to keep the issue relevant. President Joe Biden has lifted several sanctions set by former President Donald Trump, but some of those reversals have caused issues along the border. Title 42 was a policy Trump enacted that allowed border agents to turn away migrants without giving them a chance to apply for protection in the U.S., reported The New York Times. However, Biden’s reversal of this policy has caused a huge surge of migrants sending their children to the border alone since he hasn’t been turning away minors. Most single adults and families continue to be immediately turned around. In April, Rep. Gary Palmer and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy sent an open letter to Vice President Kamala Harris to express the ongoing concerns of House Members regarding the humanitarian crisis at the U.S. southern border. “We are witnessing a serious crisis at our border. Facilities are overflowing, conditions are terrible, and children are being left abandoned at the border,” Palmer said. “All of this can be directly linked to this Administration’s easing of necessary border protections and open border rhetoric. The Homeland Security Secretary recently confirmed that the agency is ‘on pace to encounter more individuals at the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years.’ Despite all of this, Vice President Harris has yet to make a visit to the border or comment at length on the crisis there, even though she was tapped by the President to lead efforts in addressing it a month ago. It is time for this Administration to acknowledge the problem that it has created and to work with Congress to resolve it. The testimonies and policy solutions compiled by the Republican Policy Committee offer a commonsense place to start.” This week, Rep. Barry Moore visited the border near El Paso, Texas. He posted a video on Twitter and stated, “If Biden wants to “build back better,” he should start with the border wall.” If Biden wants to “build back better,” he should start with the Border Wall. pic.twitter.com/n2oKFiUQAo — Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) May 25, 2021 HAPPENING NOW: My colleagues and I are in El Paso at our Southern Border giving you a live update. Tune in NOW! https://t.co/myHMel8FMe — Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) May 24, 2021 Earlier this month, Jerry Carl stated on Twitter, “I just spent several days at the border learning directly from law enforcement about what needs to be done to fix the #BidenBorderCrisis.” I just spent several days at the border learning directly from law enforcement about what needs to be done to fix the #BidenBorderCrisis. Read my thoughts here: https://t.co/xhxhqGbmsJ — Rep. Jerry Carl (@RepJerryCarl) May 13, 2021 Mo Brooks stated on Twitter, “The Socialists are eerily quiet about the #BidenBorderCrisis, but it’s still a problem that Joe Biden refuses to accept responsibility for creating. Joe Biden’s promise of amnesty and citizenship for illegal aliens enticed the tsunamis of illegal aliens breaking into America.” The Socialists are eerily quiet about the #BidenBorderCrisis, but it’s still a problem that Joe Biden refuses to accept responsibility for creating. Joe Biden’s promise of amnesty and citizenship for illegal aliens enticed the tsunamis of illegal aliens breaking into America. pic.twitter.com/8WvOwKTBnE — Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) May 25, 2021
