This is why COVID-19 and healthcare matter in Election 2020
32 days until the election. Takeaways from that chaotic first presidential debate, the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett and the investigation into Trump's taxes.
In an early Friday morning tweet, President Donald Trump announced he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19. The two were checked after being in close contact with White House adviser Hope Hicks, who tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday. Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence have so far tested negative.
This week’s “Crash Course” newsletter is here to help you understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is a major factor in this year’s election and how it is affecting college students. We also unpack what’s at stake for young people if the Affordable Care Act goes away and recap what went down during that messy first debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
Keep reading for our Sparknotes version of the big investigation into Trump’s taxes. And finally, check out our conversation starter suggestion about Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
Coronavirus: Why the pandemic matters in #Election2020
Mike Mavredakis writes: The COVID-19 pandemic that made the world come to a halt for the past seven months has now reached the highest office in the country. Nearly 34 million people worldwide have contracted the virus and over a million have died, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. In the United States alone, more than 207,000 people have died from the virus.
To better grasp the magnitude of the pandemic, we enlisted the expertise of UConn professors who taught a free, one-credit class on COVID-19 during the university’s summer term.
Q: How important of an issue is the COVID-19 pandemic in the upcoming election?
Dr. Sherry Pagoto, Professor of Allied Health Sciences at UConn: “The pandemic is of paramount importance in the next election. We need an aggressive plan for getting this pandemic under control — it will not go away on its own.
Second, we need a science-informed plan for preventing future pandemics. The pandemic exploited huge problems in our healthcare system and public health infrastructure. These problems have to be solved because they are like the weak levees breached by Hurricane Katrina. Lack of healthcare coverage and extraordinary healthcare costs have fanned the flames of the pandemic. The disconnectedness of our public health infrastructure has made it extremely difficult to identify and isolate cases to the extent that other nations have done.
Finally, the pandemic has exploited health inequities by wreaking havoc on BIPOC communities as well as people with chronic disease.
Steven Szczepanek, Associate Professor of Pathobiology at UConn: “I think it is one of the most important topics of the election. Getting the response to the pandemic right is literally a matter of life and death for many people. There’s also the issue of personal freedom and potential infringement of the government on those freedoms. No matter where you stand in the political spectrum, COVID-19 is a key issue that voters need to care about.”
Dhvani Badwaik, management doctoral student and instructor in the UConn School of Business: “COVID-19 is an all-encompassing issue in the upcoming election, with effects on economics, national security, healthcare, scientific research, the social safety net, and long-term questions about disaster preparedness.”
Q: Why should young voters care about the COVID-19 pandemic?
Pagoto: “Young adults have been severely impacted by COVID-19. They aren’t the highest risk group when it comes to death, but the degree of disruption to their lives at a very pivotal time in life is profound. Young people have also become COVID-19 scapegoats, where the public, media, and even some university administrators blaming and shaming young people for local outbreaks, especially in areas where local policy does not follow public health guidelines.
While young adults might feel like the end of the road for COVID-19 is with the vaccine, the reality isn’t quite that simple. The US needs a plan for distributing the vaccine widely and herd immunity by vaccine may be a long way away as long as we have high rates of vaccine refusal. The other monkey wrench is that the vaccine isn’t likely to be even close to 100% effective, so a solid plan for continued preventive measures will still need to be in place.
When it comes to the election, I recommend students examine the specifics of the plan to deal with COVID-19 and also the plan to prevent future pandemics… The next administration needs to show they take this very seriously and put forth a detailed plan so that we do not end up in this situation again. Pandemics are preventable.”
Szczepanek: “Mortality from the virus is pretty low in young people, but young voters need to remember that they will not always be young. Setting a precedent to control the spread of the virus will be crucial for responses to future outbreaks, which will be of more relevance to these currently young voters. Their future selves will thank them for taking this pandemic seriously.”
Badwaik: “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of young adults in profound ways, including educational experiences, career prospects, and the ability to socialize freely. Going forward, we have opportunities to mitigate negative effects through public health guidance and widespread cooperation. Without such coordinated scientific efforts, the effect of the pandemic on young people will last longer with greater severity.” Continue reading »
Healthcare: What's at stake for young people if the Affordable Care Act goes away
Fiona Brady writes: A challenge to the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare, will come before the Supreme Court for the third time this November, one week after the election. The death of liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has brought the fate of the ACA into question, as the Trump administration is pushing to confirm conservative Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett prior to the election.
Former Vice President Biden has centered his concerns about the Supreme Court vacancy around the issue of healthcare and many Democrats argue the GOP is pushing to confirm a new justice so the ACA will be overturned.
If the Supreme Court were to strike down the ACA, the effects would be far-reaching. The plan, signed into law during the Obama Administration in 2010, was designed to stabilize the healthcare market and make insurance coverage more accessible to low-income individuals and those with pre-existing medical conditions. But it also has a significant impact on the lives of young people.
How does the ACA impact young people?
The ACA allows young people to remain covered under their parents’ health insurance plans until age 26. More than 2.3 million young people gained health insurance coverage through this provision, according to a 2016 report from the Department of Health and Human Services.
If the ACA goes away, UConn Law Professor Jon Cogan said people who have pre-existing conditions — estimated between 53.8 million and 133 million Americans — could be denied coverage. Many of those covered under the Medicaid expansion, more than 10 million Americans, would also lose coverage.
“In terms of the impact on students and young people, many of them will lose their insurance coverage,” Cogan said. “It would be a really terrible outcome for students who through no fault of their own got sick or injured.”
Students who are no longer covered under their parents’ plans would have to get their own coverage through a university policy or seek one out in the individual market if they can afford it. Keep reading »
Infographic of the week
Graphic designed by Allison O’Donnell. Sources: CDC, Census.gov
What do young voters think of Trump's COVID response?
Ben Crnic writes: We posted a survey on Facebook and Twitter this week asking young voters: What about the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic stands out to you?
Here’s a sampling of what some college students had to say:
“The inaction/ hesitancy to call a national emergency in an attempt to keep the economy going for just a little bit longer. Also, denouncing the virus as a hoax, but simultaneously using it as a political weapon against his opposition.”
“He took early action to cut off travel from China and enacted mitigation measures to slow the spread. He also expedited resources to hot spot locations in the U.S. and confronted China about them starting the virus.”
“The constant denial and pushing off of social distancing and ‘disease limiting’ practices at the expense of millions of cases and thousands of deaths.”
“The rapid closure of travel to foreign countries with massive amounts of COVID positive tests.”
“They acted quickly and immediately launched an effort for a vaccine.”
“The lack of action taken was appalling. He likes to claim that he couldn’t have seen this coming even though we watched it hit so many countries before ours. We’re still losing lives daily because his attitude towards the pandemic has prompted others to not take it seriously.”
5 takeaways from the first presidential debate
Ben Crnic and Allison O’Donnell write:
The debate at Case Western University in Ohio on Tuesday night quickly disintegrated from presidential to unprofessional, with President Trump and former Vice President Biden hurling insults and speaking over the other. Numerous times, President Trump also sparred with moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday, who had trouble keeping control.
When asked to condemn white supremacist groups who contribute to violence in riots across the country, President Trump instead pivoted to condemning Antifa groups. When asked to specifically condemn the white supremacist group called the Proud Boys, Trump told them to “stand back and stand by.”
When asked about defunding the police, Biden said he is “totally opposed to defunding the police” and added they need “more assistance.” He also talked about reintroducing “community policing.” Biden reinforced his belief that violence in protests across the country should be prosecuted.
Toward the end of the debate, Trump claimed that voting by mail will be invalid because of widespread voter fraud and ballots being thrown in the trash, despite the fact that there is no evidence for this and that he votes by mail himself.
Quickly replacing the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a hot topic, too. Trump argued Americans made their choice by voting him into office in 2016 and that he should be able to nominate Ginsburg’s replacement before the election. Biden argued that Americans should be able to make their voice heard first and the high court seat should stay open until election results are in.
We reached out to UConn Political Science Professor and former UConn President Susan Herbst about the first debate, and she was not impressed by the theatrics: “I doubt that there is any debate in the history of televised debates that was as unproductive as the one we just witnessed,” she wrote in an email response.
UConn Communications Professor Carolyn Lin also argued that Trump and Biden’s behavior during the debate was subtractive from the important topics at hand. “The debate gave us some information about policy issues, but because of the constant interruption and squabble, it’s hard for people to remember what those policies were,” Lin said. Read more »
Investigation reveals Trump paid $750 in taxes during his first year in office
Mike Mavredakis writes: A massive New York Times investigation into President Trump’s tax returns was published this week. It quickly became one of the most viral investigative news stories on social media. Here are the highlights:
Trump paid a total of $750 in taxes 2016, when he was running for president, and in his first year in office in 2017. To contrast, the National Association of College Stores found students spent $942 on average on course materials, technology and supplies in 2018-19.
In 10 of the past 15 years, Trump paid no federal income taxes at all. Of the 18 years the NYT investigation team had access to, Trump paid federal income tax in only seven of those years.
Trump paid nearly $95 million in taxes over that time period, but recouped much of that money through a $72.9 million refund he applied for and received starting in 2010. This refund is currently being audited by the Internal Revenue Service.
Trump lowered his taxable income through a series of declared losses at his major businesses. Some expenses appear to be personal expenditures he declared as business charges, including:
$2.2 million in property taxes for the Trump family’s Seven Springs estate in Bedford, New York, by listing it as an investment property despite it being labeled as a “retreat” on the Trump Organization’s website.
$70,000 in personal hair care during the taping of “The Apprentice.”
$100,000 to a hair and makeup artist for Ivanka Trump.
$26 million in consulting fees on business deals. The Times connected about $750,000 of those consulting fees to a company owned by Ivanka Trump, despite the fact the president’s daughter is a high-ranking executive in the Trump Organization.
The $100 million mortgage on Trump Tower is coming due in 2022, of which Trump has not paid any of the principal.
Trump is also personally responsible for $421 million in other loans he guaranteed.
Trump has not been charged with tax fraud or any other crime. During the Sept. 29 presidential debate, Trump said he has “paid millions of dollars in taxes.” He has also defended his tax avoidance as being “smart.”
Conversation starter: Should Amy Coney Barrett be confirmed as the next Supreme Court justice?
Ashley Anglisano writes: President Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat held by the late Justice Ginsburg. The nomination of Barrett caused an eruption of responses from both sides of the aisle.
For Republicans, Barrett’s conservative judicial opinions make her a “dream candidate.” Her decisions are known for “care, clarity and a commitment to the interpretive methods used by Justice Antonin Scalia.” But her conservative voting record in cases dealing with abortion rights, gun control and LGBTQ rights raise a red flag for progressives.
The speed in which this vacant Supreme Court seat may be filled is also a point of contention. The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin confirmation hearings on Barrett's nomination on October 12, less than a month before the election. While nominating a Supreme Court Justice so close to a Presidential election is not a “norm,” UConn political science professor David Yalof said it is entirely constitutional.
Some questions:
Should Senate Republicans move forward with the nomination now? Or should they follow what was established back in 2016 when they refused to vote on Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination and wait until after the election?
How do your views align with Barrett’s positions on issues such as abortion, healthcare, immigration or religious rights?
Talk about it with your friends and family! 🗣🗯
VP debate: Pence and Harris face off on Oct. 7
Fiona Brady writes: Ready for the next 2020 debate? Vice President Mike Pence (R) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) will face off in their first and only debate on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Time: 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: University of Utah in Salt Lake City
How to watch: Available on all major networks and cable news channels or stream live on YouTube
Moderator: Susan Page of USA Today
Format: As of today, the debate will be 90 minutes long and have no commercial breaks. It will be divided into nine segments of 10 minutes each. The moderator will choose the topics.
Look for a recap of the VP debate in the next edition of our newsletter, as well as updates on the status of the presidential debates scheduled for Oct. 15 and Oct. 22.
In Case You Missed It
Here are some notable #Election2020 headlines from the past week:
- AP Fact Check: False claims flood Trump-Biden debate (AP News)
- After years of promising his own healthcare plan, Trump settles for rebranding rather than repealing Obamacare (Washington Post)
- 7 new laws that take effect in Connecticut on Oct. 1, including first provisions of police accountability bill (Hartford Courant)
- The COVID-19 recession is the most unequal in modern U.S/ history (Washington Post)
- Clerks statewide scramble to mail out thousands of absentee ballots on time (CT Mirror)
- Fewer people may vote by mail than expected. That could mean long lines at the polls and Election Day ‘chaos’ (NPR)
That’s all for this week! Keep an eye out for next week’s Crash Course newsletter on why climate change and environmental policies matter this election, and the influential role of social media.
Crash Course is reported, written and produced by UConn Journalism majors Ashley Anglisano, Fiona Brady, Ben Crnic, Mike Mavredakis and Allison O’Donnell, under the guidance of UConn Journalism Associate Professor Marie K. Shanahan. Read more about us »
Special thanks to ABC News Campaign Reporter Cheyenne Haslett and Connecticut news anchor Dennis House for sharing their knowledge and experiences with us.
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