Biden campaign vs. Biden administration: on Health Care


Joe Biden: Get more people vaccinated, or prolong coronavirus pandemic

For our country, the choice is simple: get more people vaccinated, or prolong this pandemic and its impact on our country. The virus will not go away by itself: we have to act. Vaccination is the single best pathway out of this pandemic. And while I would have much preferred that requirements not become necessary, too many people remain unvaccinated for us to get out of this pandemic for good. So I instituted requirements--and they are working. They protect our workers and have helped us reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans over the age of 12 from approximately 100 million in late July when I began requirements to just about 60 million today.

Vaccination requirements are good for the economy. They not only increase vaccination rates but they help send people back to work--as many as 5 million American workers. They make our economy more resilient and keep our businesses open. [See H.R. 6304 for Congressional response]

Source: White House press release by 2021 Biden Administration Nov 4, 2021

Antony Blinken: Don't tie access to COVID vaccines to geopolitics

Various countries, including China, have been engaged in so-called vaccine diplomacy. Of course, sometimes this diplomacy comes with strings attached, and certain requests are made. I think that's deeply unfortunate because we shouldn't tie the distribution or access to vaccines to politics or to geopolitics. This needs to be done by everyone who's able to do it, because it's in the overall interest of humanity.
Source: Japan Forward interview: on 2021 Biden Administration Apr 1, 2021

Lloyd Austin: COVID: greatest proximate challenge to national security

The greatest proximate challenge to our Nation's security is the threat of COVID-19. The Department will continue to act boldly and quickly to support Federal Government efforts to defeat the disease, defend the force against it, and work with our domestic and international partners to protect our Nation from potential novel and deadly viruses of the future. We will continue to provide direct support to the Federal Government's vaccination efforts.
Source: USNI News on 2021 Biden Administration Mar 4, 2021

Antony Blinken: COVID: Ensure that a crisis like this won't happen again

The pandemic has defined lives--our lives--for more than a year. To beat it back, we need governments, scientists, businesses, and communities around the world working together. At the same time, we need to make sure we learn the right lessons and make the right investments in global health security, including tools to predict, prevent, and stop pandemics, and a firm global commitment to share accurate and timely information, so that a crisis like this never happens again.
Source: State Department speech: 2021 Biden Administration Mar 3, 2021

Janet Yellen: IMF & World Bank must help poor countries recover from COVID

Low-income countries have been particularly hard hit. Without further international action to support low-income countries, we risk a dangerous and permanent divergence in the global economy. International financial institutions, like the IMF and World Bank Group, have provided much-needed emergency support. They must continue to play a role in financing the global health response, supporting a green recovery, and addressing the debt vulnerabilities exposed by the crisis.
Source: Treasury letter to G20: 2021 Biden Administration Feb 25, 2021

  • The above quotations are from Campaign promises compared to follow-up actions taken by the Biden Administration.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Health Care.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Joe Biden on Health Care.
  • Click here for more quotes by Kamala Harris on Health Care.
2020 Presidential contenders on Health Care:
  Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN) 		Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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Page last updated: Jan 17, 2022