TPM flags what I imagine is going to be the next great fight to contain the coronavirus. And yes, it’s a fight between people who are trying to save lives and the President of the United States:
As Washington state grapples with what may be the country’s worst outbreak of novel coronavirus, the absence of a COVID-19 emergency declaration from President Trump has hamstrung its ability to respond to the crisis.
The state would like to apply for a Medicaid waiver that would let Washington give people more options for where to receive care, so that it can lessen the pressure on its already overtaxed health system.
The problem for the state is that one of the types of waivers currently under discussion — a waiver known as 1135 — can be triggered only by the President declaring an emergency or a disaster under the Stafford Act, something he has notably failed to do, despite all signs indicating that the coronavirus outbreak stands to be a major public health crisis.
Sue Birch, director of the Washington State Health Care Authority, told TPM that the state was discussing a 1135 and 1115 waiver with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. While the agency had been receptive, Birch said, the 1135 waiver comes with a built-in limitation: it cannot go through absent an emergency declaration from President Trump.
Governor Inslee was on Rachel Maddow last night and he said they were anticipating having to institute some serious mitigation strategies such as establishing quarantine facilities for people who don’t have the ability to quarantine themselves appropriately. That’s going to require the Federal Government to take actions like this.
But Trump is refusing to even talk to Pelosi about emergency legislation. He has not declared an emergency because he thinks that would interfere with his fantastic public relations strategy of saying everything is going great. He might. But he will wait until there is absolutely no choice which is what got us into this mess in the first place.