On November 3, 2020, the Democrats won the White House, maintained control of the House, and—two months later, following a runoff election in Georgia—won a (razor-thin) majority in the Senate. After those runoff elections, I outlined six predictions for how Biden's administration could approach key health care issues in 2021. But what about Biden's first 100 days in office? Dating back to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, the first 100 days of a president's term have served as a litmus test for a new president's governance and top policy priorities.
Tomorrow: 'Stay Up to Date' on Biden's first 100 days
But make no mistake, Biden's first 100 days will be anything but typical. While other presidents have taken office during economic downturns, Biden is doing so amid a global pandemic and growing civil and political unrest. The Senate is poised to begin a second impeachment trial for former President Trump, following the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol, even as Congress starts work on an additional Covid-19 aid package. (And it's worth noting that Democrats have only the narrowest majorities in the House and the Senate, which means that without GOP support, Democrats will require all members to be in lockstep with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaking vote—an admittedly tall order for certain health care policies.)
In sum, this means the Biden administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress will have little bandwidth to address non-Covid-related health care priorities in the first 100 days of office. But that doesn't mean they won't make any progress. So, what health care policies could make the 100-day cut? Below, I make five predictions.