Today, the Beacon Center released a brand new package of 20 policy solutions focused on what policies the state of Tennessee should and shouldn’t enact moving forward when it deals with COVID-19. The suggestions
In terms of health, suggestions include ways to increase the number of medical professionals in the state, expand access to healthcare, and give lower-income Tennesseans on Medicaid the ability to use telemedicine. Economically, the package suggests allowing professionals with mandatory health and sanitation training to see clients in their homes, use the state’s rainy day fund when appropriate, and give businesses the option to stay open by not issuing a blanket statewide shutdown order.
COVID-19 is an enormous threat to both the health of our citizens and the ability of everyday Tennesseans to put food on the table for their families. Because of these competing interests, we need a balanced approached when dealing with this pandemic. In times like these, sensible solutions are needed more than ever. We can both protect public health in the short-run, while ensuring that Tennesseans have a job to go back to when all this is over. These solutions do just that.
You can read the full list of the solutions here.