Leaders are defined by their actions in times of crisis. While some government officials have taken direct action to combat the increasingly dangerous coronavirus pandemic and protect their constituents, others have not.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has been exceptionally quick and decisive in dealing with matters of public health, especially when compared to other southern governors. Edwards has served as governor of Louisiana since 2015, and policies he put into place then are saving lives now, starting with his expansion of Medicaid.
Gov. Edwards’ expansion of the Affordable Care Act provided insurance to hundreds of thousands of Louisiana’s most vulnerable citizens living beneath the federal poverty line. The choice to expand Medicaid also ensured fiscal stability for rural hospitals, who would have had no choice but to close without the expansion.
Neighboring states like Texas, Mississippi and Alabama who did not expand their Medicaid programs are now leading the nation in numbers of rural hospitals forced to shut down and rural hospitals at risk of shutting down. Louisiana has only had one rural hospital close since 2010 while Alabama, Texas and Mississippi have seen over 30 rural hospitals close between them in the same period of time.
Closing these hospitals can create a healthcare desert, leaving rural populations critically underserved with the next closest healthcare provider dozens of miles away. Edwards’ choice to expand Medicaid in 2015 is saving lives today. The healthcare system is under intense pressure because of the nature of this pandemic, and rural hospitals throughout the state are playing a critical role in fighting back.
Gov. Edwards’ recent directives have proved just as important as policy directives that have been in place for years. Louisiana’s first confirmed case of coronavirus was announced March 9, and by March 12, Gov. Edwards declared a public health emergency. Schools, bars, restaurants, casinos and other nonessential services were closed in the days following the public emergency declaration, while neighboring states were marred by inaction.
For comparison, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his cabinet are a shining example of how not to handle a pandemic. Gov. Abbott declared a statewide disaster on March 13, the same day as Gov. Edwards, but let Texas counties decide what actions they would take. Collin County, for example, declared that all businesses were essential and could remain open if they followed social distancing, despite the associated risks.
The rhetoric coming from Gov. Abbott’s cabinet has been just as harmful as his policy. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick went viral for encouraging citizens to risk their lives in order to get the economy going again and Gov. Abbott himself refused to implement a stay at home order, despite the increasing number of cases in the state. Gov. Abbott did eventually encourage Texas citizens to stay home except for essential errands, but his weeks of inaction was a mistake that probably cost lives.
The same attitude of skepticism toward stay at home orders has been adopted by several other conservative governors throughout the south, like Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. On March 26, Gov. Ivey even went so far as to say “We are not Louisiana… Right now is not the time to order people to shelter in place.”
By April 2, Alabama was projected by U.S. government models to have the fourth most fatalities in the country due to COVID-19, but Gov. Ivey still refused to issue any sort of stay at home order, instead opting to release the Fifth Supplemental State of Emergency. On April 3, Gov. Ivey finally put in place a stay at home order, almost an entire month after Alabama’s first confirmed case of COVID-19.
Stories like this have been repeated across southern states as conservative governors have placed a greater emphasis on the state of their economy than the health of their citizens. The days and weeks it took for stay at home orders to be implemented will prove to be the difference between life and death for thousands of Americans.
Louisiana is one of the hardest-hit states, but our healthcare officials have done a great job at administering tests to help stop the pandemic from gaining more traction. According to Vox, Louisiana is in the top five states for tests per capita while Texas and Alabama have some of the lowest numbers of tests per capita. As more tests become available, the decision by government officials to wait instead of taking action will seem increasingly foolish and naive.
Our country is in crisis and the leadership of our elected officials is essential now more than ever. I could not be more thankful for Gov. Edwards. A Louisiana without Medicaid expansion would be marred by empty rural hospitals and uninsured citizens. A Louisiana without a public health emergency declaration and a subsequent stay at home order only days after the first confirmed case would be a death sentence for thousands more than are already affected. A Louisiana without Gov. Edwards would be floundering like so many of our neighbors, and as more time passes, the choices by Gov. Edwards will prove to be life-saving.
Cory Koch is a 21-year-old political science senior from Alexandria, Louisiana.
