While health care has been an important issue in past presidential elections, its prominence in this November’s election is unprecedented. 

In NEJM Catalyst, the Commonwealth Fund’s David Blumenthal, M.D., discusses results from a survey of health executives, clinical leaders, and clinicians about top health care issues in the upcoming election. The vast majority of respondents said managing the COVID-19 response should be the winner’s top priority, followed by improving access to care.

“We are clearly failing to manage the greatest threat to population health of our time: the novel coronavirus,” says Blumenthal. “Voters will have to decide if they want a different candidate and a different approach.”