A

s of April 2020, we 

can all recognize that 

Michigan is in a state 

of turmoil. The protest against 

Gov. 
Gretchen 
Whitmer’s 

stay-at-home decision in East 

Lansing, Mich. demonstrated 

the political unrest of some 

Michigan 
citizens. 
COVID-

19 has left our campus a ghost 

town. The fulfilling sense of 

community we once enjoyed 

dissipated beginning in mid-

March. Not only are we facing 

unprecedented 
obstacles 
in 

confronting a global pandemic 

that has significantly altered our 

lives, but we are also faced with 

a “lesser of two evils” election, 

yet again. On March 8, more 

than 10,000 students, citizens 

and spectators gathered to see 

candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, 

I-Vt. speak in hopes of returning 

to his 2016 primary success in the 

great state of Michigan. Cheers 

echoed among the reinforced 

concrete. The sails of the left-

wing 
progressive 
movement 

lost its wind after a series of 

major losses bringing Sanders 

to suspend his campaign just a 

month later. 

Yet again, the millions of 

young 
people 
Sanders 
and 

the 
progressive 
movement 

mobilized are left disillusioned 

— now, a potential voting block 

is being condescended to with 

the well-known phrase “Vote 

blue no matter who.” Now, we 

must choose between former 

Vice President Joe Biden and 

President Donald Trump. This 

is 
disheartening 
for 
many, 

particularly 
because 
both 

candidates have been accused of 

sexual assault. 

Sadly, the presidency of the 

United States is no stranger to 

sexual misconduct. It is widely 

acknowledged that Trump has 

assaulted 
numerous 
women. 

This is evident from both his 

lengthy list of accusations and 

his own comments dismissing 

the allegations. As his defense, 

he explained he couldn’t have 

sexually assaulted these women 

because they were not appealing 

to him, not because assault 

is 
abhorrent. 
President 
Bill 

Clinton is known for his famous 

quote, “I did not have sexual 

relations with that woman, Miss 

Lewinsky,” in which he lied 

under oath about inappropriate 

relations with a subordinate. 

This often takes precedence 

in conversation over multiple 

other allegations against him. 

Presidents Ronald Reagan and 

George H. W. Bush have been 

accused of sexual misconduct. 

Even the revered Founding 

Father Thomas Jefferson has 

an 
incriminating 
record 
of 

maintaining 
a 
toxic 
sexual 

power 
dynamic 
with 
Sally 

Hemmings. While the current 

election 
is 
uncomfortable 

thanks to the validity and 

gravity 
of 
the 
allegations 

against both men, it should 

not be a surprise. However, 

this agonizing discussion will 

be either swept under the rug 

or hypocritically weaponized 

against the opposition.

For many, the choice to 

vote for Joe Biden is easy. He 

is 
currently 
advocating 
for 

multiple forms of prison reform 

including sentencing justice, 

ending cash bail and abolishing 

the death penalty. Biden has 

also adopted Sanders’ stance 

to raise the minimum wage 

to $15 an hour, and supports 

paid sick leave. Importantly, 

while he rejects the notion of 

Medicare for All, he would 

like to expand coverage for 

health 
care. 
These 
policy 

stances are bold, considering 

his moderate track record and 

tendency to stay away from 

controversial stances. When 

comparing Biden to Trump, the 

numerous instances of gross 

incompetence and disrespect 

Trump touts in a trail of tweets 

and press conferences makes 

the decision seem obvious, 

leaving 
Democrats, 
leftists, 

moderates and some moderate-

conservatives with a correct 

and incorrect choice. Policy-

wise, there should be a clear 

winner. The narrative is quickly 

echoing that of 2016 — even if 

you don’t like the democratic 

candidate, 
you 
must 
vote 

for them, or you are directly 

responsible for the (re)election 

of Trump. 

In order for this country to 

be able to move forward from 

this 
period 
of 
uncertainty, 

division and distrust, we must 

diligently respect that every 

individual has one vote, and 

actively maintain the humanity 

of the democratic process for 

every single voter. Silencing 

the discourse of abusive gender 

power 
dynamics 
will 
only 

continue the suppression of 

survivors. 

I am privileged to be able to 

vote, yet as a survivor of sexual 

assault, being told I must 

choose between two men that 

have been accused of sexual 

misconduct to be president is 

revolting. I understand that 

lifelong Supreme Court seats 

may be filled in the next four 

years. Presidential elections 

impact the American political 

landscape 
for 
decades, 

shaping discourse, policy and 

perception. While we have 

a 
representative 
democracy, 

people of color and women 

have 
been 
historically 

disenfranchised, 
so 
the 

ability to vote cannot be taken 

lightly. But just because the 

electoral system currently in 

place reinforces the two-party 

system does not mean that 

voters must vote a certain way. 

The right to vote is relatively 

new on a historic and global 

scale, yet it is being minimized 

by 
discourse 
from 
within 

the left today. The “vote blue 

no matter who” coalition is 

leveraging a vote for Biden 

as a vote against Trump, and 

while 
this 
sentiment 
has 

truth in our current electoral 

system, it is disheartening, 

even condescending, to the 

disillusioned voters grappling 

with their decision. Ultimately, 

the process of voting is deeply 

personal as well as political, and 

in a time of fear, what we must 

do as Americans is engage with 

our community, acknowledge 

the complexity of the election 

at hand and empower one 

another to vote for a candidate 

that earns it. Both as a student 

majoring in political science 

and American culture at the 

University of Michigan and as 

a survivor, I urge you to tread 

very carefully in discussions 

about the upcoming election, 

and embrace varying opinions 

with grace and empathy rather 

than aggression.

T

he 
impact 
of 
COVID-

19 
exemplifies 
how 
the 

existing health system in the 

United States discriminates against 

marginalized groups. Data supports 

that in larger cities, such populations 

are contracting coronavirus and dying 

at a disproportionately high rate. 

For example, in Michigan, African 

Americans make up about 33 percent 

of COVID-19 cases and 40 percent of 

deaths, despite constituting only 14 

percent of the population.

But this disparity does not only 

exist with health care outcomes. 

Rather, these disparities start early 

within the chain of medical care: lack 

of testing for the African American 

population. This leads to delays in 

diagnosis and therefore delays in 

treatment, leading to worse outcomes 

due 
to 
coronavirus’s 

quick progression. Lack 

of testing is often due 

to the fact that lower-

income areas of the 

country and institutions 

with little funding do 

not have equal access 

to 
testing 
equipment 

and personal protective 

gear.

It’s 
important 
to 

realize that this is not a new issue, 

but the by-product of a pre-existing 

system 
that 
caters 
best 
to 
the 

elite class in the U.S. If you’re not 

financially stable and you’re a person 

of color, it’s likely that health care 

services are not readily available to 

you as health care is a privilege rather 

than a right. This isn’t a riddle, it’s a 

reality that lower-income areas of the 

U.S. lack hospitals and primary care 

physicians. For example, a special 

report produced by Journal Sentinel 

maps a breakdown of primary care 

physicians in poorer neighborhoods 

in comparison to large affluent cities. 

It’s clear that the poorer areas are 

facing a physician shortage, which 

means that there are upwards of 

3,500 residents per primary care 

physician in that area. These patient 

populations are often heavily reliant 

on student-run clinics and emergency 

care community centers. This is 

because single income households 

cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket 

costs and premiums. Programs that 

support marginalized groups include 

but are not limited to Medicare, 

Medicaid and the Children’s Health 

Insurance Program. 

A figure in a health report on 

“Racism, Inequality, and Health Care 

for African Americans” constructed 

by The Century Foundation depicts 

the stark maternal health outcomes 

between 
African 
American 
and 

white women. “However, disparities 

still exist across health conditions 

when comparing African Americans 

and 
whites, 
including 
maternal 

mortality, infant mortality, heart 

disease, 
diabetes, 
cancer, 
and 

other health issues.” In addition, 

underrepresented minority groups 

suffer from the effects of social 

factors compounded with medical 

conditions. Social factors include 

income inequality, insurance status, 

inequities in education and lack of 

access to health care, thus impacting 

a person’s ability to lead a healthy 

life. Racism and discrimination are 

additional examples of social factors 

that not only take a toll on mental 

well-being but also impact the level 

of access to health care. During 

this pandemic, many of us live with 

the security that if we do not have 

underlying health conditions we’re 

better protected from the worst of 

it. However, minority communities 

more 
frequently 
fall 
under 
the 

category of at-risk populations as 

they’re disproportionately impacted 

by chronic illnesses and underlying 

health conditions like diabetes and 

lung disease. 

Dr. 
Sharnell 
Barber, 
assistant 

professor 
of 
biostatistics 
and 

epidemiology at Drexel University, 

states 
that 
“these 
communities, 

structurally, 
they’re 
breeding 

grounds for the transmission of 

the disease ... It’s not biological. 

It’s really these existing structural 

inequalities that are going to shape 

the racial inequalities 

in 
this 
pandemic.” 

The 
maintenance 
of 

structural inequalities 

is 
how 
the 
cycle 

perpetuates. 

These inequities in 

the current health care 

model are unacceptable. 

So then the question 

that arises is: How can 

hospitals better serve 

and deliver care to diverse patient 

populations? To better serve diverse 

patient populations, the hospitals 

within this system must embrace 

a 
patient-centered 
focus 
with 

consumer-friendly health solutions. 

To accomplish this requires an 

entire paradigm shift in the purpose 

of the health care system. Currently, 

the health care system is driven by 

churning out a high volume of patients 

rather than focused on producing 

better health care outcomes. Per the 

Health System Tracker, in comparison 

to international prices for health 

services and prescription drug costs, 

today the costs of medical procedures 

in the U.S. are more costly than 

medical procedures anywhere else. 

Many may argue this is proportional 

to the standard of care available in the 

U.S. such as readily available testing 

and innovative health care solutions 

but upon further examination, the 

demand for lower costs and improved 

outcomes surpasses the standard of 

care here. 

It’s beautiful to see how in times 

of true need, so many community 

members are stepping up to contribute 

to the efforts. This type of support 

for 
at-risk 
populations 
needs 
to 

operate year-round with or without 

a pandemic present. Listen to the 

numbers and listen to the public health 

experts, they serve as a voice for 

those who are silenced by the system. 

Universal health coverage cannot be 

achieved while racism, biases and 

other oppressive barriers persist in 

health care. COVID-19 opened our 

eyes to the fact that as a nation, we 

are not prepared to address the public 

health needs of all people. Providers 

and hospitals need to invest in closing 

the gaps in medically underserved 

communities. While innovative health 

care solutions that serve all patients 

equally aren’t easy to come by, we 

also cannot continue to fail our at-risk 

patient populations with the current 

systemic barriers in place. Because 

health care is a human right.

5 — Monday, April 20, 2020
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Alanna Berger
Zack Blumberg

Brittany Bowman
Emily Considine
Jess D’Agostino

Jenny Gurung
Cheryn Hong
Krystal Hur
Ethan Kessler
Zoe Phillips
Mary Rolfes

Michael Russo
Timothy Spurlin
Miles Stephenson

Joel Weiner
Erin White 

ERIN WHITE
Managing Editor

Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building

420 Maynard St. 

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

ELIZABETH LAWRENCE

Editor in Chief

EMILY CONSIDINE AND 

MILES STEPHENSON

Editorial Page Editors

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of The Daily’s Editorial Board. 

All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

VARNA KODOTH | COLUMN

Health care is not created equal

Varna Kodoth can be reached at 

vkodoth@umich.edu.

The volatility of voting in 2020

ELIZABETH COOK | COLUMN

Elizabeth Cook can be reached at 

elizcook@umich.edu.

Inequities in 
the current 
health care 
model are 

unacceptable.

