[mindslight]

It's true that the government was a net negative here. But in an alternative timeline with the same agencies, international travelers were examined, possibly quarantined, tested, and contact traced when it mattered. The red tape took just as long to get through, but started earlier, such that mass tests were available when community spread was a concern. And there wasn't an official narrative telling everyone to just ignore the problem.

I hate to say it, but getting a government that is worse than nothing is the outcome of the "drown it in the bathtub" philosophy. It's a direct result of a lack of belief in institutions. I'm all for cutting government bloat, but it has to be targeted at middle management, corporate welfare and outright citizen-hostile programs (NSA, DEA, TSA, CIA, ATF) rather than kneecapping public services. Yet when politicians get elected on a promise of downsizing, they go after the soft targets rather than actually disrupting the status quo.

As for healthcare itself, tomes have been written about that. I think regulating providers to have to charge uniform prices to all payers, at time of service, would go a long way. You don't go to the grocery store and pay at the checkout, only to receive a bill for the cashier's time three months later. Not that this would have solved our current shortage, but it certainly would have made people less scared to seek medical help for possible covid.