Public Health Policy: Revising the Need for a Compensation System for Quarantine to Maximize Compliance

Abstract

This Article briefly examines the history of quarantine, the legal authority that relates to the government's ability to order quarantine, and many of the adverse impacts related to quarantine. It explains how providing a mechanism for compensation limits the adverse impacts and furthers public health goals. The Article then examines and evaluates existing federal, state, and international laws, as well as private employer-based compensation structures that could be used to compensate individuals undergoing quarantine, and concludes that a simple and accessible state-based approach via standalone legislation provides the most workable means of providing compensation. The Article asserts that bipartisan dialogue, compromise, and planning-before the next infectious disease crisis-will be essential to creating a system that is both workable and equitable.

Keywords: Quarantine, quarantine compensation