Flatten the Bureaucracy: Deregulation and Covid-19 Testing

Abstract

Lockdown measures enacted across the US due to the Covid-19 pandemic have severely curtailed personal and economic liberty. Although a growing body of research estimates the benefits and costs of these restrictive measures, significantly less research examines the role of deregulation in expanding healthcare capacity. This paper examines the impact of the FDA and CDC's deregulation on Covid-19 testing. I find laboratories and test developers greatly expanded Covid-19 testing availability and expanded the variety of tests after deregulation occurred. My findings provide critical and timely implications for research in public health and pandemic response policy more broadly.

Keywords: Deregulation, Covid-19, Food and Drug Administration, Health Policy, Public Health

JEL Classification: I180, I110, I190