Opinion: The Trump administration is burying science and health care in paperwork

If you have ever interacted with the federal government, it’s probably involved a lot of paperwork. According to the federal government’s own estimate, in 2023, 10,503 million hours were spent filling out paperwork across federal agencies. The amount of time that people spend trying to navigate government bureaucracy to get benefits, services, or funding has been coined the “time tax” by journalist Annie Lowrey. This wasted time takes away from time that could otherwise be spent productively on work or leisure and worse, can discourage people from accessing benefits they are entitled to. The government estimates that, each year, about $140 billion in benefits goes unclaimed because of this time tax. 

This was the situation before the Trump administration, and it’s likely become much worse. Despite a stated focus on “finding efficiencies,” the administration has significantly increased the bureaucracy Americans — from scientists seeking grants to Medicaid beneficiaries — have to navigate, especially at the Department of Health and Human Services. All of this will have a dramatic effect on America’s health care system and its biomedical research industry.

Read the rest…