Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst suggested she believes the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States has been overstated.
The Republican, who is in the midst of a reelection campaign, told voters that she is “so skeptical” during a campaign event on Monday night after being asked if she believes the figures have been inflated.
“These healthcare providers and others are reimbursed at a higher rate if COVID is tied to it, so what do you think they’re doing?” Ernst said.
Medical experts have suggested the numbers might actually be higher than what has been tallied, but Ernst further explained her skepticism in a statement to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, referencing recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that revealed that most people who died of COVID-19 had other underlying health issues or accidents.
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“They do get reimbursed higher amounts if it’s a COVID-related illness or death,” Ernst said. “I heard the same thing on the news. … They’re thinking there may be 10,000 or less deaths that were actually singularly COVID-19. … I’m just really curious. It would be interesting to know that.”
CDC Director Robert Redfield has acknowledged that healthcare providers may have a financial incentive to identify coronavirus deaths.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Ernst acknowledged that 180,000 people have died from COVID-19 and that she is focused on helping people manage the pandemic.
“Over 180,000 Americans have died because of COVID-19. What matters is that we are getting the resources to Iowa that are needed to fight this virus and continuing to support our health care workers on the front lines, and that’s what I’m focused on,” Ernst said.
Ernst has one of the tightest Senate races in the country. Her reelection bid against Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield has been deemed a “toss-up” by Cook Political Reports. Greenfield tweeted that Ernst’s skepticism about COVID-19 numbers was “appalling.”
