When coronavirus relief bills were being discussed a couple of months ago, I proposed the following non-exhaustive scheme:

• Paid Leave

  • Create a one-month sickness allowance for those who need to take leave from work because they contracted the virus. Create a family leave benefit for those who need to take leave from work because they need to take care of family, e.g., due to school closures.

• Unemployment Insurance

  • Expand unemployment benefits by replacing 100 percent of prior earnings up to $8,333 per month and by providing a minimum unemployment benefit, including to those not traditionally eligible for such benefits, of $1,063 per month.

• Universal Payment

  • Pay $1,000 per month to every person for the duration of the crisis.

• Corporations

  • Bail out companies that need help in exchange for equity. Set aside a large pot of money to buy publicly traded equities more generally.

The response we actually got was similarly patterned, but different in its particulars. Below I summarize that response and provide some commentary on its effectiveness.