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America has no real public health system – coronavirus has a clear run

Liminal

Well-known member
Mar 21, 2003
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Bernie’s platform has more relevance than ever.

“Dr Anthony S Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and just about the only official in the Trump administration trusted to tell the truth about the coronavirus, said last Thursday: “The system does not, is not really geared to what we need right now … It is a failing, let’s admit it.”

Why Washington state is at the center of the US coronavirus outbreak

While we’re at it, let’s admit something more basic. The system would be failing even under a halfway competent president. The dirty little secret, which will soon become apparent to all, is that there is no real public health system in the United States.

The ad hoc response fashioned late Friday by House Democrats and the White House may help a bit, although it’s skimpy, as I’ll explain.

As the coronavirus outbreak in the US follows the same grim exponential growth path first displayed in Wuhan, China, before herculean measures were put in place to slow its spread there, America is waking up to the fact that it has almost no public capacity to deal with it.

n America, the word 'public' means a sum total of individual needs, not the common good
Instead of a public health system, we have a private for-profit system for individuals lucky enough to afford it and a rickety social insurance system for people fortunate enough to have a full-time job.

At their best, both systems respond to the needs of individuals rather than the needs of the public as a whole. In America, the word “public” – as in public health, public education or public welfare – means a sum total of individual needs, not the common good.

Contrast this with America’s financial system. The Federal Reserve concerns itself with the health of financial markets as a whole. Late last week the Fed made $1.5tn available to banks, at the slightest hint of difficulties making trades. No one batted an eye.

When it comes to the health of the nation as a whole, money like this isn’t available. And there are no institutions analogous to the Fed with responsibility for overseeing and managing the public’s health – able to whip out a giant checkbook at a moment’s notice to prevent human, rather than financial, devastation.

Even if a test for the Covid-19 virus had been developed and approved in time, no institutions are in place to administer it to tens of millions of Americans free of charge. Local and state health departments are already bare bones, having lost nearly a quarter of their workforce since 2008, according to the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

Healthcare in America is delivered mainly by private for-profit corporations which, unlike financial institutions, are not required to maintain reserve capacity. As a result, the nation’s supply of ventilators isn’t nearly large enough to care for projected numbers of critically ill coronavirus victims unable to breathe for themselves. Its 45,000 intensive care unit beds fall woefully short of the 2.9 million likely to be needed.

The Fed can close banks to quarantine financial crises but the US can’t close workplaces because the nation’s social insurance system depends on people going to work.

Almost 30% of American workers have no paid sick leave from their employers, including 70% of low-income workers earning less than $10.49 an hour. Vast numbers of self-employed workers cannot afford sick leave. Friday’s deal between House Democrats and the White House won’t have much effect because it exempts large employers and offers waivers to smaller ones.

Will Trump's coronavirus travel ban work? Scientists express skepticism

Most jobless Americans don’t qualify for unemployment insurance because they haven’t worked long enough in a steady job and the ad-hoc deal doesn’t alter this. Meanwhile, more than 30 million Americans have no health insurance. Eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps and other public assistance is now linked to having or actively looking for work.

It’s hard to close public schools because most working parents cannot afford childcare. Many poor children rely on school lunches for their only square meal a day. In Los Angeles, about 80% of students qualify for free or reduced lunches and just under 20,000 are homeless at some point during the school year.

There is no public health system in the US, in short, because the richest nation in the world has no capacity to protect the public as a whole, apart from national defense. Ad-hoc remedies such as House Democrats and the White House fashioned on Friday are better than nothing, but they don’t come close to filling this void.“


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/15/america-public-health-system-coronavirus-trump
 

jcpro

Well-known member
Jan 31, 2014
24,673
6,836
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So far:
US: 69 dead
Canada: 1 dead

Trump's efforts are killing off Americans.
The political "expertise", eh? Take out the statistical blip of the deaths at the Washington's elderly facility and you have almost exactly proportional ratio between Canadian and American rates.
 

Insidious Von

My head is my home
Sep 12, 2007
38,084
6,421
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What are you saying jc, seniors are expendable they should be turned into Soylent Green?

Markets are taking a beating again this morning, TSX down from a high of %35 in ten days. And it's even worse in on the Dow. But I have no fear, Trump is here!

Once the SC strikes down Obamacare, we can all live happily ever after.
 

havingfun

Active member
Jun 7, 2003
1,253
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The political "expertise", eh? Take out the statistical blip of the deaths at the Washington's elderly facility and you have almost exactly proportional ratio between Canadian and American rates.
Let's just follow your absurd Trumpian logic. Take out the 19 from the Washington senior's home and you are left with 50 to 1. Let's follow it even further. Canada's death was at a elderly facility. So we are left with 50 to 0. Trumpian logic fails in the same way that Trump has failed America.
 

Dutch Oven

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2019
6,804
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Let's not compare the success of various countries in managing the outbreak until the virus is under control. Many experts believe that Canada is just on a different part of the curve than the US, and that our worst experience is still ahead of us. It would be ironic if a country that did not implement travel restrictions (Canada) outperformed a country that did (the US).
 

havingfun

Active member
Jun 7, 2003
1,253
1
38
Let's not compare the success of various countries in managing the outbreak until the virus is under control. Many experts believe that Canada is just on a different part of the curve than the US, and that our worst experience is still ahead of us. It would be ironic if a country that did not implement travel restrictions (Canada) outperformed a country that did (the US).
Trumpian logic: Let's never let facts get in the way. If facts show that Trump is a massive screw-up: Ignore the facts.
 

Dutch Oven

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2019
6,804
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Trumpian logic: Let's never let facts get in the way. If facts show that Trump is a massive screw-up: Ignore the facts.
Not sure what kind of logic your post was. Must be none at all.
 

Frankfooter

dangling member
Apr 10, 2015
79,716
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Let's not compare the success of various countries in managing the outbreak until the virus is under control. Many experts believe that Canada is just on a different part of the curve than the US, and that our worst experience is still ahead of us. It would be ironic if a country that did not implement travel restrictions (Canada) outperformed a country that did (the US).
Stand by for big announcements today.

Meanwhile, this story of one journalist trying to get tested in the US is pretty worrying for their system.
I Got the Coronavirus Test. My Ordeal Was Just Beginning.
 

havingfun

Active member
Jun 7, 2003
1,253
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38
Not sure what kind of logic your post was. Must be none at all.
Fact:

US: 70 dead
Canada: 1 dead

Quote from you: "Many experts believe that Canada is just on a different part of the curve than the US"
Your statement is just a lie.
Trumpian logic is: Lie and and ignore facts.
 

jcpro

Well-known member
Jan 31, 2014
24,673
6,836
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Let's just follow your absurd Trumpian logic. Take out the 19 from the Washington senior's home and you are left with 50 to 1. Let's follow it even further. Canada's death was at a elderly facility. So we are left with 50 to 0. Trumpian logic fails in the same way that Trump has failed America.
LOL! The ratio is, more or less, 10-1 with a greater population density. The only two countries that do stand out on the positive side are Singapore and Taiwan.
 

Dutch Oven

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2019
6,804
2,264
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Fact:

US: 70 dead
Canada: 1 dead

Quote from you: "Many experts believe that Canada is just on a different part of the curve than the US"
Your statement is just a lie.
Trumpian logic is: Lie and and ignore facts.
Ponder this: https://www.ft.com/content/a26fbf7e-48f8-11ea-aeb3-955839e06441

In particular, this quote:

"In most western countries case numbers have been increasing by about 33 per cent a day, a sign that other countries may soon be facing the same challenge as Italy."

If you can't put it all together, it means that Canada still has the potential to reach Italy numbers, because we're too early in the curve to know whether we're going to be effective in curtailing the growth of infections.

Think of it like this. Imagine a rally road race. Each car starts at a different time. You don't know who has won until all the cars have completed the circuit. Get it now?
 

onthebottom

Never Been Justly Banned
Jan 10, 2002
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Hooterville
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We’ve seen school, restaurant closings in the last few days. Everyone who can is working from home. We will need to clear beds for upcoming tsunami of respiratory cases.
 

danmand

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Nov 28, 2003
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onthebottom

Never Been Justly Banned
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.. for the rich people.
I think you’ll find that’s not the case at all. I can’t decide if you are ignorant, miss informed or painfully biased on this subject. All three is the most likely scenario.
 

onthebottom

Never Been Justly Banned
Jan 10, 2002
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onthebottom

Never Been Justly Banned
Jan 10, 2002
40,558
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Hooterville
www.scubadiving.com
Its also worth comparing numbers for how it spreads.


Which is interesting given that the US has 10x the population of Canada and 5x Italy.

Italy has just under 28,000 cases, it might be slowing down....
 

Frankfooter

dangling member
Apr 10, 2015
79,716
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Which is interesting given that the US has 10x the population of Canada and 5x Italy.

Italy has just under 28,000 cases, it might be slowing down....
Its the growth curve that looks similar, and yes, Italy has slowed down now that they shut everything in the country down.
 

shack

Nitpicker Extraordinaire
Oct 2, 2001
46,703
7,980
113
Toronto
The overall day to day ignorance in this country is staggering!
We've all heard the saying that "The average person is nit very bright". So when you think about it, it means that half the population is dumber than that. It's actually a scary thought. BTW, I am not referring to anybody in particular.
 
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