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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCoronavirus is revealing how broken America's economy really is
From the guardian
[link:https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2020/apr/06/coronavirus-american-reaction-economy-covid-19|]
Finley did not die as a result of Covid-19. She died in 2016 as a result of Americas healthcare system a system that led her to avoid treatment for the common flu in order to avoid debt. It is that same system that is currently creaking under the pressure of a pandemic that experts warned was coming but governments failed to prepare for. It is a system that does not qualify for the term developed.
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There are 2.9 hospital beds for every 1,000 people in the United States. Thats fewer than Turkmenistan (7.4 beds per 1,000), Mongolia (7.0), Argentina (5.0) and Libya (3.7). In fact, the US ranks 69th out of 182 countries analyzed by the World Health Organization. This lack of hospital beds is forcing doctors across the country to ration care under Covid-19, pushing up the number of preventable deaths.
Americas numbers are similarly unimpressive when it comes to medical doctors. The United States has 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people, placing it behind Trinidad & Tobago (2.7), and Russia (4.0 doctors per 1,000, for a country that is described as being in transition). Life expectancies at birth are lower in the US than they are in Chile or China. The US has a higher maternal mortality rate than Iran or Saudi Arabia.
I think Ive read much of this before but the article is from today and I found it interesting.
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)There is just one simple rule in our system that is based on Neo-liberal capitalism, primarily:
If there is no profit to be had from preparation for a catastrophe, no money will be spent on it and it will not be planned for regardless of the implications in the long-run. Period.
Planning is based mostly on the reports about and results of quarters in a fiscal year and anything long term would be growth oriented, (expansion, building, etc.).
The bottom-line is about trimming fat off as close to the bone as possible, not storing it up for lean times as the natural metaphor would indicate, which is even how our bodies function.
As long as that kind of unreasonable, (even insane) kind of policy dominates our politics and economy, we really are pretty much doomed as far as the odds go. Keep in mind that there is nothing stopping nature from churning out one pandemic after the other in succession in a short time frame, either. There is more to this than COVID-19 and climate change may even contribute to more of it.
Midnightwalk
(3,131 posts)It goes to why we cant afford to pay living wages.
I just read an article (but I cannot find it now) about a company that could be making more respirators but wont be ramping up as much as they could because they cant get a long term commitment to but them at the higher cost that would pay for the retooling needed.
You cant have a resilient system without being able to absorb failures. You need excess capacity, inventory, factories, infrastructure to handle catastrophes
As you say, climate change is coming at us fast. This should be a wake up call but I fear well all be so happy to get back to normal that well forget about climate change again.
Wounded Bear
(58,437 posts)Disaster Capitalism 101. Don't get ready for the disaster. Stay prepared to take advantage of the aftermath.
If a bunch of proles have to suffer and die, well, they're willing to take that chance.
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)That too. I am also aware of that and also the vulture capitalism that goes with it.
Glad you brought it up. I don't want to write entire articles as comments, but that certainly applies to my point.
Midnightwalk
(3,131 posts)Its easy to forget that some people have a completely different and sick world view. Everything is an opportunity to make money and disasters always are a way to profit
Btw this is what people dont get about trumps bankruptcies. He made money off every single one so they werent failures. To him or his admirers.
crickets
(25,896 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,437 posts)crickets
(25,896 posts)Midnightwalk
(3,131 posts)Americans have been brainwashed since reagan that government is the problem. Shrink it until you can drown it.
We have only a few tools as citizens to get what we want. Unions have declined beyond recognition. Protests are ignored. Those are usually one day spectacles. If you keep it up people get annoyed and they are broken up.
Violence is destructive to everyones interests. Average people lose every time.
I think nothing will change until people start thinking the country should work for us and that government is the only tool to make sure that it does.
Xolodno
(6,330 posts)...due to a heart problem. In hind sight, that was dangerous. I could have passed out on both occasions.
Why? I didn't want to pay the deductible I would incur. Granted I would still get it due to the hospital, but I can negotiate with their collection companies more successfully and the amount is always less than what the hospital billed (hospital gets a sizable chunk anyway....my wife had a 200k charge to the insurance company....even though there was a deductible, they didn't even bother to send us the bill, much less send it to collections).
The one time I did ride in ambulance, it was $1200 and they went at me with a vengeance.