The Fall of America

I know that it has been predicted that the US will no longer be the leading economic force in the world. I wondered how that transition would happen. It seems like now I am seeing it unfold before me.

America is so obsessed with greed that instead of focusing on healing the sick we are concerned with wringing as much money as possible from the sick. The financial outfall from those who must be hospitalized from Covid-19 must be devastating.

Federal agents in unmarked vehicles, sent by the president of the United States are arresting antifascist protesters in Portland and detaining them without apparent probable cause. When did the US turn against anti-fascism?

The environmental protections that we fought so hard for during the 1960s and 1970s are being swept away by this administration.

A large fraction of the population seems no longer capable of critical thinking. They exist in their own constructed reality that is at opposition to science.

Most other advanced nations have already recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic. Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and England are all able to reopen. The US, I fear, will be forced to shut down again as this plague sweeps through the nation. Americans refuse to heed the warnings of our public health officials. 

I live in a neighborhood of mostly elderly people. When I go for a bike ride I have yet to see another person wearing a mask.

For now we are trying to survive the pandemic but the next crisis will be our healthcare infrastructure. People who do not have insurance or cannot pay the high deductible. I think this will tear down the healthcare infrastructure we have.

The republican party has made a mistake by politicizing this pandemic. We could have, should have ended it early. Instead they pretended like it was not real. Now so many people are going to die, many more will be left with bills they cannot pay.

Is America great yet? Because I'm not sure how much more of Trump's "greatness" we can survive.

Covid-19 and US Healthcare Policy

If you have seen the news from Italy you know how bad things can get. Germany is doing better because they have invested in three times the intensive care capability than Italy. England only has about half Italy's IC. Spain is probably similar to Italy. Because of this Germany is reporting few deaths per hospitalization.

How about the US?

Unlike most European countries the US has a for profit healthcare system supported by a for profit private insurance system. How did this happen? I was about to blame it on Nixon but it turns out it probably dates back to the AMA in the 1920's.

History of Healthcare - Wikipedia

One bright point was the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. When Bill Clinton was elected president Hillary Clinton tried to go to congress to get healthcare reform passed but the Republican congress refused to listen to her basically because she was not an elected official.

Finally Barack Obama was able to get a healthcare reform package passed that allowed all Americans to get health insurance but it was a flawed plan. First his plan was not as extensive as the plan Hillary Clinton had proposed. It was based on on Mitt Romney's plan from Massachusetts. Then just as it was going to pass Edward Kennedy died and a Republican senator was elected to replace him. More concessions had to be made to the Republicans and the bill barely passed. People were so made about having to have healthcare that they elected a Democratic house of representatives and senate for the rest of Obama's term and he was not able to pass any significant legislation during that time.

Ever since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) also known as Obamacare was passed states have been trying to overturn it. It also turned out to be not really affordable. Many people decided to pay the fine in taxes rather than buy insurance.

If you end up in the hospital in one of the European countries I mentioned at the beginning of this paper you will spend some time in the hospital, you might end up on a respirator but if you survive the nightmare is over. If you end up in a hospital with Covid-19 in the US I heard someone on the say the received a bill for $35,000. They did not have insurance. If you have a lengthy stay in the hospital it will be more. Even if you do have insurance you will probably hit your deductible which will probably be several thousand dollars since most people have high deductible insurance now.

What will happen when insurance companies start getting hit with thousands and thousands of claims? They will go bankrupt and default on their payments to the for profit hospitals who will then also go bankrupt.

It is at this point that the government need to come in a provide medicare for all and eliminate for profit healthcare. Hopefully we will have learned our lesson.

Better Deal

The Democrat's "Better Deal" seems to be a pretty lackluster mishmash of ideas.  I would like to see the following addressed:

• Single payer healthcare
• Voter suppression
• Tax reform so the wealthy pay at least the same tax % rate as the rest of us
• Support for sustainable energy
• Bring high tech manufacturing back to the US
• A network of innovation centers across the country so innovators do not have to go to Shen Zhen China to have their ideas developed
• Corporate reform to support worker owned companies
• Healthcare price transparency