Because It's Friday
4 hours ago
Monday, October 20, 2014
Embarrassed about US health care
Okay, anyone else embarrassed that the US has been less effective dealing with Ebola than Nigeria?
Quarantine everyone who contacted an Ebola victim for 21 days. End of outbreak. Don't let them move around the general population. Certainly don't let them on planes or cruise ships. The CDC couldn't even get that straight, and it's supposed to be their main job.
I'm sick of hearing politicians and bureaucrats blather on how the US has the best health care system in the world. The US doesn't have a health care “system.” It has a patchwork of public, private, and for profit hospitals. The quality of available treatment runs from excellent to nonexistent.
In the US health care only means anything if you have good affordable health insurance. Even people with basic health insurance avoid hospitals because even the copays are out of reach.
Do you know what working people with a fever do? They pop a couple of Ibuprofens and go to work. Thanks to weak worker protections many don't get sick leave. Where do a lot of these workers work? Many toil in the food service industry, handling the food you eat. Even hospitals have workers who can't afford health care or sick leave. How messed up is that?
When the Mongols invading Europe came down with plague they were unable to continue their conquest. Before they left they catapulted their dead over the walls and spread plague to the defenders.
We probably won't have dead fast food workers catapulted over the walls into gated communities. Nope, the plague will walk in the back door with the cleaning lady, the pool boy, the maintenance man, and even the security guards. The sooner those in charge figure out we are all in this together, the sooner we can fix the problems.
Ebola is the crisis of the moment. Our health system and worker's rights both need an upgrade. This current disease will pass, but until the US gets it's act together, it'll be an easy target for the next flavor of plague.
-Sixbears
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I am embarrassed by my country's so called leaders, not just the health care system.
ReplyDeleteActually I am ashamed of what my country has become.
There's an awful lot of good in the country, but it's going fast. Life at the end of empire?
DeleteThe elites think they will be immune from all the sickness. Things will change only when they get sick.
ReplyDeleteThey have more resources to call on, but even they can't completely escape the danger.
DeletePretty much the same thoughts I've been spouting to any or all which might listen.
ReplyDeleteThe necessity of the working person to show up even tho ill will be the catalyst which ignite this firestorm.
It really wouldn't cost the nation all that much to provide basic worker protections and minimal health care. The super rich might have to skip buying curtains in their third house this year.
DeleteI think people put too much faith in and run to the medical profession, and the government and the powers that be. I believe it is up to the individual family to take care of itself, if at all possible.
ReplyDeleteIt can be done. If nothing else it's possible to stay isolated from the infected and that's the best bet. Might also have to isolate the care givers from the rest of the clan too.
DeleteI live around a lot of retirees with excellent health care, they are not keen on anykind of travel anywhere and they have the means and time..Nosiree bob as the term is used, we are not going to go anywhere with our only up in Seattle but instead be in a clean hotel room or at a home while the owners are working and visit her!!!!!!!!!! We will cook for the occupants friends of our only child and enjoy talking to our only but going anyplace up there nada! This Ebola bs is bs I wondered how many would get infected from that fellow in dallas, tx they certainly did not take any good precautions, I feel badly for the nurses, big lawsuits are coming once it gets into a big wigs body the shit will hit the fan, it has affected travel and cruises here in Washington state which is a big big thing, the rich don't take risks upon their lives at all, they don't mind paying for a cancellation fee at all, they don't want to be stranded on a cruise ship out at sea with people they think might be infrected really? no not at all..Even Halloween in our town which is small has been affected most people will have tiny celebrations if at all in their own homes, candy doesn't cost that much at all, and many are struggling with food issues, Turkeys are showing up in the supermarkets and they are not cheap at all, big shortage here they get them from Utah and something about the hot hot and more hot summer affected the turkey's, the people in Utah get them much cheaper than here, go freaking figure, the working fellow gets the shaft and the poor even more in our great country, I don't get the bullshit about bigtime elections and all the frou ha ha about electing congress men and women, senators men and women, they make so much money and it is for life and health care is superb the rest of the minions work for diddly squat and get butkus..ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNow that's interesting. I hadn't heard about the cruise ships. I've a buddy of mine working one in Hawaii right now, but I won't be able to talk to him for another month and a half. Maybe his job will be cut short.
DeleteThanks for the insight.
We have Ebola because some folks WANT us to have Ebola. Of Course, I'll be called an idiot (and worse) by some for saying that, but that's okay.
ReplyDeleteI think they want us to panic about Ebola at any rate.
Deletedon't worry about it, when the elite noted how destructive heroin was in the inner cities or how the gays were being destroyed by AIDs in california, "no big deal!"
ReplyDeleteuntil their kids got addicted or contracted it, suddenly they woke up to reality
just wait till ebola shows up eliminating those of the elite class
wonder how many of us be left when that happens?
am being too sarcastic here?
Wildflower
Sarcastic? Realistic?
DeleteToo long a video to watch tonight, but it's bookmarked.
ReplyDeleteThe workers pay for everything.Their is trillions in surpluses we pay into Medicare's and retirement. Stolen to pay their wars.Trillions.Social Security has trillions in surplus. Again Trillions. We can't use it because Social Security cuts a check or to put it bluntly The Federal Reserve gets a IOU from Social Security to pay for WARS.Again Trillions. We need to get ride of this country of lies .All politicians are killing our childern.OBEY.1984.
ReplyDeleteIn their dying days empires squander their wealth and blood in war.
Delete