It’s not just health care that’s collapsing
The U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic shines a glaring light on the inadequacy of the U.S. health care system—so glaring that folks who have shrugged off the howls of critics for decades have been shocked to realize just how fragile it is. Bernie Sanders has been the highest-profile, most strident, and most consistent critic, but he has had a lot of company among progressives. and the pandemic is driving even some centrists into his “Medicare for All” camp.
The mounting crisis prompted David Himmelstein of the CUNY School of Public Health to observe, of a properly-run health care system’s response to a crisis, “You don’t see the results. It’s a dog that doesn’t bark.”*
What has saved the U.S. pandemic response from utter tragedy is the level of expertise and commitment among health professionals—doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, radiologists, lab technicians, and the like—highly educated and benefiting from leading edge research in medical science distributed among institutions throughout the country. Their sacrifices in battling Covid-19 have been heroic. But this cadre of health care professionals has to drag around the ball-and-chain of a system that is structured primarily not to promote health, but to make money for insurance companies who pry open every cranny in the structure to achieve private again. Many private hospitals and specialists also work hand-in-glove with insurance companies to drive up costs and fatten profits.
Continue reading “A Dog that Doesn’t Bark: Silent Sentinels that Keep Us Safe”