As the pandemic comes to an “end,” we’re seeing a return to normalcy (how many times have you heard that in the last couple of years?) and, with the return of normalcy, we’re seeing a lack of financial aid for medicare for those in poverty. Funding for Covid-related medical issues just took a hit with an end to the emergency federal aid for pandemic programs; those without health insurance now have to pay for Covid testing (which can be over $100) and vaccination by labs and hospitals. The CDC still requires pharmacies to offer free vaccinations if they’re participating in the federal vaccination program— but that is optional, so even then free vaccine access is going to decrease (CNBC). Early in April, the Senate reached a $10 billion bipartisan Covid funding deal, but the deal does not include coverage for the uninsured, and voting has been pushed back (with no outcome as of yet that I could find), and is still less than half of what Democrats were hoping for— originally $22.5 billion.
Meanwhile, the uninsured suffer from Covid and other non-Covid-related medical issues that took the back seat during the pandemic in addition to these new costs. Covid-related treatment “can cost anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars if the patient ends up on a ventilator” (CNBC). And with less easy access to free vaccination, that issue is made worse, especially when people who can’t qualify for cheaper insurance because they’re below the poverty line are the ones being affected.
Even non-Covid-related medical issues have been made worse by the pandemic, as seen at the Nashville General Hospital in Tennessee (from NYT):
The universal health care debate is a hot one in the United States and, in my opinion, the pandemic is a pretty big sign for a reevaluation of our policy, especially with people’s lives on the line. And, while I doubt that we’ll see any moves toward universal health care gain any traction with Republicans blocking the Senate’s Covid funding deal, here’s to hoping.
Questions:
Sources:
Loss of Pandemic Aid Stresses Hospitals That Treat the Uninsured - The New York Times
Uninsured face surprise medical bills for Covid testing, hospital treatment after U.S. Congress fails to fund pandemic aid program
Senate punts $10 billion in Covid aid until after Easter amid stalemate over border policy - POLITICO
(Good luck on your AP tests everyone!)
Meanwhile, the uninsured suffer from Covid and other non-Covid-related medical issues that took the back seat during the pandemic in addition to these new costs. Covid-related treatment “can cost anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars if the patient ends up on a ventilator” (CNBC). And with less easy access to free vaccination, that issue is made worse, especially when people who can’t qualify for cheaper insurance because they’re below the poverty line are the ones being affected.
Even non-Covid-related medical issues have been made worse by the pandemic, as seen at the Nashville General Hospital in Tennessee (from NYT):
Nashville General has seen an average of just one Covid patient a week recently. But its doctors and nurses say that a wide range of health problems that worsened during the pandemic are now overwhelming the hospital.
Dr. Eric Neff, an orthopedic surgeon, said patients were afraid to visit the hospital during much of the pandemic and often had trouble finding transportation when they did. The consequences were dire: People waited six months to seek care for a broken wrist or ignored a torn rotator cuff, making it harder for him to fix their injuries.
“It’s horrible,” he said.
“We see a lot of putting off, putting off, because it’s like: ‘Maybe we can do it tomorrow. Maybe we can do it the next day, or maybe it’ll just go away,’” said Dr. Rosalena Muckle, an internal medicine physician.
Ms. Howard, the dishwasher, said her frustrations getting and affording health care were adding up. Her ailments were not improving. After a recent primary care appointment, she wondered aloud how she would come up with the $10 for her visit. “I don’t want to just be seen or heard,” she said. “Without any money, it’s hard.”
The universal health care debate is a hot one in the United States and, in my opinion, the pandemic is a pretty big sign for a reevaluation of our policy, especially with people’s lives on the line. And, while I doubt that we’ll see any moves toward universal health care gain any traction with Republicans blocking the Senate’s Covid funding deal, here’s to hoping.
Questions:
- Do you think help for the uninsured should/needs to be looked at with more urgency than it’s currently being given?
- What are your hopes looking like for the end of the pandemic, related or unrelated to helping the uninsured?
- Do you foresee any improvements in the future for the medically uninsured?
Sources:
Loss of Pandemic Aid Stresses Hospitals That Treat the Uninsured - The New York Times
Uninsured face surprise medical bills for Covid testing, hospital treatment after U.S. Congress fails to fund pandemic aid program
Senate punts $10 billion in Covid aid until after Easter amid stalemate over border policy - POLITICO
(Good luck on your AP tests everyone!)
5 comments:
I think healthcare for the uninsured needs to be looked at with more urgency. Many people who can't afford insurance but also don't qualify for government assistance are suffering a great deal, and they deserve to live a comfortable and happy life. More preventative services should be offered to avoid large healthcare costs, and the fear of not being able to afford healthcare should not be a thing. My hope for the end of the pandemic is for this issue to be taken more seriously in the end, health care has been at the forefront because of the pandemic and now its become a larger issue, and hopefully, it will be taken more seriously. I hope to see more improvements, but I don't see it happening. The bill you stated in your article has already explained that democrats didn't get as much funding as they wanted, a step obviously not in the right direction for healthcare funding. As covid slows down, people still see the issue we have at hand but funding towards medical services is going down, so no I do not forsee any imporvments
I think that reforming health care is a very significant action that the government must consider in order to improve quality of life. The cost of getting care in the US is extremely high compared to other countries and that is despite the government already spending more on health care per capita than any other nation. The current system is inefficient and wasteful, leaving many Americans struggling to get the quality care they need. As much as life has begun to return to normal, hopefully, more time will continue to improve that and we can eventually not have to worry at all about catching COVID. At this point, even as the pandemic dies down, there is still a very real fear of catching COVID, even if the risk is not as high as it once was. The pandemic has accentuated many political divides in the nation and makes it difficult to envision any improvements for health care.
Given the current state of health care and public health, I believe that reforming health care is an action that the government should consider. Especially considering how the pandemic threw America into a spiral, preparing for more consequences and similar future situations should be an action the government considers. However, I do recognize the repercussions of budgeting more money for health care. As we explored in class, reallocating spending may unsatisfied certain constituents as it takes away spending from another sector. From the simulation in class, I also recognize that when there are more restrictions on healthcare, it allows a more sustainable budget. This implied that increasing funding for the uninsured would lower sustainability; however, given the current state of public health due to the pandemic’s global impact, it’s evident that some sort of change needs to be prioritized to ensure a healthier society. In terms of future improvements for medically uninsured individuals, I feel like there is potential for it to decrease and increase. In my opinion, it depends on the policy makers and whether they will consider life “going back to normal” as a way to spend time on other topics, or to invest in a stronger healthcare system to help prevent society from regressing to the pandemic’s panicked earlier stages.
Health care is crucial for everyone to have access to, however given the privatized nature of healthcare in the U.S. it is difficult for this to be achieved. Making healthcare a bigger governmental priority would involve "expanding" the scope of the federal government which is resented by predominantly Republican voters, yet regardless of ideology it would add significant strain onto the Federal Budget which has consistently produced deficits which contribute to the national debt. Mandatory expenditures already designate massive sums of money into programs such as Social Security and Medicare, so adding universal healthcare would further reduce money available to spend on discretionary expenditures and channel into the various industries, foreign aid, transportation and infrastructure, and education amongst various others. In the economic context this is not a feasible reality so perhaps there needs to be alternatives explored in order to still ensure healthcare, and the frenzy caused by the pandemic can provide an important learning curve and bring emphasis to this important need which legislators can work to address.
I think that help for the unisured should be looked at with more urgency that it’s currently given since not everyone has the ability to afford healthcare despite having health problems. A majority of people in debt are also in debt because of medical bills. However I don’t have high hopes for insurance at the end of the pandemic, since our government is evenly split between Republican and Democrats and the next election is Nov 2022 and both parties are working towards getting elected. In the future I hope there will be more improvements in the future like Obamacare, however due to the backlash the program received and the cost of implementing a program like that it is likely difficult. Globally many European countries are able to offer free healthcare, so it is an attainable possibility that would only need to be implemented by the government.
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