According to Johns Hopkins the fatality rate for known cases is not 2.1 percent. Not even close. It is 3.4 percent. This is bad. What is worse is that of confirmed cases outside mainland China the death rate of known cases is approaching 5 percent. You can do the math. Is the virus getting more virulent? We don’t know. A high percentage of those deaths come from underdeveloped countries, so where Iran is with a small sample size floating at ten percent, South Korea is right at one percent.
Same virus. So we must be talking about quality of health care available in terms or recovery prospects. Oh goodie. For the heck of it, let’s from this point on track the death rate in nations with “socialist” healthcare vs. countries with bastard health insurance companies cockjacking customers for ridiculous deductibles and testing fees.
Imagine this scenario-a single mother in a poor neighborhood or with bad insurance is told that the Covid-19 test is gadzooks booku $$. Later, she gets ill. Could be Covid-19. But she won’t get tested? Why? Because this idiotic response did nothing to protect her against vampire insurance bills. So she has it in fact. But does not know it. But she rides the bus, goes to work, you get the drift.
A while back I requested legislation that would financially protect victims of this thing. Some got on there complaining that flu victims would be angry. Flu victims are not quarantined. But I digress. RIGHT THE F NOW the USA needs to say ALL bills for testing, treatment, and therapy related to this virus will be covered immediately under Medicare. This would leave people no reason to chance it, and even protect bastard insurance companies.
But they won’t you know why? Because that would elect Bernie Sanders or Liz Warren. Because what I just suggested is a microtest of his and Liz’s plan. Only it really isn’t an option.
Which means Bernie and Lizzie Badass are right. Which means his or Liz’s gutsiness might be our only chance. Which makes me wonder about FL-
What are Cubans more worried about? Your Grandfather’s rantings about a bygone era and a boogeyman regime?
Or you know, drowning in your own sputum?
Hmm-but now let’s also turn the light of optimism on this. Either this disease does not spread very easily, or it does and the death rate is nowhere near this high. We don’t know. We don’t know if it will get worse, is getting worse, or will burn out. My gut instinct tells me that it spreads easily, kills extremely rarely, and we just don’t know that there are tens of millions out there undiagnosed.
But I could be wrong. I could be wrong. Once more for emphasis so I do not get accused of downplaying this-I could be wrong.
And I certainly don’t like our odds if insurance companies threaten to bankrupt low income families in high density population centers just to test for the thing.
But at some point humanity will have to tell capitalism to take a backseat to the common good.
The right to life takes precedent over the right to financially pillage.
And to the establishment, the Klobuchar’s, the Carville’s telling me that the middle of the road is the only way I say this:
This virus threatens to run me right the fuck over if I don’t get in the left lane.
Forgive me if I forget to use a blinker.
Yes to Medicare for All. The time is now. It has never been more clear.
It has never been more urgent.
And nothing could be more American.