Insurance Industry Corrects Trump: Actually, We're Only Waiving Copays for Coronavirus Testing, Not Treatment
https://www.commondreams.org/news/20...ys-coronavirus
and testing is still such a pain to get approved that patients are still being put through a battery of tests to rule out other illnesses and that is resulting in hundreds or thousands of dollars in charges. Never put it past american healthcare to bankrupt as many people as possible.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
What part of the bit about prompt testing and isolation causing fewer people to get infected does the US administration still not get?
Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer
Spot On:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/ar...crisis/607867/
The Worst Outcome
If somebody other than Donald Trump were in the White House, the coronavirus crisis would not be unfolding this way.
-David Frum
At every turn, President Trump’s policy regarding coronavirus has unfolded as if guided by one rule: How can I make this crisis worse?
Presidents are not all-powerful, especially not in the case of pandemic disease. There are limits to what they can do, for good or ill. But within those limits, at every juncture, Trump’s actions have ensured the worst possible outcomes. The worst outcome for public health. The worst outcome for the American economy. The worst outcome for American global leadership.
Trump’s Oval Office speech of March 11 was the worst action yet in a string of bad actions.
Here are the things the president did not do in that speech.
He offered no guidance or policy on how to prevent the spread of the disease inside the United States. Should your town cancel its St. Patrick’s Day parade? What about theatrical productions and sporting events? Classes at schools and colleges? Nothing.
He offered no explanation of what went wrong with the U.S. testing system, nor any assurance of when testing would become more widely available. His own previous promises of testing for anyone who needs it have been exploded as false. So what is true? Nothing.
Layoffs are coming, probably on a very large scale, as travel collapses and people hunker down at home. Any word for those about to lose their jobs? Only the vaguest indication that something might be announced sometime soon.
It’s good to hear that there will be no co-pays on the tests nobody seems able to get. What about other health-care coverage? Any word on that? Nothing.
The financial markets have plunged into a 2008-style crash, auguring a recession, perhaps a severe one. The Trump administration has had almost two months to think about this crisis. It has trial-ballooned some ideas. But, of course, fiscal policy would require assent from the House of Representatives. Trump is still pouting at Speaker Nancy Pelosi. So—aside from some preposterously unconvincing happy talk about the economy—again: nothing.
There was one something in the speech: a ban on travel from Europe, but not the United Kingdom. It’s a classic Trump formulation. It seeks to protect America by erecting a wall against the world, without thinking very hard how or whether the wall can work. The disease is already here. The numbers only look low because of our prior failure to provide adequate testing. They will not look low even four days from now. And those infected with the virus can travel from other countries and on other routes. Trump himself has already met some.
The travel ban is an act of panic. Financial futures began crashing even as Trump was talking, perhaps shocked by his lack of an economic plan, perhaps aghast at his latest attack on world trade. (The speech seemed to suggest an embargo on European-sourced cargo as well, but that looks more like a mental lapse of Trump’s than a real policy announcement. The ban on cargo was retracted by a post-speech tweet, although the ban remains in the posted transcript of the speech.) Among other things, the ban represents one more refutation by Trump of any idea of collective security against collective threats. While China offers medical assistance to Italy, he wants to sever ties to former friends—isolating America and abandoning the world.
This crisis is not of Trump’s making. What he is responsible for is his failure to respond promptly, and then his perverse and counterproductive choice of how to respond when action could be avoided no longer. Trump, in his speech, pleaded for an end to finger-pointing. It’s a strange thing for this president of all presidents to say. No American president, and precious few American politicians, have ever pointed so many fingers or hurled so much abuse as Donald Trump. What he means, of course, is: Don’t hold me to account for the things I did.
But he did do them, and he owns responsibility for those things. He cannot escape it, and he will not escape it.
More people will get sick because of his presidency than if somebody else were in charge. More people will suffer the financial hardship of sickness because of his presidency than if somebody else were in charge. The medical crisis will arrive faster and last longer than if somebody else were in charge. So, too, the economic crisis. More people will lose their jobs than if somebody else were in charge. More businesses will be pushed into bankruptcy than if somebody else were in charge. More savers will lose more savings than if somebody else were in charge. The damage to America’s global leadership will be greater than if somebody else were in charge.
There is always something malign in Trump’s incompetence. He has no care or concern for others; he cannot absorb the trouble and suffering of others as real. He monotones his way through words of love and compassion, but those words plainly have no content or meaning for him. The only thing that is real is his squalid vanity. This virus threatens to pierce that vanity, so he denied it as long as he could. What he refuses to acknowledge cannot be real, can it?
And even now that he has acknowledged the crisis, he still cannot act, because he does not know what to do. His only goal now is to shove blame onto others. Americans have to face the fact that in the grip of this pandemic, the Oval Office is for all practical purposes as empty as the glazed eyes of the man who spoke from that office tonight.
The Rules
Copper- behave toward others to elicit treatment you would like (the manipulative rule)
Gold- treat others how you would like them to treat you (the self regard rule)
Platinum - treat others the way they would like to be treated (the PC rule)
When the sky above us fell
We descended into hell
Into kingdom come
Alexander is right, why should employers (many of whom are struggling more than their employees are) foot the bill for a pandemic? The government should.
This is something the government should do and I don't care about principles of small governance, pandemics are an exception to the norm.
We finally are getting some directions from the government that actually may help to mitigate this crisis
* self isolate with any symptoms of cold or flu
* work at home unless this is impossible
* all gatherings of more than 100 people are canceled
* schools stay open
Congratulations America
So the NBA season is on hold. Oh and this guy legit has the virus
Twitter Link
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
The Republicans can introduce their own bill to do exactly that any time they like.
Just whenever they're ready.
At any point... now.
Now?
*crickets*
Also:
Fuck off, lol(many of whom are struggling more than their employees are)
When the sky above us fell
We descended into hell
Into kingdom come
That presupposes Alexander isn't just reaching for a convenient excuse and the GOP in the Senate wouldn't block a bill with such general sick-leave provisions even when the government would be underwriting them. The GOP being the way it is, it would block such a bill even harder. The only such bill they'd be willing to pass is one addressing this specific outbreak only, and then probably only with reluctance.
Last night as I lay in bed, looking up at the stars, I thought, “Where the hell is my ceiling?"
His address to the nation was a hot mess. His European travel ban had to be walked back -- who the hell wrote that speech? And it just doesn't make sense to give exemptions to the UK (didn't their Health Minister test positive?) as if the virus can differentiate between 'certain' people.
Collective security against collective threats? Ha, we don't have a NHS like the UK. Our healthcare infrastructure is based on private insurance and for-profit entities, and some 30 million people routinely fall thru the cracks, millions more during a crisis. Now Trump is talking about "possible" travel restrictions within US "hot spots".
He exempted the UK to protect his own financial interests, see below. As usual, he's not concerned about the nation as much as about himself. And really, what the fuck is banning travel from Europe supposed to accomplish anyway?His address to the nation was a hot mess. His European travel ban had to be walked back -- who the hell wrote that speech? And it just doesn't make sense to give exemptions to the UK (didn't their Health Minister test positive?) as if the virus can differentiate between 'certain' people.
Collective security against collective threats? Ha, we don't have a NHS like the UK. Our healthcare infrastructure is based on private insurance and for-profit entities, and some 30 million people routinely fall thru the cracks, millions more during a crisis. Now Trump is talking about "possible" travel restrictions within US "hot spots".
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/0...resorts-126808Trump’s travel ban sidesteps his own European resorts
Last edited by EyeKhan; 03-12-2020 at 05:37 PM.
The Rules
Copper- behave toward others to elicit treatment you would like (the manipulative rule)
Gold- treat others how you would like them to treat you (the self regard rule)
Platinum - treat others the way they would like to be treated (the PC rule)
Bit surprised there aren't a lot of diagrams of the age-structure of Congress floating around right now.
"One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."
The local school that was closed today played basketball against my daughter's school last night.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
"Social distancing" is about as clear as mud.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/w...irus-news.html
Days after being with Trump and Pence, Brazilian official tests positive for the virus, reports say.
I hope Pelosi's been more careful, because if those two idiots get sick, she's the new president.
The Rules
Copper- behave toward others to elicit treatment you would like (the manipulative rule)
Gold- treat others how you would like them to treat you (the self regard rule)
Platinum - treat others the way they would like to be treated (the PC rule)
And she'll be 80 yrs old soon
I'm not backing the GOP here. I before that link was posted said how pleased I was that the government here was improving Sick Pay and footing the bill for it for small businesses. I 100% think the Federal US Government should do the same thing.
Having a good point is not justification to do nothing.
I specifically in that post said that this is something the government should do!
Re. Lewk"myheadisstuckupmyass"owski's recent question about why we're treating Trump so unfairly when he's doing everything any other alternative leader would've needed to do:
Twitter Link
As one person pointed out, this was a long, televised speech, read from a teleprompter.
"One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."
Rand, the GOP (the Trump Party) has spent the last few years deconstructing the administrative state, demonizing teh federal government, denying science, and de-legitimizing experts. That includes public health. They're not going to upscale massive "free" testing -- they're still planning on cutting food assistance programs to the working poor, and Medicaid expansion.
*cough* Freeee Markets
State of emergency declared in Latvia. Schools are closed, public events with attendance >200 people cancelled, international travel restricted, among other things.
Carthāgō dēlenda est
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN20Y2LM
Exclusive: White House told federal health agency to classify coronavirus deliberations - sources
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
Just goes to show how being dependent on the government to get things right doesn't work out too well. :0 And I STILL think we are in overreaction mode and that the China Corona-virus will kill less people in America than the flu will this year. Gonna be a hella annoyed if a couple of events I wanted to get to this year get cancelled.
Meanwhile, US legislators are hard at work "negotiating" a covid19 stimulus response.....
https://www.rollcall.com/2020/03/12/...pects-changes/
"A senior administration official said the White House had "serious concerns" with the House bill, including the fact that coverage reimbursements don't reference the so-called Hyde amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. The administration also doesn't like the bill's 8 percentage-point increase in Medicaid matching funds."
Is that based on gov't collected data or just your "hunch"?
Twitter Link
No one is allowed to say 'but how will we afford it' ever again
When the sky above us fell
We descended into hell
Into kingdom come
We're all Socialists now lol
Twitter Link
Almost waiting for them to walk this back or make sure the people who need to know never find out.
"One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."
It's a loan tbh but yeah.
"One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."
Since we all know that the degree to which Lewk cares about something is heavily dependent by how much it affects him and his or those identical to him and his, I'm going to guess. . . his grandparents have all died already and his parents, if they're still alive, are not yet of an age or possessing negative health factors which place them in a high risk group.
Last night as I lay in bed, looking up at the stars, I thought, “Where the hell is my ceiling?"
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