Thursday, July 2, 2020
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
‘If You Like Your Insurance, You Can Keep It’–Until You Can’t
Shahid Buttar and Rebecca Parson June 30, 2020
https://citizentruth.org/if-you-like-your-insurance-you-can-keep-it-until-you-cant/
Lack of healthcare is a death sentence.
(Common Dreams) In the first 10 Democratic debates, moderators asked candidates 21 questions about how they planned to pay for social programs like Medicare for All.
Yet when it came time to bail out corporations with trillions of dollars as part of coronavirus “relief” bills, suddenly the question of “How will you pay for it?” went up in smoke.
Meanwhile, 47.3 million workers have filed for unemployment, and the claim that “If you like your employer-based plan, you can keep it,” has been revealed for the fiction it is. How do those Americans keep their employer-based plan? They can’t. They’re unemployed.
Millions of Americans now face the loss of their health insurance. That’s in addition to the 27 million Americans who were uninsured before this crisis. Coverage is still available through the Affordable Care Act, but insurance companies are exploiting the increased demand, ratcheting up their premiums and deductibles so high that many are stuck with insurance plans they can’t afford to use.
You would think that during the worst pandemic in 100 years, as we teeter on the edge of another Great Depression, that politicians would be leaping at the opportunity to stem the tide and stave off further deaths by ensuring we all have healthcare. But no, of course not. Why? Because 99% of them, like our opponents Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), are bought off by the health insurance industry. So bought off, in fact, that Kilmer cosponsored a stand-alone bill to bail out the lobbyists who lobby on behalf of his health insurance donors.
Instead, we’re faced with mass death.
One in seven Americans said they would not seek health care even with clear Covid-19 symptoms, due to concerns about their ability to pay for it. Among people with an annual household income below $40,000, more than 20% would choose to forgo treatment for financial reasons.
Lack of healthcare is a death sentence.
Shame on you, Congress: bailing out lobbyists. Bailing out corporations. Bailing out the insurance industry.
And leaving us out to dry.
The insurance industry isn’t “broken.” It’s working exactly as it was intended to: to profit off death by providing the least amount of care possible for the highest profit possible.
The fix is in, and the American people are paying the price: with their life.
It’s time for Medicare for All: a single-payer health care system that guarantees equal coverage to every American—without copays, deductibles, or premiums. 69% of voters now support Medicare for All.
Medicare for All is the moral choice. During a pandemic, “an injury to one is an injury to all,” because one sick person can infect countless more.
We need Medicare for All now.
Everybody in, nobody out.
‘Absolute Robbery’: Gilead Announces $3,120 Price Tag for Covid-19 Drug Developed With $70 Million in Taxpayer Support
https://citizentruth.org/absolute-robbery-gilead-announces-3120-price-tag-for-covid-19-drug-developed-with-70-million-in-taxpayer-support/
“Taxpayers provided funding for the development of this drug. Now Gilead is price-gouging off it during a pandemic. Beyond disgusting,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
(By: Jake Johnson, Common Dreams) Consumer advocates reacted with disgust Monday to an announcement by Gilead Sciences that it will charge U.S. hospitals around $3,120 per privately insured patient for a treatment course of remdesivir, a drug which has proven modestly effective at speeding Covid-19 recovery times.
Peter Maybarduk, director of Public Citizen’s Access to Medicines Program, called Gilead’s pricing—which works out to around $520 per dose for non-government buyers like hospitals—”an offensive display of hubris and disregard for the public” and slammed the Trump administration for failing to ensure that the price of a drug developed with substantial taxpayer support is affordable for all.
Maybarduk pointed to Institute for Clinical and Economic Review research showing Gilead could still make a profit by pricing remdesivir at $310 per course.
“Gilead has priced at several thousand dollars a drug that should be in the public domain. For $1 per day, remdesivir can be manufactured at scale with a reasonable profit,” Maybarduk said in a statement. “Gilead did not make remdesivir alone. Public funding was indispensable at each stage, and government scientists led the early drug discovery team. Allowing Gilead to set the terms during a pandemic represents a colossal failure of leadership by the Trump administration.”
Public Citizen estimated in a May report that U.S. taxpayers contributed at least $70.5 million to the development of remdesivir.
US taxpayers spent $70,000,000 developing this drug. This is an absolute robbery. https://t.co/6qSMOlmqWF
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) June 29, 2020
Shortly after Gilead’s announcement, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department said it reached an agreement with the pharmaceutical giant to purchase more than 500,000 treatment courses of remdesivir for American hospitals.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is “the only developed country where Gilead will charge two prices”—one for government buyers ($390 per dose) and one for non-government buyers like hospitals ($520 per dose). The typical remdesivir treatment course consists of around six doses.
Unlike the U.S., the Journal notes, the governments of other advanced nations “negotiate drug prices directly with drugmakers.”
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), chair of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, said in a statement that “Trump’s refusal to stop pandemic profiteering with a stroke of a pen is a green light to other manufacturers to exploit this tragedy.”
Doggett said he is pressuring the Trump administration and Gilead to disclose the details of their agreement, including the sum the government paid for the 500,000 treatment courses of remdesivir.
On Twitter, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) condemned Gilead’s price-tag as “beyond disgusting.”
“Taxpayers provided funding for the development of this drug. Now Gilead is price-gouging off it during a pandemic,” said Sanders. “Coronavirus treatment must be free to all.”
Exclusive Interview, Dr. E Hanh Le Discusses The United States Battle Against COVID-19
Walter Yeates June 29, 2020
https://citizentruth.org/exclusive-interview-dr-e-hanh-le-discusses-the-united-states-battle-against-covid-19/
“Most researchers estimate that we will not have a viable COVID-19 vaccine until 2021, at the earliest.”
In total, the United States has had over 2.4 million confirmed COVID-19 (Coronavirus, 2019) cases since the onset of the virus at the beginning of 2020.
Over the weekend: Arizona, California, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah set records for COVID-19 related hospitalizations, while Florida recorded a state record 9,585 new cases on Saturday. Georgia, Nevada, and South Carolina each recorded a new daily high on Saturday, with 41 states seeing an uptick in new cases from a week ago.
Recently Citizen Truth was able to speak to Dr. E Hanh Le, Senior Director of Medical Affairs at Healthline, regarding the outbreak.
Is the United States beginning the reopening phase too soon? A number of countries like Australia, Japan, and New Zealand did not begin lifting quarantine until their daily cases were far lower than where the US currently is?
It’s a complicated calculation between local incidence numbers, hospitalization and death rates, and available
Dr. E Hanh Le of Healthline via Peter Samuels
medical resources. That said, every time any community opens again, there will be an inherent risk of increased transmission of COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean the community necessarily must experience a huge spike in cases again. There are still ways to mitigate risk, including reminding residents to continue to wear face masks while in public, especially if they are not able to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet or more. Also, it is still advisable to continue to practice good handwashing, particularly when returning home from public places such as grocery stores, gas stations, and public transit.
With daily COVID-19 cases where they are, is it nearly guaranteed that the United States will have to enter another quarantine period in several months?
We decline to speculate.
How close are doctors in the United States to developing a COVID-19 vaccine? If one is found, do you believe it should be administered free of cost to patients?
Most researchers estimate that we will not have a viable COVID-19 vaccine until 2021, at the earliest. Even when one is available, there may not be enough for all patients, which means that those at greater risk of severe complications from COVID-19 (e.g., people with certain health conditions) or those who have a greater risk of being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus (e.g., healthcare workers), will likely receive the vaccine first.
The CARES Act mandates that most insurance companies cover COVID-19 testing and treatment at no cost to their members. The Act also applies to any COVID-19 vaccine that is recommended by the US Preventive Health Services Task Force and the CDC. As we have seen the devastating health and economic consequences of this virus in our country as a whole, we are hopeful that a vaccine will be offered for free to all individuals.
Does Healthline closely monitor recommendations from the World Health Organization? If so, what are the major lessons learned from the WHO regarding combating COVID-19?
Yes. Physical distancing and wearing face masks are good measures to help you reduce the risk of contracting the virus. Sheltering in place and physical distancing continue to be the best strategies to help prevent rapid, sharp increases in COVID-19 cases.
What mental health practices do you suggest people adapt to combat with the stresses related to living during a global pandemic?
Focus on your personal wellness with MEDS — Meditation, Exercise, Diet, Sleep. Know what resources and medical services are available to you. Reach out to people — it’s okay to share your vulnerability. Consume the news in measured doses – nonstop news coverage can be overwhelming and lead to unnecessary anxiety, which does more harm than good.
[In other words: "Kiss your ass goodbye."]
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