[rad-green] Coronavirus Outbreak Proves There Is No Public Health System in the US -- Robert Reich

This is a multi-part message in MIME format...

------------=_1584491839-7785-140072
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000124f0e05a11640f2"

--000000000000124f0e05a11640f2
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

*https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/03/17/coronavirus-outbreak-proves-=
there-no-public-health-system-us
<https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/03/17/coronavirus-outbreak-proves-=
there-no-public-health-system-us>RobertReich.org
        March 17, 2020Coronavirus Outbreak Proves There Is No Public Health
System in the USThere is no public health system in the US, in short,
because the richest nation in the world has no capacity to protect the
public as a whole, apart from national defense [sic]. by Robert Reich*

[image: The Fed can close banks to quarantine financial crises but the US
can=E2=80=99t close workplaces because the nation=E2=80=99s social insuranc=
e system depends
on people going to work. (Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty
Images)]

*The Fed can close banks to quarantine financial crises but the US can=E2=
=80=99t
close workplaces because the nation=E2=80=99s social insurance system depen=
ds on
people going to work. (Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)*

Dr. Anthony S Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases and just about the only official in the Trump
administration trusted to tell the truth about the coronavirus, said last
Thursday: =E2=80=9CThe system does not, is not really geared to what we nee=
d right
now =E2=80=A6 It is a failing, let=E2=80=99s admit it.=E2=80=9D

While we=E2=80=99re at it, let=E2=80=99s admit something more basic. The sy=
stem would be
failing even under a halfway competent president. The dirty little secret,
which will soon become apparent to all, is that there is no real public
health system in the United States.

The ad hoc response fashioned late Friday by House Democrats and the White
House may help a bit, although it=E2=80=99s skimpy, as I=E2=80=99ll explain.

Instead of a public health system, we have a private for-profit system for
individuals lucky enough to afford it and a rickety social insurance system
for people fortunate enough to have a full-time job.

As the coronavirus outbreak in the US follows the same grim exponential
growth path first displayed in Wuhan, China, before herculean measures were
put in place to slow its spread there, America is waking up to the fact
that it has almost no public capacity to deal with it.

Instead of a public health system, we have a private for-profit system for
individuals lucky enough to afford it and a rickety social insurance system
for people fortunate enough to have a full-time job.

At their best, both systems respond to the needs of individuals rather than
the needs of the public as a whole. In America, the word =E2=80=9Cpublic=E2=
=80=9D =E2=80=93 as in
public health, public education or public welfare =E2=80=93 means a sum tot=
al of
individual needs, not the common good.

Contrast this with America=E2=80=99s financial system. The Federal Reserve =
concerns
itself with the health of financial markets as a whole. Late last week the
Fed made $1.5 trillion available to banks at the slightest hint of
difficulties making trades. No one batted an eye.

When it comes to the health of the nation as a whole, money like this isn=
=E2=80=99t
available. And there are no institutions analogous to the Fed with
responsibility for overseeing and managing the public=E2=80=99s health =E2=
=80=93 able to
whip out a giant checkbook at a moment=E2=80=99s notice to prevent human, r=
ather
than financial, devastation.

Even if a test for the Covid-19 virus had been developed and approved in
time, no institutions are in place to administer it to tens of millions of
Americans free of charge. Local and state health departments are already
barebones, having lost nearly a quarter of their workforce since 2008,
according to the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

Healthcare in America is delivered mainly by private for-profit
corporations which, unlike financial institutions, are not required to
maintain reserve capacity. As a result, the nation=E2=80=99s supply of vent=
ilators
<https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2F=
coronavirus-outbreak-hospital-icu-masks-shortages_n_5e6521f9c5b6670e72f9b90=
2&t=3DZWM1ODc0Zjg5Y2VlNjcyMmVlZTBhOTU2MzM1ZTMxODMxMTUxNDQ1ZSxlZWhwc3Q0ZQ%3D=
%3D&b=3Dt%3AhQ9Ds4P3Iv6D7mgEr8WMqg&p=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Frobertreich.org%2Fpost=
%2F612790157414989824&m=3D1>
isn=E2=80=99t
nearly large enough to care for projected numbers of critically ill
coronavirus victims unable to breathe for themselves. Its 45,000 intensive
care unit beds fall woefully short of the 2.9 million that are likely to be
needed.
<https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2F=
coronavirus-outbreak-hospital-icu-masks-shortages_n_5e6521f9c5b6670e72f9b90=
2&t=3DZWM1ODc0Zjg5Y2VlNjcyMmVlZTBhOTU2MzM1ZTMxODMxMTUxNDQ1ZSxlZWhwc3Q0ZQ%3D=
%3D&b=3Dt%3AhQ9Ds4P3Iv6D7mgEr8WMqg&p=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Frobertreich.org%2Fpost=
%2F612790157414989824&m=3D1>

The Fed can close banks to quarantine financial crises but the US can=E2=80=
=99t
close workplaces because the nation=E2=80=99s social insurance system depen=
ds on
people going to work.

Almost 30% of American workers have no paid sick leave from their
employers, including 70% of low-income workers earning less than $10.49 an
hour. Vast numbers of self-employed workers cannot afford sick leave.
Friday=E2=80=99s deal between House Democrats and the White House won=E2=80=
=99t have much
effect because it exempts large employers and offers waivers to smaller
ones.

Most jobless Americans don=E2=80=99t qualify for unemployment insurance bec=
ause
they haven=E2=80=99t worked long enough in a steady job, and the ad-hoc deal
doesn=E2=80=99t alter this. Meanwhile, more than 30 million Americans have =
no
health insurance. Eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps and other public
assistance is now linked to having or actively looking for work.

It=E2=80=99s hard to close public schools because most working parents cann=
ot
afford childcare. Many poor children rely on school lunches for their only
square meal a day. In Los Angeles, about 80% of students qualify for free
or reduced lunches and just under 20,000 are homeless at some point during
the school year.

There is no public health system in the US, in short, because the richest
nation in the world has no capacity to protect the public as a whole, apart
from national defense [sic]. Ad-hoc remedies such as House Democrats and
the White House fashioned on Friday are better than nothing, but they don=
=E2=80=99t
come close to filling this void.

Robert Reich <http://www.commondreams.org/author/robert-reich>, is the
Chancellor=E2=80=99s Professor of Public Policy at the University of Califo=
rnia,
Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies.
He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which
Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of
the the twentieth century. He has written fiften books, including the
best-sellers *Aftershock <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307476332>*, *T=
he
Work of Nations <https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679736158>*, *Beyond Outrage
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345804376>* and, *Saving Capitalism*
<https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Capitalism-Many-Not-Few/dp/0345806220>. He
is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, chairman of
Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and
co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's
newest book is "*The Common Good
<https://www.amazon.com/Common-Good-Robert-B-Reich/dp/052552049X/ref=3Dsr_1=
_1?ie=3DUTF8&qid=3D1521457674&sr=3D8-1&keywords=3DThe+Common+Good>*."
He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism,"
which is streaming now.

--=20

---=20
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "=
Sid-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an e=
mail to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/=
sid-l/CACKppcywvXs6gAM_B-Kbvp1Rg1AG2LKG7cEoPHvkxa%3DOfe6kSw%40mail.gmail.co=
m.

--000000000000124f0e05a11640f2
Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<div dir=3D"ltr"><div class=3D"gmail_default"><b><font face=3D"georgia, ser=
if"><a href=3D"https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/03/17/coronavirus-ou=
tbreak-proves-there-no-public-health-system-us" target=3D"_blank">https://w=
ww.commondreams.org/views/2020/03/17/coronavirus-outbreak-proves-there-no-p=
ublic-health-system-us</a><br><br><font size=3D"4">RobertReich.org=C2=A0 =
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 March 17, 2020</font><br><br><font size=3D"6">C=
oronavirus Outbreak Proves There Is No Public Health System in the US<br></=
font><br><font size=3D"4">There is no public health system in the US, in sh=
ort, because the richest nation in the world has no capacity to protect the=
 public as a whole, apart from national defense [sic]. </font><br><br><font=
 size=3D"4">by Robert Reich</font></font></b></div><div class=3D"gmail_defa=
ult"><font face=3D"georgia, serif"><br></font><div style=3D"font-size:17px;=
box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-siz=
ing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=
=3D"georgia, serif"><img src=3D"https://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/=
files/styles/cd_large/public/views-article/medicare_for_all_15.jpg?itok=3DF=
9FL_imP" width=3D"472" height=3D"247" alt=3D"The Fed can close banks to qua=
rantine financial crises but the US can=E2=80=99t close workplaces because =
the nation=E2=80=99s social insurance system depends on people going to wor=
k. (Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)" style=3D"box-sizin=
g:inherit;border:0px;margin-right:0px"></font></div></div></div></div><div =
style=3D"font-size:12px;box-sizing:inherit;background-image:initial;backgro=
und-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;back=
ground-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;padding:5px 10px"><div style=
=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><p style=3D"box-s=
izing:inherit;margin:0px"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif"><=
b style=3D"background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">The Fed can close banks to qu=
arantine financial crises but the US can=E2=80=99t close workplaces because=
 the nation=E2=80=99s social insurance system depends on people going to wo=
rk.=C2=A0(Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</b></font></p=
></div></div></div><div style=3D"font-size:17px;box-sizing:inherit"><div st=
yle=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"=
box-sizing:inherit"><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000"=
 face=3D"georgia, serif">Dr. Anthony S Fauci, director of the National Inst=
itute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and just about the only official i=
n the Trump administration trusted to tell the truth about the coronavirus,=
 said last Thursday: =E2=80=9CThe system does not, is not really geared to =
what we need right now =E2=80=A6 It is a failing, let=E2=80=99s admit it.=
=E2=80=9D</font></p><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><p style=3D"box-sizin=
g:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">While we=E2=80=
=99re at it, let=E2=80=99s admit something more basic. The system would be =
failing even under a halfway competent president. The dirty little secret, =
which will soon become apparent to all, is that there is no real public hea=
lth system in the United States.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit">=
<font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">The ad hoc response fashion=
ed late Friday by House Democrats and the White House may help a bit, altho=
ugh it=E2=80=99s skimpy, as I=E2=80=99ll explain.</font></p><p style=3D"box=
-sizing:inherit;float:right;font-size:18px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font=
-variant-east-asian:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:24px;margin-bottom:0=
px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px 0px 20px 20px;text-align:right;width:263.35px=
"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">Instead of a public healt=
h system, we have a private for-profit system for individuals lucky enough =
to afford it and a rickety social insurance system for people fortunate eno=
ugh to have a full-time job.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><fon=
t color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">As the coronavirus outbreak in =
the US follows the same grim exponential growth path first displayed in Wuh=
an, China, before herculean measures were put in place to slow its spread t=
here, America is waking up to the fact that it has almost no public capacit=
y to deal with it.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D=
"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">Instead of a public health system, we hav=
e a private for-profit system for individuals lucky enough to afford it and=
 a rickety social insurance system for people fortunate enough to have a fu=
ll-time job.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#0000=
00" face=3D"georgia, serif">At their best, both systems respond to the need=
s of individuals rather than the needs of the public as a whole. In America=
, the word =E2=80=9Cpublic=E2=80=9D =E2=80=93 as in public health, public e=
ducation or public welfare =E2=80=93 means a sum total of individual needs,=
 not the common good.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=
=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">Contrast this with America=E2=80=99s f=
inancial system. The Federal Reserve concerns itself with the health of fin=
ancial markets as a whole. Late last week the Fed made $1.5 trillion availa=
ble to banks at the slightest hint of difficulties making trades. No one ba=
tted an eye.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#0000=
00" face=3D"georgia, serif">When it comes to the health of the nation as a =
whole, money like this isn=E2=80=99t available. And there are no institutio=
ns analogous to the Fed with responsibility for overseeing and managing the=
 public=E2=80=99s health =E2=80=93 able to whip out a giant checkbook at a =
moment=E2=80=99s notice to prevent human, rather than financial, devastatio=
n.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"></p><div style=3D"box-sizing:i=
nherit"></div><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=
=3D"georgia, serif">Even if a test for the Covid-19 virus had been develope=
d and approved in time, no institutions are in place to administer it to te=
ns of millions of Americans free of charge. Local and state health departme=
nts are already barebones, having lost nearly a quarter of their workforce =
since 2008, according to the National Association of County and City Health=
 Officials.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#00000=
0" face=3D"georgia, serif">Healthcare in America is delivered mainly by pri=
vate for-profit corporations which, unlike financial institutions, are not =
required to maintain reserve capacity. As a result, the=C2=A0<a href=3D"htt=
ps://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2Fcoro=
navirus-outbreak-hospital-icu-masks-shortages_n_5e6521f9c5b6670e72f9b902&am=
p;t=3DZWM1ODc0Zjg5Y2VlNjcyMmVlZTBhOTU2MzM1ZTMxODMxMTUxNDQ1ZSxlZWhwc3Q0ZQ%3D=
%3D&amp;b=3Dt%3AhQ9Ds4P3Iv6D7mgEr8WMqg&amp;p=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Frobertreich.or=
g%2Fpost%2F612790157414989824&amp;m=3D1" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;backgr=
ound:0px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">nation=E2=80=99s =
supply of ventilators</a>=C2=A0isn=E2=80=99t nearly large enough to care fo=
r projected numbers of critically ill coronavirus victims unable to breathe=
 for themselves. Its 45,000 intensive care unit beds fall woefully short of=
 the=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.huf=
fpost.com%2Fentry%2Fcoronavirus-outbreak-hospital-icu-masks-shortages_n_5e6=
521f9c5b6670e72f9b902&amp;t=3DZWM1ODc0Zjg5Y2VlNjcyMmVlZTBhOTU2MzM1ZTMxODMxM=
TUxNDQ1ZSxlZWhwc3Q0ZQ%3D%3D&amp;b=3Dt%3AhQ9Ds4P3Iv6D7mgEr8WMqg&amp;p=3Dhttp=
s%3A%2F%2Frobertreich.org%2Fpost%2F612790157414989824&amp;m=3D1" style=3D"b=
ox-sizing:inherit;background:0px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_=
blank">2.9 million that are likely to be needed.</a></font></p><p style=3D"=
box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">The Fed=
 can close banks to quarantine financial crises but the US can=E2=80=99t cl=
ose workplaces because the nation=E2=80=99s social insurance system depends=
 on people going to work.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font c=
olor=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">Almost 30% of American workers hav=
e no paid sick leave from their employers, including 70% of low-income work=
ers earning less than $10.49 an hour. Vast numbers of self-employed workers=
 cannot afford sick leave. Friday=E2=80=99s deal between House Democrats an=
d the White House won=E2=80=99t have much effect because it exempts large e=
mployers and offers waivers to smaller ones.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizi=
ng:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">Most jobless Am=
ericans don=E2=80=99t qualify for unemployment insurance because they haven=
=E2=80=99t worked long enough in a steady job, and the ad-hoc deal doesn=E2=
=80=99t alter this. Meanwhile, more than 30 million Americans have no healt=
h insurance. Eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps and other public assista=
nce is now linked to having or actively looking for work.</font></p><p styl=
e=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">It=
=E2=80=99s hard to close public schools because most working parents cannot=
 afford childcare. Many poor children rely on school lunches for their only=
 square meal a day. In Los Angeles, about 80% of students qualify for free =
or reduced lunches and just under 20,000 are homeless at some point during =
the school year.</font></p><p style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#=
000000" face=3D"georgia, serif">There is no public health system in the US,=
 in short, because the richest nation in the world has no capacity to prote=
ct the public as a whole, apart from national defense [sic]. Ad-hoc remedie=
s such as House Democrats and the White House fashioned on Friday are bette=
r than nothing, but they don=E2=80=99t come close to filling this void.</fo=
nt></p></div></div></div></div></div><div style=3D"font-size:17px;box-sizin=
g:inherit;margin:50px 0px"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"=
box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 10px"><div id=3D"m_-6625656315178450454gm=
ail-cdreams-profile-6728" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-si=
zing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;float:left;margin:4px 12px 1=
0px 0px"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit=
"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><font color=3D"#000000" face=3D"georgia=
, serif"></font></div></div></div></div><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><=
div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><div style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><p style=
=3D"box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1em;font-size:0.9em"><font color=3D"#=
000000" face=3D"georgia, serif"><a href=3D"http://www.commondreams.org/auth=
or/robert-reich" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;background:0px 0px;text-decora=
tion-line:none" target=3D"_blank"><span style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;font-we=
ight:700">Robert Reich</span></a>, is the Chancellor=E2=80=99s Professor of=
 Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fell=
ow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of l=
abor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one o=
f the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the the twentieth century. H=
e has written fiften books, including the best-sellers=C2=A0<em style=3D"bo=
x-sizing:inherit"><a href=3D"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307476332" s=
tyle=3D"box-sizing:inherit;background:0px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" ta=
rget=3D"_blank">Aftershock</a></em>,=C2=A0<em style=3D"box-sizing:inherit">=
<a href=3D"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679736158" style=3D"box-sizing:inheri=
t;background:0px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">The Work =
of Nations</a></em>,=C2=A0<em style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"><a href=3D"http:=
//www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345804376" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;backgro=
und:0px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">Beyond Outrage</a>=
</em>=C2=A0and,=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Capitalism-Ma=
ny-Not-Few/dp/0345806220" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;background:0px 0px;te=
xt-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank"><em style=3D"box-sizing:inherit"=
>Saving Capitalism</em></a>. He is also a founding editor of The American P=
rospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academ=
y of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, &q=
uot;Inequality For All.&quot; Reich&#39;s newest book is &quot;<em style=3D=
"box-sizing:inherit"><a href=3D"https://www.amazon.com/Common-Good-Robert-B=
-Reich/dp/052552049X/ref=3Dsr_1_1?ie=3DUTF8&amp;qid=3D1521457674&amp;sr=3D8=
-1&amp;keywords=3DThe+Common+Good" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit;background:0=
px 0px;text-decoration-line:none" target=3D"_blank">The Common Good</a></em=
>.&quot; He&#39;s co-creator of the Netflix original documentary &quot;Savi=
ng Capitalism,&quot; which is streaming now.</font></p></div></div></div></=
div></div></div></div></div></div></div>

<p></p>

-- <br />
<br />
--- <br />
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups &=
quot;Sid-l&quot; group.<br />
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an e=
mail to <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">sid-l+unsubsc=
[email protected]</a>.<br />
To view this discussion on the web visit <a href=3D"https://groups.google.c=
om/d/msgid/sid-l/CACKppcywvXs6gAM_B-Kbvp1Rg1AG2LKG7cEoPHvkxa%3DOfe6kSw%40ma=
il.gmail.com?utm_medium=3Demail&utm_source=3Dfooter">https://groups.google.=
com/d/msgid/sid-l/CACKppcywvXs6gAM_B-Kbvp1Rg1AG2LKG7cEoPHvkxa%3DOfe6kSw%40m=
ail.gmail.com</a>.<br />

--000000000000124f0e05a11640f2--

------------=_1584491839-7785-140072
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

---
To unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]>
List help: <https://riseup.net/lists>

------------=_1584491839-7785-140072--