Trump Makes the Case for Medicare for All
By Thom Hartmann A...
It's now semi-official. People within the Trump administration have laid it out: the actual coronavirus strategy of the federal government is now herd immunity.That will require roughly 70% of America's 340 million people to become infected, a total of 238 million people.
All of them, from the elderly to newborns, at risk for the many side effects of this virus including dementia, strokes, heart damage, kidney damage and severe chronic fatigue.
The current case fatality rate for the United States - the percentage of people who die because they got the virus - is, according to Johns Hopkins, 2.7%.
If that percentage of Americans who are infected with the coronavirus die, that means a herd immunity strategy leads directly to 6.4 million dead Americans.
On top of that, there are multiple confirmed reports around the world of people getting reinfected with the coronavirus, the same way we all get periodically reinfected with flu and the common cold, indicating that even after 6 million Americans have died, the rest of us are still vulnerable to getting this disease all over again a few months or a year down the road.
The United States is the only developed country in the world willing to pursue the stupid and deadly herd immunity strategy for this virus. We are also, not by coincidence, the only developed country in the world without a national healthcare system.
This pandemic is a wake up call to Americans: the most effective core of any good nationwide public health strategy is a national healthcare system.
The coronavirus emphasizes the need for Medicare For All, as well as the need for rational, science-based leadership in the United States.
Otherwise, millions of Americans may die, year after year, until we finally get it right.
-Thom
Comments
#2
I don't think it would be anywhere near 6.4 million dead Americans.
The current case fatality rate for the United States may be 2.7%, but that's not the statistic to use. Instead, it's is the infection fatality rate, which the CDC estimates to be 0.65 percent, which is the better statistic to use for this calucation.
So that's more like 238 million times 0.65%, which is 1.5 million deaths. Still way too high to justify anything, but a heck of a lot less than Tom Hartmann is (erronously) claiming.
#3
High-ballers versus low-ballers, calculating a horrific future in Donaldworld no matter how it's figured. The truth is, depending on the input, you can make almost any model support a range of numbers within certain possible and reasonable criteria, mainly the "Herd immunity threshold" and the "Fatality rate" (go here).
But chasing after herd immunity will cost millions of lives regardless of how they're measured. That's a stubborn fact deep into genocidal territory however it may be sliced and diced.
Sometimes when you just step away from the cold hard numbers, the totality of it all sinks in. That's the cold hard reality beyond the numbers slapping you upside the head bone: the simple realization that none of these ever-upwardly spirally numbers -- human beings snuffed out for no good reason -- would have been remotely possible in the first place had it not been for one number in particular: the number one goddamn fool on the planet, Donald John Trump!
It's the simplest calculations that stick in the head: One genocidal egomaniac clinging to power versus hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of dead ... "statistics." One fool and his tiny ship of fools versus 100 million-plus Democratic voters -- if they walk the talk.
#4
It's not about percentages. It's about people, people with broken bodies. It's about families with broken hearts. And, this all emanates from a greedy bastard with a broken mind brought to power by a minority not interested in the truth.
Let's keep educating the youth about politics and the fact we are all worthy of decent health care. They know bullies suck. We need alliances. The Millennials and Gen Z are going to be a huge voting block.
It is up to the majority to realign the stars and fortunes of America. No pressure!
#5
What could go wrong with a scandelous news report against Biden (emails linked to Ukraine) that is linked to Steve Bannon and Rudy Gulliani. Only thing that is missing is a Roger Stone connection and good chance that will be found soon. Of course Fox News would report on this with an interview with Steve Bannon, who is out on several million dollars in bail on a fraud case and is involved in numerous other scandel stories on multible subjects. A Fox News "Reliable Source". I actually looked up the address of the Mac Shop on Google Earth and street viewed it. YOu cannot find the actual shop (a sign) at the address but it is conveniently located next to an Asian Spa in a seedy neighborhood. Fox is all over this. Tucker is making it into a big scandel. American journalism. And I am sure that the Foxettes are eating it up.
#6
I would like to know how the Republicans claim there is no Climate Change. My Homeowners insurance is going up 25% this year because of "drastically more wild fires and hail storms". Amy Coney Barret claims there is no climate change. In the Recent debate Pence said there are no more hurricanes than there were 100 years ago. Do they not look at their home insurance? What will happen to rates in CA?
#7
More on the New York Post article on Biden emails. Facebook removes news about it and gets hammered.
#8
google .....Heather Cox Richardson....she has a good reply to this..
#9
Herd immunity will not just cause millions of deaths. It will cause Trillions in medical bills. Bankruptcies due to medical bills. Possibly bankruptcies to hospitals due to unpaid bills. A worn out medical staff in the country, from working overtime. States such as Texas have no Medicaid Coverage for the poor. Wisconsin currently setting up field hospitals to handle its explosion in cases. Plus the Senate has no Covid Relief package.
#10
#4 is correct, it is about people, working people, the ones that don't count. Black lives, or any others, that work for a living, don't matter in today's U$A. No matter who wins the election, don't expect real change. The only changes will come from Madison ave, where reality is manufactured through commercials. More black faces on TV, but no real changes on pay stubs and better paying jobs, where it's really needed. Or, something just as important, Medicare for all. Today's U$A is all about managed perception, where most people can't discern the difference between reality and entertainment and theater.
#11
#4 is correct, it is about people, working people, the ones that don't count. Black lives, or any others, that work for a living, don't matter in today's U$A. No matter who wins the election, don't expect real change. The only changes will come from Madison ave, where reality is manufactured through commercials. More black faces on TV, but no real changes on pay stubs and better paying jobs, where it's really needed. Or, something just as important, Medicare for all. Today's U$A is all about managed perception, where most people can't discern the difference between reality and entertainment and theater.
#12
Regardless, there is no evidence that this gruesome approach would even work. We have had the common cold coronavirus for 1000s of years (at least) and built no herd immunity to it due to the propensity for re-infection. This is an ideological blindspot of free market thinking. Anything which requires a community response outside of war (e.g. pandemic, natural disaster, human induced environmental impact) just doesn't fit the "invisible hand of the market solves all problems better than government" ideology. So "let it rip" is the response.
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Paraphrasing Joseph Stalin, or whichever diabolical psychopath first made this remark popular: "A single death is a tragedy; 6.4 million deaths is a statistic." We do know for damn sure, though, which "stable genius" first uttered, "[COVID-19] It'll just disappear, like magic." One for the history books.