By most accounts the U.S. fumbled the coronavirus response. And that fumble brought to light the shocking inadequacy of our social safety net. The result? A major, unnecessary loss of life and economic devastation. What do we need to do now? Get the facts in this commentary by HEAL California’s contributor, Mark Wrede.
Commentary
A Life Raft in a Coronavirus Tsunami
One day a pandemic swept onto America’s shores like a tsunami, sledgehammering our economy and changing our lives, perhaps forever. While some may dismiss pandemics as once-in-a-lifetime black swan events, like tsunamis, pandemics will occur, bringing unimaginable destruction. Given the inexorable progress of climate change, it’s possible that pandemics like COVID-19 will become regular features with large annual outbreaks.
What steps can we take to reduce our vulnerability? What public policy solutions would save us? What would a coronavirus “life raft” look like? First, let’s take a look at major ways the pandemic has impacted us so far:
ECONOMIC SHUT DOWN
You’re probably reading this at home. That’s because the only way state and local governments could try to save lives was to isolate people in their homes (if they have homes, but more on that later).
Less devastating options like mass testing and contact tracing, so successful in South Korea, were simply not available, because the U.S. has been underfunding public health for decades.
Reversing that will require a major commitment, but adequately funding public health must be the first priority when it comes to reducing our vulnerability to pandemics.
MASS UNEMPLOYMENT
Like some twenty-two million other Americans who have lost their jobs, you’re probably wondering how you’re going to earn any income in the next few weeks, or even months. Twelve hundred dollars — coming in, what, two months? — will not pay the bills.
If you think you’ve got it bad, think of the service workers making minimum wage or less, many without sick leave or health insurance, who continue to report to work at America’s grocery stores and warehouses, hospitals, construction sites and other essential businesses. They have little more than prayer and a flimsy bandana to protect them in a sea of infection and financial disaster.
Permanently expanding access to unemployment insurance to include gig workers and the self-employed, increasing benefits and streamlining the unemployment application process would help reduce the financial impact of future pandemics.
HOMELESSNESS
There are the thousands of people without homes, who don’t have a place to quarantine, much less a bathroom, kitchen or sink. There can be little hope of containing coronavirus in the long term while people are sleeping on the sidewalks. Adequate housing is essential to health, and sound housing policy will be an absolutely necessary feature of any plan to reduce Americans’ vulnerability to the next pandemic.
UNINSURED STATUS
The 22 million Americans who applied for unemployment in the first four weeks of the shutdown likely lost their employer-sponsored health insurance at the same time. And the tens of millions of American children who also lost their health insurance because they are dependent on working family members for coverage.
Add their numbers to the 27 million Americans who were already uninsured before the pandemic hit. Then consider the estimated 44 million Americans who are underinsured. Being uninsured or underinsured discourages people from seeking health care because they can’t afford it. Discouraging people from seeking care during a pandemic because they can’t afford it is exactly what we don’t need!
Providing universal access to health care with guaranteed, affordable, comprehensive health insurance will be essential to building resiliency against the next pandemic.
WHAT WE NEED TO SURVIVE THE NEXT PANDEMIC
Imagine a pandemic “life raft!” What would that be? A public policy “life raft” that would keep us alive in stormy seas. It would protect us from the elements. It would keep us safe. What would our life raft need to be effective? At minimum, it would need a strong public health infrastructure and social safety net including a commitment to universal housing and universal health care. Basically, we need a shared commitment to each other.
SO WHAT’S STOPPING US?
It’s the winners in the current system. Yes, for some, it’s not all gloom and doom. Just focusing on the healthcare industry, here are some winners:
The pharmaceutical industry, already a money-maker for CEOs and shareholders, is experiencing a flush in its prospects during the pandemic.
Hospitals have taken a financial drubbing due to “clearing the decks” of elective surgeries to make room for COVID-19 patients. But most assuredly they won’t be down long, with a powerful lobby representing their interests in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile they’re inviting their staff to double down on their duties and take a cut in pay to save the hospital, while being forced to reuse personal protective equipment and putting themselves and their families at risk. Hospital staff are even being laid off during the crisis, in order to bolster the cash holdings of the companies that employ them.
The corporate class: Proving that the deck is still stacked against working Americans, some 43 thousand millionaires could potentially receive $1 million or more from the current stimulus package. As for the rest of us? We’ll be lucky to get $1,200 stimulus checks.
The health insurance industry, meanwhile, is surfing the coronavirus tsunami. While group benefit plan subscribers are declining as people lose their jobs, the nation’s largest health insurance provider, UnitedHealth with 49 million subscribers, posted a $3.4 billion profit in the first quarter 2020 and announced that no readjustment was needed to its pre-quarantine projections for the rest of 2020. In other words, they estimate they will remain profitable as Americans face the greatest threat to our health since the Spanish Flu in 1918.
And why would they worry? With no cost controls in the Affordable Care Act, insurers are planning premium increases up to 40% in 2021. No wonder they toast the setbacks to universal, single-payer health care.
WHAT MUST WE DO NOW?
Now, more than ever, we must fight for an appropriately funded public health infrastructure, guaranteed housing, expanded access to unemployment insurance and Medicare for All. Our survival depends on it.
“Fighting” means picking up the phone and calling our legislators. It means sending emails to our elected representatives. It means joining or supporting organizations that are advocating for the kinds of public policies that are essential for everyone to survive and thrive.
A strong public health infrastructure will make it possible to safely open up the economy again. Medicare for All offers an affordable path to universal, affordable, comprehensive health care, regardless of employment, wealth or health status. Every feature of our current system that prevents access to health care would be eliminated, including unaffordable upfront costs and provider networks.
Isn’t it time to build a life raft that works?
–Mark Wrede
Mark Wrede is a freelance content researcher and writer living in Los Angeles, California. markwrede@ca.rr.com
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