To the editor:
The pandemic has exposed serious flaws in our healthcare system. This has been made worse by politicians that support the disinformation by not telling their constituents the facts about COVID.
This is creating another hospital crisis leaving people with non- COVID emergencies not able to find emergency care beds. This has resulted in the needless deaths.
The Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation health system tracker, found "the surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations among people who have not been vaccinated is adding billions of dollars in preventable costs to the heath care system. The costs for the months of June, July and August are estimated at $5.7 billion." Also most carriers are no longer waiving cost sharing for COVID.
The Commonwealth Fund, which tracks healthcare globally, ranks the U.S. last out of 11 richest countries. They analyzed 71 performance measures across 5 domains. These are access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity and healthcare outcomes. They ranked the U.S. last overall except for one category.
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We have nearly 30 million people with no healthcare and 40 million with healthcare plans that potentially leave them under insured. Out of pocket costs continue to mar the U.S. healthcare performance. We have the highest maternal mortality rate of any of these countries and the highest infant mortality rate. Also we hold the record for highest preventable mortality deaths. If you're a woman of color in this country, you are more likely to die in childbirth. Not everyone is equal in this country.
The analysis is "Mirror Mirror 2021, reflecting poorly."
Markets don't always work. Markets are good at getting goods and services to people that want them but not to people that need them.
The value of your life is determined by how you value the life of others.
John Snell
Farwell, MN
