Reactionary Solutions for Preventable Problems

 Here in the US, the way we handle most societal issues is to wait until they become problems that can't be ignored, and then we react. In education, special education services aren't offered until a child is already struggling. Medical care isn't covered by insurance until someone is suffering. As Kathryn highlighted in her blog post, low-income parents aren't a priority for housing until they've already lost their children. 

This culture that we have to "prove" need kind of brings us back to the beginning of the semester and our discussions about who is deserving. It highlights the overarching belief that people much earn their access to things like healthcare, stable housing, and even well-paying jobs. We live in a world where everything is a privilege, not a right - and we're paying for it. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into stark light the myriad ways our healthcare system is failing us. While societal reactions (or lack thereof) to CDC guidelines also has a large role in how widespread the illness has become, our healthcare system was wholly unprepared to care for our citizens in a crisis. Our response was reactionary - if you felt sick, you were to wait until you couldn't breathe to seek medical attention. We were told to stay home, lay low, and try to get through it on our own. Only when you may be on the brink of literally dying could resources be allotted to care for you. I read countless articles about people dying in hallways of hospitals, waiting for rooms and ventilators, because there just was not enough to go around. What if we'd started preparing as soon as we heard of a rapidly-spreading new illness in China? What if we'd decided, just in case, we should build up supplies and resources, to protect our citizens the way other countries were doing? 

I hadn't intended to spend so much time in this blog post ranting about COVID-19, but it's still pretty heavy on my mind, especially following the president's diagnosis, treatment, and "recovery". Watching the leader of the country continue to disparage all the efforts citizens are making to prevent even more deaths is insulting, infuriating, and callous. I count myself extremely lucky to live in a state where our governor took the risks seriously and put into place regulations that have us, still, almost at the bottom of the list for COVID cases in the country. Prevention is what got us here. Reaction is what got us a nationwide death toll of 215,000 and counting. 

Access to healthcare should be a right for everyone. It is a basic human need, and continuing to view it as something to be earned, something only allotted to those who can pay, is inhumane. Every. Single. Person. deserves healthcare. Enough with private insurance companies - it's time for a universal, single-payer system. 

Comments

  1. Paula GerstenblattOctober 21, 2020 at 7:43 PM

    I love your passion and agree that COVID may be our tipping point. Cases are spiking again nationally so there is not time to waste. As social workers we are well positioned to be leading the charge for system change.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Daily HaleyOctober 21, 2020 at 11:12 PM

    Hi Emily,

    I think you've essentially hit the nail on the head here. As a country we absolutely have a reactionary response in almost every, if not every aspect of life. I truly cannot think of a nationwide effort that is preventative and that to me is sad and unfortunate. It is pretty horrific when our healthcare system is not prepared to treat its citizens because it is undeniably unable to.Where have we gone wrong, or maybe a better question is has it ever been right? Trump's response to his own Covid "journey" is frustrating because it was taxpayer dollars that allowed him to have the very best access. He did not have to wait until he was on his deathbed like so many others and that is a problem. I don't necessarily want him to be on his deathbed but I also don't agree with his ability to access treatment with ease.

    -Haley

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  3. ANTONE ANTICSOctober 22, 2020 at 9:00 AM

    Emily,
    I wrote about this a little bit on Nicole's blog but I can find no better way to relate to your post. Around this time last year I was diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis. I have had to have multiple tests and procedures. At this point I am "waiting" to see if a growth in my lungs will have grown over the last six months to determine whether or not I have cancer. How frustrating is that!? I only even learned of this condition because I was in a car accident and I was experiencing sternum pain even a week or two after the accident. I was sent to the ER and a CT scan was performed and this is when I found out. I have read that in other countries doctors do complete workups and CT scans on their patients every year to continue PREVENTATIVE care. Think of all the money we would save (maybe not initially) by not waiting until the last minute to treat something when it could have possibly been treated sooner with less treatment. I agree with the single payer system!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. emily gOctober 22, 2020 at 2:18 PM

      Holy cow, Val - I'm so sorry! How scary to be doing the waiting game because insurance doesn't think they should pay until you "prove" there's a big enough problem...that kind of thing makes me sick to my stomach.

      Delete
  4. Yana D.October 22, 2020 at 10:50 AM

    I totally feel this, Emily. It also brings up for me the importance of economic protections for worker. There have been studies about how paid time off can reduce the spread; if people NEED to come to work in order to make money to pay their rent and buy food, we will continue to have high rates of community transmission, putting a greater burden (and cost) on our already strained healthcare system. It's all so infuriating.

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    Replies
    1. emily gOctober 22, 2020 at 2:19 PM

      Exactly!! How any more cases would have been spared if people could afford to stay home and safe?

      Delete
  5. Wynne CushingNovember 7, 2020 at 9:21 AM

    Hello Emily,
    Thank you so much for sharing your post and connections between the current readings and coronavirus pandemic. I appreciate your statements and observations of how our country "waits" until people have suffered enough, to "prove" they are in need and deserving of receiving help. It is fascinating how we can relate the current pandemic and impacts its created to our current society, in comparison to the discrimination and oppression that was experienced by so many black families during the housing and rat crises.
    Wynne

    ReplyDelete

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