Why Saving Kids Is Bad Business in America | NYT Opinion

It’s happening again. Hospital I.C.U.s are swamped with patients suffering from severe respiratory illnesses. Overworked doctors and nurses are scrambling to save lives. Another surge of infections, another national health crisis.

But this time it’s not just Covid-19. It’s respiratory syncytial virus and other viruses, too. And the patients now include many young children.

As the Opinion video above argues, this crisis is not simply the result of a sharp rise in case numbers. The wave of respiratory illnesses in recent months has revealed a health care industry ill equipped to care for critically ill children.

Profit-driven management has eroded pediatric health care in America. Health care providers make more money treating adults than they do children. As a result, the number of hospitals offering pediatric care has decreased dramatically over the past two decades.

So when the number of R.S.V. cases skyrocketed in late 2022, the American health care system wasn’t prepared. Hospitals were overwhelmed, and families struggled to find appropriate care. And once again, the nation’s health care workers have shouldered much of the burden, going to extraordinary lengths to care for society’s most vulnerable.

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[astocktonfilms]

Hi, I'm Alex, one of the producers of this Opinion video. I spent three days in the pediatric I.C.U. at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital in December. I'll never forget witnessing a baby struggle to breathe because his lungs were failing.

I've been reporting from I.C.U.s across the country since the start of the pandemic. Each one has had burned-out doctors, overworked nurses, and an endless carousel of patients without enough space for them. What made this one unique is the outsized role it plays in children's healthcare — in part because of a decades-long societal disinvestment in pediatrics. I explain more about that in the video.

I'd love to know what you think, especially if you have small children or live near a hospital that recently closed its pediatric department. Leave a comment below.

[urtctftv]

The notion of saving kids being a business is an obscene notion itself.

[Pizio]

Saving kids doesn’t have to be bad business. In fact, saving kids should not be a business at all.

[silverXnoise]

How about we stop pretending human suffering is an acceptable profit generator?

[charmsz]

as a medical student who recently fell in love with pediatrics on a recent med school rotation, the advice ive received from mentors and friends who are already doctors has been overwhelmingly against going into pediatrics for my future career. the more questions i asked, the more i became utterly disheartened by what i heard, from reports of burnout, lack of resources/funding, downsizing of departments, etc. i've known for quite some time that our healthcare system has been failing us but the fact that this field, which is so critical for stabilizing a healthy next generation, is collapsing, is among the most horrifying things i have ever witnessed.

[andrewduff]

You would think that universal health care for children would be broadly popular. It’s terribly hypocritical to push massive financial burdens on parents while acting like families are essential to a healthy society.

[ScoobyFermentation]

My wife and I adopted a child in Arkansas in 2015. We didn’t know it before she was born, but she needed to be airlifted for open-heart surgery on the second day of her life. We stayed with her for one month in Little Rock, AR and eventually made it home to Minnesota. If it wasn’t for Medicaid and the excellent care at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, we wouldn’t have our beautiful seven year old girl today. We still donate as much money as we can every year around this time trying to pay back what we feel we owe that hospital. We can’t thank them enough.

[swimswithwhales]

It's all about money and greed for the private healthcare companies. My husband died because we could not afford the medical procedures he needed to save his life.

[delbongo]

The American healthcare service is savage. It just is.

[cbpd]

This really strikes at a tender spot for me. My son was hospitalized with RSV and pneumonia in 2019. With insurance, we still paid out of pocket nearly $10k. He would have died if he hadn't gone to the hospital for care, but how many families can handle that big of an expense?
Our ability to get basic medical care shouldn't depend on how much we can pay or how much hospital make off our care.

[pinchebruha]

As an American that lived in France…we are our own worst enemy. It’s half the population on earth that has the mentality that I only care about me and mine and if I can afford it then you’re not working hard enough. They truly have no idea how the rest of the world works. 😢

[tres]

I don't have kids, but as an adult in "society" all children are my kids. We are our brother's keeper. I am FLOORED WITH HORROR. WTF, has happened to this country? In the RICHEST state I'm watching a child DIE? The "suits" need to be held accountable. I am so disgusted with RAGE that I can't even cry for Theo. I am so sorry Alex that you had to see this.

[Yuyu]

“20%of children hospitals shuts down” that’s a disaster 😱

[AoifeNic_an_t-Saoir]

“Thinking that your child might die is a fear you never recover from” This is so true! When I adopted my daughter as a baby from Ethiopia, she had somehow contracted E. coli. By the time we got her home, her kidneys and her bloodstream were both severely compromised and they told me she might not make it. I was terrified of losing her. Thankfully she made it through, but I can tell you that 18 years later, I still have an anxiety about her dying that most of my friends just can’t begin to understand. To be told that the person you love most in the entire world may die is a trauma that no parent should ever experience.

[agentwashingtub]

As long as healthcare is a product and not a right, horror stories like this will continue to happen. We've had decades for the market to find a solution to this problem and it's only gotten worse. At this point the only logical option is government funded healthcare. We need to stop putting the profit of the few in front of the health of the many

[nilsp]

This is how you exploit your workforce. It is not only happening in Kids ICUs. These nurses and doctors have no choice: they have to care for the patients, no matter what. No matter how many hours they have already worked, no matter how burned out they are, no matter how underpaid they are. It is the same in Europe. We all have a responsibility to vote and influence politics to care for these people, not exploit them. Many of them will not give up until they fall apart. All the warning signs are there. We cannot wait until the health care system collapses entirely.

What I wish for is that paying taxes and being involved becomes a good thing again. That we put the well-being of ourselves and the people around us over fighting over tax cuts, profits, or interest rates. A good society is not one with a lot of money in bank accounts, it is a society that provides us with all we need in abundance and high quality. There is a tragic disconnect between our vital interests and the way we see politics and money.

[valerieannrumpf]

This is what happens when a society doesn't value their children.

[theflaggeddragon]

Lack of universal healthcare is a crime against humanity. My mom's friend almost died of stomach cancer because she couldn't afford to go to the doctor while paying for her parents end of life care. It's sick.

[jefferycorley]

Nationalize the entire system. And jail the executives of the old one.

[angelasieg]

It's horrifying but doesn't surprise me. Hospitals and insurance companies are for profit businesses. As long as profit is the bottom line this will not stop. I was a claims specialist at a insurance company for 6 years. What Hospitals charge vs how much insurance will pay is staggering. And that was Medicare claims. My heart and prayers go out to the little ones suffering and their families.