Lancet Report: 40% of U.S. COVID Deaths Were Preventable. The Country Needs Universal Healthcare Now

As the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 approaches half a million, a new report says nearly 40% of the deaths were avoidable. By comparing the pandemic in the U.S. to other high-income nations, the medical journal The Lancet found significant gaps in former President Donald Trump’s “inept and insufficient” response to COVID-19, as well as decades of destructive public policy decisions. One of the report’s recommendations is reforming the system to a single-payer model like Medicare for All, which President Joe Biden has so far rejected in favor of bolstering the Affordable Care Act. “The Affordable Care Act still left millions of people — 29 million people — without healthcare insurance coverage,” says Dr. Mary Bassett, one of the authors of The Lancet report. “Single payer would address that.”

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[corinnapetry]

Where is the study that shows the true cost (monetary and human cost, over generations) of NOT having Medicare for All?

[rajv]

Here in Missouri we had to go around the republican run state government and pass a voter driven referendum to pass medicaid expansion. Medical care should be a right not a privilege.

[joshuabrande]

My generation was told regarding America, "love it or leave it" So I did. What I've witnessed in my life, previously and more recently as "American behavior" is despicable. R.I.P. Democracy

[RussCR]

How could a non-profit single-payer health care system be more expensive in the aggregate than the system we have now in the U.S.? Remove the "profits over people" incentive and the overall system gets less expensive. Add single-payer negotiating power for drugs and services, and the system gets less expensive. When people talk about increased taxes for single-payer they forget about no longer having to pay insurance company premiums, copays, and deductibles. It seems to me that many, if not most people would pay less with single-payer. In fact, haven't the detailed economic analyses shown this to be true?

[erinm]

People need to understand that the Affordable Care Act is NOT affordable if you're a two-income family with kids that don't qualify Medi-Cal. But to pay 10% of my income in premiums AND have deductibles, copays, out of pocket maximums, denials of care, and a list of doctors I'm limited to etc. It's a BOONDOGGLE for the insurance companies. If it were half the cost, and covered everything, I'd gladly pay it (i.e.single payer system).

[peace]

Corruption runs deep in the USA. We have allowed money to tip the balance on the scales of justice. The adoption of greed, fear, and loathing has brought a great GNP as millions of our citizens have fallen into poverty. Me, I want a nation where one follows the morals in the good book. And the quality of life is the goal of the nation. Where the humanity of the citizens is respected, that is why the constitution was written.

[yrsoclvr]

You can conclude from all of this how powerful the health insurance industry is and how much it influences the government policy of the country all the way to the POTUS. The insurance companies must protect their profits, don’t they?

[eyeofthetiger]

American healthcare is an expensive mess.

[Robcircleoflife]

Amy Goodman- Trump said Obama left him with a depleted PPE stockpile did Trump get it back to 100% before leaving his office??

[raymondomit]

Tax the top ten % to cover health care and education!

[solarpaneling]

Affordable Healthcare is not affordable.

[magdaguise]

Kiefer Sutherland's grandfather and Donald Sutherland's former father-in-law has several times been voted Canada's most beloved or most respected Canadian. Why? Who is he?

[spanky]

Countries with universal healthcare include Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Isle of Man, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. HOW DOES ALL THESE COUNTRIES DO IT ?

[barrywhite]

Single Payer! Get Insurance Leaches Off Our Backs! NOW!!

[mrmckraken]

Who would have thought that in 2020 the U.S would be the only modern country that does not offer it's citizens some form of national health care.

[EvonZundel]

Where is the money coming from for the military budget? Priority!

[tajaicalip]

Half a million People facing this virus. There is not any way that the focus should not be on getting our Americans the help they need before anything else. We are fighting to stay healthy and live. The courts and the Government should be forced not to give us more problems when we are being productive in society.

[SawmillerSmith]

Healthcare study in 2000 said Healthcare was the third leading cause of death. If 72 and never had Healthcare for my family and me. The only one who has died is my x wife who ended up having Healthcare. She ended dying of a drug overdose. I told her she needs to quit taking all those drugs. She said her doctor told her if she quit taking the drug she would die.

[hualani]

When Biden was interviewed about M4A before COVID19 and talked about "Is it Doable?", he was referring to his decades of experience in the senate. Dr Mary Bassett sees the advantages of M4A, without understanding it requires the votes in both the house & Senate to pass in USgovt. Many want M4A, yet practically know we don't in 2021 have the votes to push it through. Realistically and sadly, it took decades to pass the ACA!! Administrations going back to 1970s advocated for universal health care. The Lancet Piece does need more media coverage, likewise the Boris Johnson effects on COVID19 mismanagement as Great Britain is suffering terribly too, under leadership of another science denier-Boris. Pandemics must be responded to immediately!! Both USA and UK Wirth lousy leadership are suffering too many needless deaths. Leadership matters!!

[spanky]

Where does all Of the Insurance Companies Get the Money from . Is the same way the Government will get the Money it's Like getting away from the middle man But they are to proud to take away profits from all of the Insurance companies and it will damage there Stock market it seems, So It Comes down to money over peoples Lives who cares . How does England do it ? How does Canada do It ? How does Norway do it ?