All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Steel Inquisitor]

The full details are no better.

Basically Healthcare is a human right, unless it costs my donors too much money.
Also, they can find 1.5 Trillion on a whim, to stop the crash for a few minutes. But Healthcare is a bridge too far?

They are, you just don't want to admit they do.

Do you know how bills get made in congress?

I get it you like Biden, but the dude is a disaster and will split the party, and Some progressives will not vote for him, they are not obligated to do so.
Biden has already **** on them, and shows he will change nothing, so why vote then?
Trump bad, sad is not a winning issue, if you are going to change nothing.

I don't like Biden, I just hate him less Sanders. Both candidates are vulnerable to this, and if the "progressives" split this easily they were never Democrats to begin with. They'll leave AOC out in the cold.

You're not going to change anything other then make it easier for Trump to win by not voting for the Democratic nominee. How did that work out in '16?

[Darkspellmaster]

Japan confirms first case of person re-infected with coronavirus

The article is using "reinfection" but the quoted official treated it as a flare-up of an existing infection that was only seemingly gone (like getting shingles after having chicken pox years earlier, maybe.).

If it's true reinfection, and not all people develop immunity from having the virus once, this would be very serious. And it would also mean that the UK's very controversial strategy of letting "herd immunity" build up is completely irresponsible.

And the Diet still wants to hold the Olympics apparently.

[PaulBullion]

bIDen WiLl SpLIT tHe PArtY

The party is already split. It was split in 2016 by the Sanders wing. Biden has proven that he can build a strong coalition of the rest of the party, strong enough to crush Sanders and Gabbard in the primaries. Sanders would only fracture the party further. It will have to do.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Except the centrists on this board have been stereotyping Bernie supporters as "Bernie Bros" seemingly irredeemable sexist, racist, cultists, but now you want everyone to forget all that and just vote for Biden? Those arguments make seem like Bernie supporters are unwanted in the modern Democratic coalition.

We're Liberals, not centrists. The only people n this thread who have done that are pro-Bernie Bros supporters who use that as an angle to attack whenever the Bernie Bros are complained about, by everyone. Liberals, centrists and leftists alike. What's bad about stopping the normalising of abuse and sexism, is that what you want the Democratic party to be like when leftists gain control? Why aren't you with us in this? If they're not who you are that's not who we're talking about, Bernie supporters don't equal Bernie Bros - that's a shield the Bernie Bros use to evade criticisms. Everyone is welcome in the party but Democrats will defend the party and themselves when attacked by bullies. Being progressives its disappointing that so many are so at ease with letting abuse to unchallenged. Have you learnt nothing from Trump?

If Biden is supposed to be the electable one, he should be able to make a case to convince the "Bernie Bros" to vote for him. Maybe he should change his stance on drug legalization and present an actual good health care plan.

I agree he should, but will you listen? Warren made overtures before and got nothing for it.

[jetengine]

And how many working poor Americans get to these wonderful services?

Also Canada spends less percentage of GDP then the US does, how is the current US system affordable?

Heres a question. What are these "wonderful services"

I'm British and use the NHS, the last two years due to reasons I've had to use it more then ever in my 28 years of life, so whilst not a complete understanding of everything on offer I'd like to.think I'm slightly informed. And its doing a pretty damned good job despite being pushed by our Right Wing to breaking point.

So tell me, what does the American system offer ? Cause frankly I often hear its hype but statistically from what I understand its rather mediocre.

[Tendrin]

So tell me, what does the American system offer ? Cause frankly I often hear its hype but statistically from what I understand its rather mediocre.

Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the USA.


But, sure. We have the 'best'. The best, that is, /if you're rich/.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medi...n-america.html

[jetengine]

Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the USA.


But, sure. We have the 'best'. The best, that is, /if you're rich/.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medi...n-america.html

I'm working class from a single parent family, with 3 separate mental health issues, suspected Crohns (due to its nature and my case being mild its taking time to figure out) and an unknown issue with my mouth/nose/throat we are looking into. I realistically suspect if I was in the US I'd be on the streets right now because my retail job wouldnt insure me for what is needed, thus I'd be in debt that I couldn't cover.

[Tendrin]

I'm working class from a single parent family, with 3 separate mental health issues, suspected Crohns (due to its nature and my case being mild its taking time to figure out) and an unknown issue with my mouth/nose/throat we are looking into. I realistically suspect if I was in the US I'd be on the streets right now because my retail job wouldnt insure me for what is needed, thus I'd be in debt that I couldn't cover.

I mean, you're not wrong. There's a real chance of that.

[jetengine]

I mean, you're not wrong. There's a real chance of that.

The longest wait I've had is 5 months to see someone, however that was a maxiofacial surgeon reccomend by my Dentist after she admitted she herself could see nothing wrong but due to my anxiety would prefer to make 100% sure. Which (after seeing him and him telling me he himself cant see/find anything but to make triply sure they'll run some scans) seems perfectly fine. I'm at the back of the line because no professional can see/note anything wrong and I'm a joe schmoe whose more likely to misinterpret ordinary issues or take stuff wildly out of context due to my mental health issues.

[Gray Lensman]

Many Canadians feel that way because they never experienced American healthcare, which is the only reason I felt the need to weigh in. Because I have extensive experience with both. And the wait times are a fact. Don't take my word for it, use Google and see what wait times are like in Ontario for these specialists.

Edited to note: it looks like wait times for MRIs have been significantly reduced since the incident I mentioned above, but are still much longer than wait times in the US.



Emergency care is given precedence. It's still nowhere near as good, but the wait times are indeed very low. It's people without dire immediate emergencies that fall through the cracks consistently. That's the biggest problem. And god help you if you get a problem that's rated low-priority. (which, incidentally, leads to more emergencies because there is a lack of proper prevention before said emergency.)



Surely very few, because they didn't buy US insurance like people in the US do (why would they?). But folks who are not insured in the US with the means to pay go to the US frequently. Because the quality of care is much better.



This here. Most Americans advocating for government healthcare simply do not understand that the quality of care will go way down and wait times will shoot up exponentially.

My wife had to wait for an MRI for over 6 months herself while the insurance company fought against it every step of the way. First, by demanding cheaper procedures that the doctor said wouldn't be able to find what they were looking for, then by actually lying to us by claiming the doctor never put in the request while telling the doctor something else - and it only stopped when my wife put in a call from her cellphone from the doctor's office. You could practically hear the insurance agent crapping themselves over the phone when the doctor picked it up and said 'funny, that isn't what you have been telling ME.'

[jetengine]

My wife had to wait for an MRI for over 6 months herself while the insurance company fought against it every step of the way. First, by demanding cheaper procedures that the doctor said wouldn't be able to find what they were looking for, then by actually lying to us by claiming the doctor never put in the request while telling the doctor something else - and it only stopped when my wife put in a call from her cellphone from the doctor's office. You could practically hear the insurance agent crapping themselves over the phone when the doctor picked it up and said 'funny, that isn't what you have been telling ME.'

Thats the biggest problem. Insurance is a con. Always has been, always will be.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I will literally vote for anyone who gets me back in the country

How are you doing? Did you find a place to stay? Any chance of getting back home anytime soon?

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Lying, Tweeting and Wishing A Pandemic Away Doesn’t Work, It Turns Out

The “I don’t take responsibility at all” president’s efforts to downplay the disease could lead to tens or hundreds of thousands more serious cases and deaths. And, it'll all be on Trump's hands. Meanwhile....

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Kentucky’s Coronavirus Response Is What Happens When A Sensible Person Is In Charge

Gov. Andy Beshear has been calm and decisive. The former governor he beat last year is still peddling conspiracies and making jokes on Twitter. By the way, Gov. Beshear is a Democrat. That tells you all you need to know.

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Spain Goes On Lockdown As Coronavirus Cases Spike

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced movement will be limited and non-essential businesses closed in the wake of COVID-19.

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Georgia To Postpone Primaries Over Coronavirus

Georgia is the second state to delay its presidential primary election date over concerns about COVID-19, following Louisiana.

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Social Distancing: Places And Events To Avoid Because Of Coronavirus

Is it safe to go to the gym? Small gatherings? Kids' birthday parties?

[SquirrelMan]

Thats the biggest problem. Insurance is a con. Always has been, always will be.

I have friends in Germany who explained to me their system. If I got it right, they have a public option that basically covers everybody, either through your parents, your employer or (if you're unemployed) the government. There can be waiting times, but they are not extreme and the coverage is pretty good. In addition, they have private health insurers that offer shorter waiting times, single rooms in hospitals etc. Because those insurers are (a) strictly regulated and (b) competing with a decent public option, they are not conning people as a rule.

[shooshoomanjoe]

Why do people think they know how bad covid-19 is? I mean, are you a virologist? A public health expert? The 2009 flu pandemic is over. covid-19 is NOT. I repeat: It is not over. It's only just beginning.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be concerned about Covid19, I don't want to see what's going on in Italy happen in the US. I'm just saying that in 2009 we didn't see empty shelves at the stores, school closures, businesses closing, etc. But I suppose that could be because we were distracted by 2 wars and the worst recession in US history.

[Tendrin]

I'm not saying we shouldn't be concerned about Covid19, I don't want to see what's going on in Italy happen in the US. I'm just saying that in 2009 we didn't see empty shelves at the stores, school closures, businesses closing, etc. But I suppose that could be because we were distracted by 2 wars and the worst recession in US history.

Doctors are stressing that *this is not the flu* for a reason. It is much worse.