My late friend Melanie “Bump In The Beltay” Mattson was just one of many well-informed people screaming about our lack of preparation for a global avian flu pandemic (which is a helluva lot more contagious and ultimately more fatal than Ebola). Guess what the reason is? MONEY. Lack of government money to train personnel and supply those programs.
Despite wingnut attempts to prove the contrary, yes, the federal government does have a function — and it requires the ability to pay for useful stuff like developing protocols and infectious disease training.
The federal government can not impose protocols on religiously based hospitals or corporations. The Hobby Lobby court ruling underscored that point. Only a national health care system like Medicare would have the heft to impose regulations strong enough to bring order to our current dysfunctional health care system. The ACA is an abject failure in this regard. So non-profit hospitals like Texas Presbyterian are allowed to operate under the protocols that they deem necessary and most cost effective. As an aside the Russians announced yesterday that they would have a general Ebola vaccine in large quantities available in 60 days. Capitalists won’t spend money unless that expenditure results in a profit. Governments with a national health care system will invest large sums of money solely for the sake of people’s health. American capitalists see no point in finding a cure for a disease that only kills Africans in Africa. There’s no real profit in it. HIV and Ebola come to mind.
I remember Melanie’s blog well. She was one of the first that I read every day, and she led me on to read Suburban Guerrilla. It seems like forever ago. I wish I could say that something had gotten better, but it hasn’t.
Hi Suzie – another good point, thanks.
As to your last statement (about the role of the Federal Government) – that’s what it USED to be, before completely selling out to those pesky special interest groups.