Hollowed out public health system faces more cuts amid virus

[KY_EnviroGuy]

Hollowed out public health system faces more cuts amid virus

By By LAUREN WEBER, LAURA UNGAR, MICHELLE R. SMITH, HANNAH RECHT and ANNA MARIA BARRY-JESTER
July 1, 2020 at 5:47 AM CDT - Updated July 1 at 7:00 AM

(AP) - The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources to confront the worst health crisis in a century.

Read here: https://www.kswo.com/2020/07/01/hollowed-out-public-health-system-faces-more-cuts-amid-virus/

Excerpts:

Marshaled against a virus that has sickened at least 2.6 million in the U.S., killed more than 126,000 people and cost tens of millions of jobs and $3 trillion in federal rescue money, state and local government health workers on the ground are sometimes paid so little, they qualify for public aid. They track the coronavirus on paper records shared via fax. Working seven-day weeks for months on end, they fear pay freezes, public backlash and even losing their jobs.

Since 2010, spending for state public health departments has dropped by 16% per capita and spending for local health departments has fallen by 18%, according to a KHN and Associated Press analysis of government spending on public health. At least 38,000 state and local public health jobs have disappeared since the 2008 recession, leaving a skeletal workforce for what was once viewed as one of the world's top public health systems.
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So when this outbreak arrived — and when, according to public health experts, the federal government bungled its response — hollowed-out state and local health departments were ill-equipped to step into the breach. Over time, their work had received so little support that they found themselves without direction, disrespected, ignored, even vilified. The desperate struggle against COVID-19 became increasingly politicized and grew more difficult.

States, cities and counties in dire straits have begun laying off and furloughing their limited staff, and even more devastation looms, as states reopen and cases surge. Historically, even when money pours in following crises such as Zika and H1N1, it disappears after the emergency subsides. Officials fear the same thing is happening now.

Excellent article and recommended read. Perhaps others can provide links to other articles expanding on this theme.

Republican tax and budget cutting all over our nation comes with deadly consequences.


KY............

[crickets]

1. K&R for visibility.

[mitch96]

2. So how well would it go over if the "big tax cut" got reclaimed to fund a proper health care system?

The wealthy got a tax break. So how about a tax anybody who makes over 1 million to fund a health care system that really works...
I can dream can't I?
m

[KY_EnviroGuy]

3. I feel it's time for the wealthy to give back a lot.

It's not just the tax breaks. They've been given those over and over with little or nothing trickling back down.

What they need to give back is part of the trillions of wealth they have accumulated over many decades from our purchases of goods and services, from which a little bit of each transaction trickled up to them. Adding to that, most of their wealth is hedged against loss - a luxury we can't afford.

It's time for those people to get less wealthy and more humble along with the rest of us......

Unfortunately in today's America, even mentioning such an ideas is akin to trampling the flag.

I'm totally with your idea but perhaps sharing some of that with our educational systems.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. "accumulated" is the key word -- They didn't produce the wealth.

[mitch96]

5. Back in the "boom days" in the 1950's the max tax rate was 90%

The country was just humming along with growth... We can do it again and YES money towards education. It's crazy that the tech school I went to in the late 60's for only $450 for TWO years is now over $30,000........ and no jobs available... Just crazy... YMMV
m