Hey folks - as a member of the DawgNation community, please remember to abide by simple rules of civil engagement with other members:
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
COVID-19 Check-in
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Hey, man. That's 3.5 million tests a week across our country... a week.
If we perform 500,000 tests A DAY as you suggest, I need to invest in some testing companies...
Dr. Birx said the number was 30, not 150.
Logistics are causing the testing issues...
Not politics.
Not apathy.
Not meanness.
Not Federalism/States' rights.
Logistics. You don't do something for the first time EVER at a scale in the millions across a huge country and not have major logistics problems.
That's not ANYBODY'S fault. It's logistics.
Sometimes bad things happen that ain't anybody's fault. Everyone is trying. Decisions are being made on the fly.
Anyone who says they would have done "this-this-and this" and they could have "controlled" a VIRUS that no one knows anything about is a narcissistic a-hole - regardless of political affiliation. We don't know "what would have happened if..."
Stop actively lying and misleading the American people about this crisis:
February 10: Trump says without evidence that the coronavirus "dies with the hotter weather"
February 24: Trump baselessly claims the situation is "under control"
Trump tweeted: "The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA."
February 25: A senior White House official falsely claims the virus has been "contained"
White House National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow said, "We have contained this, I won't say airtight but pretty close to airtight."
February 26: Trump wrongly says the coronavirus "is a flu"
Trump, contrasting the coronavirus with Ebola, said: "This is a flu. This is like a flu."
Facts First: While Trump may have simply meant that the coronavirus has a fatality rate more like the flu than like Ebola, experts have emphasized that the coronavirus is, simply, not the flu. They are different viruses with different characteristics, though they share symptoms, and the coronavirus has a higher mortality rate.
February 26: Trump baselessly predicts the number of US cases is "going very substantially down" to "close to zero"
February 28: Trump baselessly hints at an immigration link to the virus
Trump said: "The Democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health and well-being of all Americans. Now you see it with the coronavirus, you see it. You see it with the coronavirus."
Facts First: Prominent Democrats do not support "open borders," literally unrestricted migration. Aside from that, though, there was no evidence from the coronavirus situation that Democrats' preferred immigration policies would be harmful to Americans' health. There was no known US case in which someone brought the virus to the US while immigrating or making an asylum claim.
March 1: Azar wrongly says 3,600 people have been tested
Azar said: "In terms of testing kits, we've already tested over 3,600 people for the virus."
Politico reported: "Two days later, CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat told the Senate health committee that her agency had tested more than 3,000 specimens taken from roughly 500 people — a fraction of what Azar claimed."
March 2: Trump says a vaccine is coming "relatively soon"
March 4: Trump falsely claims Obama impeded testing
There is no Obama-era decision or rule that impeded coronavirus testing.
When asked what Obama administration decision Trump might be referring to, Peter Kyriacopolous, chief policy officer at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, said: "We aren't sure what rule is being referenced."
March 4: Trump wrongly says as many as 100,000 people died of the flu in 1990
A CDC analysis in 2010 estimated that there were 26,582 deaths from the seasonal flu in 1989-1990.
March 4: Trump says "the borders are automatically shut down"
March 5: Trump wrongly claims the virus only hit the US "three weeks ago"
Trump said, "We got hit with the virus really three weeks ago, if you think about it, I guess. That's when we first started really to see some possible effects."
The US had its first confirmed case of the coronavirus on January 21, more than six weeks before Trump spoke here.
March 6: Azar wrongly claims there is no test shortage
Azar said: "There is no testing kit shortage, nor has there ever been."
Vice President Mike Pence had said the day prior: "We don't have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward." Doctors, health authorities and elected officials in various locations around the country indeed said they did not have enough tests.
March 6: As the number of cases and deaths in Italy rises, Trump says the number is "getting much better"
Trump said: "...I hear the numbers are getting much better in Italy."
Facts First: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in Italy was continuing to increase at the time Trump made this comment. As of Saturday, March 7, the day after Trump spoke here, Italy had 5,883 confirmed cases and 233 deaths; as of Monday, March 9, there were 9,172 cases and 463 deaths. (The Italian government announced a national lockdown on Monday.)
March 6: Trump falsely claims anybody can get tested if they want
Trump said: "Anybody that wants a test can get a test. That's what the bottom line is."
Should I continue CaneDawg or do you want to make more excuses for this travesty of a response?
I can attest to this. Not sure if any remember me posting a few weeks ago how we had more to do than we could get done (within the given time frame), that was very true. But there are a LOT of people who have a lot time to twiddle their thumbs right now. I doubt that’s the case in New York, but is definitely true in Georgia.
Stay safe Dawgnation! I do believe there is now a light at the end of the tunnel.
A few general things:
Kasey, we need you as a moderator. Please stay engaged. Unfortunately, it is not easy to discuss things with folks who disagree politically. We should be better at this, but everything from biased news to Facebook algorithms to con artist politicians keep us talking mostly to folks who agree with us. This forum is different. But its not easy even when we are trying and the ground rules are important. Please help us with that.
Bankwalker, actually the post about a hospital billing 70k and getting paid 30k is true. All insurers and Medicare/Medicaid have negotiated discounts with hospitals and private practices. Its hurting our hospitals for sure. And someone uninsured doesnt get this negotiated discount and is charged the full amount.
Denmen, how'd you come up with your 150 out of 1000 number for testing? Just curious about the why behind your benchmark.
We've been dealing with this for months now. Yeah the logistics are tough but who cares? It needs to be figured out if we want to reopen. Experts agree that testing needs to be greatly expanded (1 million a day to start) and shifted away from sick people to healthy people who plan on entering the work force. I expect the USA to rise to the occasion instead of complaining about logistics.
A Sunday reminder this is not the place to politicize your opinions about this virus. It's a place to check in on how you are doing and share any info you may have without slants. I get it that it's frustrating, but bickering back and forth won't help, or be tolerated.
And just to give certain individuals a heads up, name calling others won't get you the attention you crave. You know who you are.
If you feel YOU MUST have the last word, I would invite you to send the offending individual a personal message. If you need a tutorial on how to do so, I can let you know
Until then, rise above hate or hate will rise above you
If somebody asks me to bench 250, and in doing so I can serve my fellow man, it's not a complaint if I say I can't do it.
If somebody asks me to bench 250, and I doing so I can serve my fellow man 4 months from now, it's then a complaint 'cause if I work my tail off I could do that.
So I understand, Yale, there's a conversation to be had there. Fauci has said that NO ONE could have anticipated all the mess that has and will continue to go on.
Our country is complex, moreso than anywhere else on the planet - 100 different cultures, different religions, political beliefs, geographic characteristics, population densities, state infrastructures, etc. It's what makes us beautiful.
I am not making excuses for anyone. There are idiots every where, and wonderful servants everywhere. Can't imagine how hard it would be to lead a county, state or country right now. I just think everyone "complaining" about leadership seem a little ignorant.
I am a coach, and I know real-time leadership (on an orders-of- magnitude smaller level) means you make 10 mistakes for every success. (...before you write me off as a meat-head, understand that I have an undergrad degree in chem, so I am not a complete meat-head).
I am just "sensitive' to complaints from the crowd - who usually see 3% of the entire picture.
But I also recognize that if you can't handle the complaining, you're in the wrong business...
Yale, and several of you posters - I recognize we may not completely agree on all things society/politics/culture, I can tell from many of your posts you are incredibly intelligent and bring SO MUCH to this discussion, and I appreciate you...
The experts say anywhere from 1-3 million a day but the main countries in Europe are targeting 100,000 per day with about 20% of the population on average so US equ would be 500,000 per day. Interestingly a Harvard study also says 500k a day which equates to around 150/100,000 daily. That rate would still take 2 years to test everyone. If and when a vaccine is developed it will be a never ending process to administer the vaccine even at twice that rate. The complicating factor here will also be the fact that reports indicate that the West cases started as "Type A" from Wuhan while the East coast is Type B and C from Europe. The vaccine has to cover all types.
Aside from the virus outbreak, I've had several concerns about the cost of medical care. And I've seen how this works from both sides: insured and not insured.
First of all, why do we have the highest cost of care per capita of any industrialized nation? And as I understand it, we're 25% higher than the next place country?
As a medicare elibible individual, I had concerns over cost. Adding up the regular premium, advantage plan, copays and income-related adjustments, I was looking at five-six thousand a year in medical insurance. So I figured I could do better on my own and opted out of metal care.
Big mistake. Because a few months later I had to visit the emergency room in excruciating pain. A kidney stone. Third time. I should have known better. So two hours in the ER and I was looking at $1800 for the doctor, around $7500 for the hospital, and another $500 for a CT scan. I was able to negotiate a 30% self-pay discount , so that helped. But that was so penny wise and pound foolish.
On the insured side, I had a battery of tests totalling around $500, only to see that after discounts and other reductions, the lab was reimbursed about fifty bucks. Fifty bucks! It's just criminal.
Same for doctors and hospitals. I've read where a doctor only receives around $500 for a knee replacement. That is woefully low. Remember he or she has to pay their nurses, receptionist, billing, equipment, and building rent amongst others.
And the hospitals, it's amazing any of them stay in business. Take Grady for example, low reimbursement rates combined with high rates of care for the indigent. If I had to guess, the number of patients who either don't have insurance or can't afford to pay must number atleast 80% of their patients.
But I'm just hazarding a guess here. If you are a hospital administrator, billing specialist, or have knowledge of the situation, I would be happy to hear your perspective on this. Am I wrong?
@Supra Thank you for clarifying the 1918 reference. I honestly believe the CFR will be well below 1% when this all shakes out. It’s a small study, but the one out of Santa Clara by Stanford would imply there are 10-20 infected people for every person sick enough to get diagnosed. That was on April 1st, and we haven't seen the hospitals overrun by those asymptomatic carriers getting worse. That extrapolates out to about 14,000,000 actual infections, and a 0.2% mortality.
@CaliforniaDawg Yes, I know the hospitals actually bill about twice what they’ve negotiated with the Insurance companies. That doesn’t mean the hospital “lost” that money. That’s the game they play. Been that way since the advent of the HMO, PPO, POS, and whatever else they started calling the new managed care plans since I left the large group insurance field 20 years ago.
Showing a loss on a balance sheet isn’t always what it seems. If it did then you wouldn’t have so many surgeons walking around making mid to high six figures.
Health insurance is one of my favorite soapboxes.
BBA RMI, Terry College of Business.
@MarkBoknecht I have a friend who works in the finance department with Northside Hospital. As tight as their budget is, they somehow continue to figure out a way to grow and grow.
Who should be blamed if those indigent people at Grady don’t have insurance? It’s literally FREE!!!
$1400 for a two hour surgery is pretty good.
My thing about testing is if you leave the site and don't go home into a bubble couldn't you test negative when the results come back but got infected at the store on the way home?