to feel for the USA under Trump at the moment

[chomalungma]

I know that there are divisions here. Johnson could have done better. But our briefings aren't political and generally everyone is working together.

Anyone who is following Trump and the USA at the moment will know that division is rife in the USA. Trump is still talking about fake news and is using his briefings as a rally.

I just feel for people in the USA at the moment having to deal with all this as well as the virus.

For the record, I love the United States. I love its people, who I have always found to be warm and generous. I love its culture, where would we be without American music? And it is without doubt the country with the greatest range of beautiful landscapes and vistas of them all.

What I do not rate is the Republic, the polity, what we would call the state, as opposed to the states.

News to you - we have socialised medicine that is free at the point of delivery that everyone can access

Yes, I know all about your health system. Withholding epidurals and using forceps?! Utterly barbaric and they are just for cost-savings. Why do you put up with giving birth with gas and air or paracetamol ffs? That’s just childbirth, what about other medical conditions?

Getting what you pay for obviously.

Probably missing the point, and not to defend Donald Trump, but he did not say 'people are dying that have never died before', it's fake news.

Reuters factcheck

I did post that ‘people dying’ quote on FB, before being told it was fake, @ShinyS1 - and I think it speaks volumes that plenty of other people also found it entirely plausible that he had said it.

Frankly, he has said and done so many ridiculous things that it is unsurprising that we are willing to believe he might say the most stupid things.

Yes I know all about your health system

Well guess what we know all about yours too, and we don’t envy you one bit!

Why do you put up with giving birth with gas and air or paracetamol ffs? That’s just childbirth, what about other medical conditions?

Why do you put up with a system which charges ££££ to give birth, so that women put their own and their babies’ lives at risk by not getting prenatal care, or by giving birth at home without proper medical care?

Our system is far from perfect but it does ensure that people are not terrified to go to the doctor because they have no idea how much it will cost them. That is going to be a serious problem for the US during this pandemic and the horrible flaws in your system are going to be revealed.

I hope the US is able to provide the best possible care for the largest possible number of people - but the system really isn’t set up to achieve that.

@hellotomykitty

Do you think that a healthcare system that is free at the point of delivery, treats anyone regardless of income and means to pay, that you can access without insurance and means that people don't have to worry about future bills is a good system to have when it comes to a pandemic like this?

@ SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius

I definitely thought it was plausable, so did DH. When I told him the quote wasn't Trump's, he said 'are you sure?'!! So yes, speaks volumes.

Someone upthread stated that 40% of Americans have no health insurance. Not true. More like 8.5%.
khn.org/morning-breakout/number-of-americans-without-insurance-rises-for-first-time-in-a-decade-amid-political-war-over-health-law/%.

And, 97% of Americans over 65 are covered by Medicare.

That said, our out-of-pocket costs are high and the system does need an overhaul so that EVERYONE is covered and has the same excellent insurance that I and almost everyone I know has.

If you have health insurance, what are the 'excess ' costs like?

I'm well aware that each state is governed separately by a Governor but in this case it gives the USA the worst of all worlds. Each state is out bidding the other for precious supplies. Did you hear the Governor of NY saying that respirators used to cost 25,000$ now they cost 45,000$! Then the federal government comes along and bids too. I heard, don't know if true that a female governor not liked by Trump asked for more masks and he said get your own. So she asked a local company to make them then the federal government came in and bought them all up.
Trump could enact a law to stop all this but he hasn't.

His partisan rhetoric is a complete joke. He actually suggested that Governors would have to ask him 'nicely' to be able to get what the want for their state! Arse hole.

Boris is out of his depth. Not as much as Trump, who is alarmingly out of his depth and deluded by money...
It is easier to imagine the end of civilisation than the end of Capitalism...

Well chomalunga we have, for example, deductibles - I pay the first $500 in medical bills before the insurance starts to pay. The higher the deductible the lower the monthly premium, usually. Some plans have copays, usually $10 or $20 for a doctor visit. My plan has no copays. We also pay a portion of the cost of prescriptions and that can vary quite a bit. My 92-year-old mother is on Medicare and rarely pays more than $5 for a prescription.

And most children see pediatricians from day one. Rather than general practitioners. I was surprised to read on mumsnet that that is not the case in the U.K.

hellotomykitty - I don't recognise the UK national health service that you describe. I worked for a multi-national pharmaceutical company for many years at the sharp end dealing with NHS procurement etc. Cost was not the be all and end all at all efficacy was. I have several Drs in my family and although it's not prefect, at least people go to the Dr without a second thought. As a patient I have a pacemaker, my 3rd now in 23 years, and I don't know anyone offered forceps rather than an epidural including myself.

If you have health insurance, what are the 'excess ' costs like?

This is a how long is a piece of string question, each insurance plan is different.

But the equivalent of a box of lemsip costs 15 dollars in my local store and coldsore treatment is 17 dollars.

The insurance industry has massively inflated healthcare costs in the USA compared to Europe.

There are some positives it was possible to get CAMHS support for my dc quickly and easily which isn't the case in the UK. This came with no cost to us.

It's not a contest, but the Infant Mortality Rate (under 5) per 1000 live births is:

UK: 4.3
USA: 6.5

Which would seem clear enough.

Doesn't that 8.5% depend on people who's healthcare is linked to their employment don't lose their jobs due to the lockdown and impact to the economy?

Trump is in an election year. That's what is driving his rhetoric. What we know by now, if nothing else, is that it's not enough to just demand the virus is gone by Easter.

He'll annexe NYC next would be my bet. It's an island. Relatively easy to do. It'll be like a plague site.

chomalungma
Forgot to say that my family is covered by my husband’s employer-sponsored medical plan for which $140 per month is deducted from his pay. The company pays the remainder of the premium. This covers my husband, myself and our 3 children up until their 26th birthdays.
Also some visits are paid even if the deductible has not been met. For example all of our children’s annual checkups are free.
The employer offers a choice of plans to their employees, differing in cost and coverage. It’s very complicated, though. The whole system is complicated.
I’m not saying we don’t need to fix our system. I would love a national healthcare system here so everyone could get the same great care that I do. I just feel like we’re being bashed by some on mumsnet at a difficult time.

I think Trump is a disaster: a narcissistic sociopath who is intellectually inadequate and unfit for the office of president, let alone protecting his citizens in the midst of a global health emergency. Thank God individual states such as New York and others can look to competent, smart governors for true leadership. The following article links Trump's popularity to racism and low education levels:
www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-supporters-california-clinton-fake-news-vote-2020-a9214131.html

Hush does your husbands healthcare end if he loses his job? Has there been an indication from Mr Trump what will happen to protect those individuals?

Americans who lose their jobs can apply for Medicaid in 36 states if their income is below the limit. In the other states they can purchase insurance through Obamacare. There is no doubt that some will not be able to afford even that. There is no question that the financial aftermath of this pandemic will be devastating for many people.

just feel like we’re being bashed by some on mumsnet at a difficult time

This is not bashing the USA. I love the US - spent many happy months working there.

It is Trump that concerns me - and his effect on the US. I watch his briefings and I compare them to ours. There is such a difference. And his tweets

I worry about the US and the effect this will have on it. This is not a time for divisiveness and politics.

If my husband lost his job he would have the option to extend our coverage for 18 months under a program called COBRA. However his employer would no longer pay a portion of the premiums so it would be VERY expensive for us. My employer also offers health insurance but honestly I am not sure that we wouldn’t have to wait until next year’s enrollment period to start that. I guess I should look in to how exactly that works!

This is an aside but it made me smile to hear that 2 of our local distilleries are busy making hand sanitizer.

Hang on, didn't Trump reduce the staff working on identifiying health problems globally, especailly getting rid of staff on the ground in high risk areas such as China. He also had made attempts to reduce the Centre of Disease Control. So basically his budget cuts may have resulted in the pandemic being recognised later with missed opportunities for containment.