OhoOn Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki claimed the Biden administration’s coronavirus testing mechanism. “We have quadrupled the size of our testing plan. We have cut costs significantly over the past few months,” Saki told reporters, noting that Americans will now be able to get the cost of tests reimbursed by their private insurers.
“Why not set them free and give them everywhere?” A journalist asked.
“Should we send just one to every American?” Saki asked with a smile. When the reporter replied “probably”, the press secretary said. “What if every American had one test? How much does it cost and what happens after that?”
Saki was pushing to make the question absurd. There are over 300 million Americans. How can the United States government send only one test to each person?
His satire revealed a depressing truth: If the US is no longer unique in fighting the pandemic, enough testing remains in increasingly short supply. Like the Trump administration, the Biden administration has also failed to conduct free investigations everywhere. And America has lagged behind the rest of the world in that failure.
In the United Kingdom of Boris Johnson, there are free packs of the COVID-19 rapid lateral test available to order daily. Germany has free trial resumed As the cases are increasing. South Korea, long a global leader when it comes to aggressive testing for the coronavirus, has even free Trial to pet.
Meanwhile, in the United States, testing varies widely by city, county, and state. New York City, stricken by the original wave of the coronavirus, now has free and easily accessible testing sites in most neighborhoods, where results can be learned within hours. Other localities are still charging money and are taking days to return the tests. In rural areas, getting tested for COVID-19 quickly can be especially difficult.
At-home tests are now available at most large pharmacies, such as CVS and Walgreens. A package can cost more than $20. For many Americans, wrangling with a test that could lower the cost of dinner just isn’t worth it.
The new Biden plan is complicated. Rather than subsidizing the cost of tests so that they are freely available in stores or following the New York model of paying for testing sites in underserved areas, the Biden administration is asking private health insurers to shop over the counter at home faster. is asking for. People will be compelled to pay compensation. test. Ultimately, this puts the obligation on the individual to obtain appropriate reimbursement through paperwork or a fight with the insurance company. There will be Americans who won’t even bother.
For those who lack health insurance, Biden’s initiative does little. The federal government will buy another 25m tests to give to community health centers and rural clinics, a nice gesture that doesn’t account for people who either don’t live close to such places or can pass the test if they have their facilities. are not. Have to reach.
Ultimately, the plan is hopelessly fragmented and reflects the Byzantine approach to health care continued by the US government. Rather than a universal provider similar to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service or Canada’s single-payer system, America’s healthcare system remains a predatory patchwork.
Private insurance is expensive and inefficient. Comprehensive public insurance is only open to people who are very poor, old, or work for the government. The ailing US health system has been on full display during the pandemic, with people who remain in the hospital sometimes returning home with huge medical bills. Other Americans, for fear of cost, avoid medical visits altogether.
A well-funded rapid testing regime can help restore normalcy with vaccination and anti-viral treatment. coronavirus, as we now know, can still be spread between vaccinees, and the Omicron variant may increase the number of success cases. This new reality will require a lot more testing than we have now and force the Biden administration, Saki, to take it more seriously. Rapid, accurate testing can make indoor gatherings safer and ensure that people with COVID do not easily infect others. If the federal government does what it should and guarantees every American the right to a free, available test, the misery we have gone through may begin to subside.