Covid-19

[xudash]

Looks like the jerks that fostered this by their coverup is getting payback.
From the Wall Street Journal:

“China on Friday reported a 6.8% year-over-year contraction in its economy for the first three months of the year—the first quarterly decline in gross domestic product since official record-keeping began in 1992 and likely the first since Mao Zedong’s death in 1976, economists said.
The fall was even steeper compared with the previous quarter: a 9.8% pullback as the coronavirus that first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan spread across the country and around the world, delivering an economic blow unprecedented in modern times.”

Sorry for the Chinese people, but that government deserves a kick in the teeth. Maybe next time...

MOR, it isn't going to be a kick in the teeth, it's going to be a shovel to the head:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapo...k#622753705298

I believe they are going to end up paying dearly for this, as they should. The lesson learned? It's not just about cheap labor and logistics when it comes to supply chain management. Ethical and moral government - let's say within reason as embedded in a culture - should also be factored in. That's what we learned here the hard way, if we hadn't already acknowledged it up till now.

This is a government built upon serving its own interests at the expense of its own people. They don't make for a great global trade partner in general (e.g. IP theft), and they certainly don't make for a good and transparent one when the sh!t hits the fan like this time.

[nickgyp]

MOR, it isn't going to be a kick in the teeth, it's going to be a shovel to the head:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapo...k#622753705298

I believe they are going to end up paying dearly for this, as they should. The lesson learned? It's not just about cheap labor and logistics when it comes to supply chain management. Ethical and moral government - let's say within reason as embedded in a culture - should also be factored in. That's what we learned here the hard way, if we hadn't already acknowledged it up till now.

This is a government built upon serving its own interests at the expense of its own people. They don't make for a great global trade partner in general (e.g. IP theft), and they certainly don't make for a good and transparent one when the sh!t hits the fan like this time.

Agree 100%.

[noteggs]

I’m not suggesting it, I’m saying that it happens, and that it is mostly Medicaid patients. And it even happens in “not for profit” hospital systems. For example there is a very large world renown not for profit hospital system in Cleveland that commonly has contract disputes with the MCO’s for Ohio Medicaid. This will result in thousands of people having to switch doctors or be diverted to a different hospital when in an ambulance or transported after ER stabilization. This used to happen so much that the emergency services just know that if John Doe has Medicaid, he doesn’t go to this hospital and gets taken elsewhere.

Just wanted some to know in general, it’s not only the greedy “for profits” who negotiate contracts based off financial considerations. Also to let them know quality of is not dependent upon profit or non profit status.

As to your Medicaid situation. Yes those members from time to time have to find new doctors based upon negotiations. Heck thought this was the whole premise behind Obamacare: “If you like your doctor, you get to keep your doctor. Period!” Obviously that doesn’t seem to be the case with the potential numbers you threw out. Also with your example, how is that any different from commercial? Integrated systems/networks have have contract disputes with plans all the time. Do you want to stay in a hospital outside your network? Not me. Yes it sucks for Medicaid but also for commercial plans from time to time.

[Lloyd Braun]

Just wanted some to know in general, it’s not only the greedy “for profits” who negotiate contracts based off financial considerations. Also to let them know quality of is not dependent upon profit or non profit status.

As to your Medicaid situation. Yes those members from time to time have to find new doctors based upon negotiations. Heck thought this was the whole premise behind Obamacare: “If you like your doctor, you get to keep your doctor. Period!” Obviously that doesn’t seem to be the case with the potential numbers you threw out. Also with your example, how is that any different from commercial? Integrated systems/networks have have contract disputes with plans all the time. Do you want to stay in a hospital outside your network? Not me. Yes it sucks for Medicaid but also for commercial plans from time to time.

Yes you are correct it absolutely happens with commercial insurance as well, more so in the last 10 years. Marketplace insurance is very strange, and from what I know the “you get to keep your doctor” promise was based on a more universal plan which didn’t make the final cut for the bill. Both sides of the aisle conceded items to be included and it seems they lost sight of what the intent of reform was, creating a worse mess. Really it should have been all in or nothing.

Getting back on point, I used Medicaid patients not receiving equal care as an example mostly to touch on the question of whether revenues should matter in the decision to save ones life. If COVID patients cost more money to care for then you have to increase the reimbursements so hospitals don’t divert patients to another system that may give inferior care. In a perfect world they are all going to one hospital anyways, and I’m not sure why that has not been more widely discussed. Assuming widespread testing continues to be rolled out - make the convention centers in every city the COVID hospitals and let every other health care system get back to “non essential” procedures, labs, routine healthcare. Non-essential healthcare saves lives too.

[Caf]

https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/...434070016?s=20


https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/...757579779?s=20

Stanford did a study on Santa Clara County. Currently, only 1700 people have been diagnosed with Corona and 66 people have died. That's a crude fatality rate of 3.6%. If the deaths are at 66 and the true infected population is 48K then the fatality rate is .14%. If the range is at the upper end of 81K people were infected then the fatality rate is not even .1%.

Who know if any of this is true, but more and more studies are showing how wrong our "experts" might have been.

If you apply the upper range 48,000/1700 * 684,000 cases in the US / Population you get about 10%. I don't know what the threshold for 'herd immunity' is, but that's a strikingly small number of infected people to me.

[Masterofreality]

Today's "Let's do a Reality Check" Report for Ohio:

Today's Model Projection of new Cases per Day: 1,600 (Projected peak day Sunday at 1,607 per model)
Today's Actual new reported Cases: 693 (No note on how many "Probable/Assumed" increased cases in the daily count. Just a total since the count started of 249.)
Highest Daily Total Increase in cases since report began on 3/9: 693 today with no note on how many of them are "probable/assumed.
Actual TOTAL Hospitalizations: 2,424 (up 97 from yesterday) since reporting began a month ago
Actual TOTAL ICU admits: 740 since reporting began a month ago (up 33 from yesterday)
Total Ohio Hospital Beds: 34,000
Total Ohio ICU Beds : 2,500
New Stat Ohio Population; 11.7 million

Groundhog Day statement. The models are still wrong, but still followed as Bible. No adjustment on the May 1 "reopening" date despite evidence on the ground to the contrary from the peak fear proclamation a week ago. Meanwhile, business still languishing.

[Masterofreality]

MOR, it isn't going to be a kick in the teeth, it's going to be a shovel to the head:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapo...k#622753705298

I believe they are going to end up paying dearly for this, as they should. The lesson learned? It's not just about cheap labor and logistics when it comes to supply chain management. Ethical and moral government - let's say within reason as embedded in a culture - should also be factored in. That's what we learned here the hard way, if we hadn't already acknowledged it up till now.

This is a government built upon serving its own interests at the expense of its own people. They don't make for a great global trade partner in general (e.g. IP theft), and they certainly don't make for a good and transparent one when the sh!t hits the fan like this time.

Welp. Then I hope to hell that the damn companies over here, like Apple and some drug companies, that have sent their production over there get rid of it and, at least, bring it back to this hemisphere, preferably the US. Time to stop enabling a spoiled child.

[smileyy]

I thought it was the case that Covid patients made less money for the hospital than the procedures that they're not otherwise doing for reasons. Hence the cuts to healthcare worker salaries.

[Juice]

I thought it was the case that Covid patients made less money for the hospital than the procedures that they're not otherwise doing for reasons. Hence the cuts to healthcare worker salaries.

I think the issue is that the hospitals had to stop doing or limit elective procedures which resulted in a loss of revenue because everyone is so focused on Covid patients.

[xu82]

I think the issue is that the hospitals had to stop doing or limit elective procedures which resulted in a loss of revenue because everyone is so focused on Covid patients.

Yeah, not many nose jobs or knee replacements happening these days. That stuff is mostly off the books.

My 92 year old mother has rapidly worsening macular degeneration and her appointment has been moved back three times. She’s looking at losing vision in one eye, but they won’t see her yet. Hopefully the appointment for next week happens. Little things you don’t hear about.