Who Gets a Vaccine First? U.S. Considers Race in Coronavirus Plans:
Federal health officials are already trying to decide who will get the first doses of any effective coronavirus vaccines, which could be on the market this winter but could require many additional months to become widely available to Americans.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an advisory committee of outside health experts in April began working on a ranking system for what may be an extended rollout in the United States. According to a preliminary plan, any approved vaccines would be offered to vital medical and national security officials first, and then to other essential workers and those considered at high risk — the elderly instead of children, people with underlying conditions instead of the relatively healthy.
Agency officials and the advisers are also considering what has become a contentious option: putting Black and Latino people, who have disproportionately fallen victim to Covid-19, ahead of others in the population.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday August 05 2020, @08:44PM (12 children)
None of the things you have proposed in your reply exist in my country's healthcare system.
Doctors are certainly regulated, but by their professional bodies, which the government has no part in, because the government does not have the expertese.
In a publically funded system, the "healthcare vendors" are the same publicly funded bodies the doctors work for.
The government's role is to dish out the money to the healthcare service, then go away. Which is what they do.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 05 2020, @11:51PM (11 children)
That indicates to me that you don't know how your country's healthcare system works.
Not buying it in the least.
We call publicly funded systems, "governments".
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday August 06 2020, @12:52AM (10 children)
But you do. Oh, yes, of course you do. :-)
That doesn't make it any less true.
Why? They're not. Or at least they don't have to be, and ours are not.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday August 06 2020, @01:36AM (9 children)
Pretty much.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday August 06 2020, @02:45AM (8 children)
Despite never having left America in your life.
You know a whole lot less about the world than you think you do.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday August 06 2020, @04:19AM (6 children)
Moving on, my stab at web searching/stalking indicates you're likely from some English-speaking part of the world which isn't Europe or North America. This post [soylentnews.org] seems to imply not Europe with your discussion of Kiwi slang indicating you may be from the heralded land of New Zealand or nearby regions. Well, all of those health programs are funded by government - that's a huge avenue for government intrusion contrary to your repeated assertions.
Well, if it's New Zealand, we have things like "district health boards", partially appointed by the central government via the Ministry of Health. Australia has Medicare which is administrated by the government (and covers a bunch of health care funding). Both providing ways for government to enter into the systems in question. I probably got your number already, but it doesn't matter if you're from somewhere else. These same structures exist in all such systems. Provide the name of your country and I will show how you are wrong. And it won't take more than a cursory review of the Wikipedia entry for your country's health care system to do that.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday August 06 2020, @07:19AM (5 children)
No you won't, not that it will stop you.
Seriously, governments don't make decisions about health treatment because they employ doctors who do.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday August 06 2020, @02:16PM (4 children)
That statement is so broken. Every government decision is made by someone employed by government. Doctors being employed by government are a big step towards being the proxies by which governments make decisions about health treatment. And if we actually looked at the healthcare structure of your country rather than merely take your ignorant words at face value, we would no doubt see fingerprints of government decisions everywhere.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday August 06 2020, @11:40PM (3 children)
Or, we might find out how it works by experiencing healthcare first hand.
I hope I don't need another bowel resection, because the recovery is really unpleasant, but if I do I'll make sure to phone the Minister of Health so he can tell the surgeon what to do, shall I?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday August 07 2020, @04:03AM (2 children)
Now, you're claiming that merely "experiencing healthcare" somehow gives you insight.
So you care to describe how getting a bowel resection enlightens one on the power and role of government in that healthcare? Solely for our entertainment, of course, since it won't have a factual basis.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Saturday August 08 2020, @01:22AM (1 child)
And you're claiming that you know how healthcare works in a country you've never visited and know nothing about, because your feelings about the government's role is more valid than experience.
Your ignorance is not more valid than my experience.
Bog standard Republican scare-mongering is boring.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday August 08 2020, @04:16AM
I haven't visited said country, but I do know a bit about it. Meanwhile, you have mentioned no relevant experience.
My experience is more valid than your ignorance.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday August 06 2020, @04:22AM