The for-profit healthcare system has exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. With many losing their insurance along with their jobs, more people than usual lack health insurance during this pandemic. Researchers found that one-third of deaths and 40% of infections from COVID-19 in the U.S. were linked to a lack of health insurance, and that infections and deaths were both higher in counties with higher uninsured rates. Meanwhile, insurers have been reporting record profits because Americans have been delaying care during this pandemic, leading to fewer insurance claims.
This is not surprising. When profit is the primary motive, of course the lives of people don’t matter if it’s not profitable to help them. We need a different society, one not structured around maximizing corporate profits, one in which people’s needs are prioritized. This pandemic would not have been so bad if our society had prioritized the well-being of people and focused on eliminating the virus, rather than trying to continue to maximize profits of pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, and other parasites.
