MRSA Outbreak is Proof that EVERYONE in the US needs access to medical healthcare...

[Blackhatjack]

Bush Repubs are worried that too many people will get access to healthcare under the SCHIP Program, and are not worried about the 40 mil plus in this country who do not have health insurance.

Both Repubs and Dems have written into law provisions that deny medical care to illegal aliens.

Medical care epidemiologists are firm on this point. You cannot effectively treat a population for communicable diseases by refusing treatment of a portion of the population who intersperse with one another on a daily basis.

It is safer for everyone, and cheaper for everyone, if everyone has access to healthcare than to allow a significant portion of the population to subsist without medical care.

If we insist that everyone pay a price before they get access to medical care, we are going to have a lot of people with healthcare insurance who will require costly treatment because of infection from those who do not have healthcare insurance.

[H2O Man]

1. Right on target.

You are absolutely right. Very well said. Thank you.

Nominated.

[caligirl]

2. Anyone with MRSA willing to work as a waiter or cook for one of Bush's black tie events?

[bobbolink]

30. .

:thumbsup: :rofl: :thumbsup:

Or, for one of the twins..?

:hi:

[caligirl]

46. thank you, I thought it was just the logical thing to do.

[closeupready]

3. K&R. But while true, unfortunately, history shows that

ruling classes only "get it" when it's too late. So, I'm pessimistic on this.

[LakeSamish706]

4. The other side of the coin is we could so easily afford health care...

for everyone if they would eliminate the middle guy and put some needed restrictions on drug manufacturers... Get rid of the HMO's and that would cut costs substantially....

[phantom power]

5. MRSA is more a function of antibiotic abuse (and evolution)...

than it is about a lack of health care. MRSA evolved in health-care facilities, and most people contract it from health-care facilities.

Ironically, this particular disease probably won't become more rare with better access to health care.

[closeupready]

11. Disagree. With some strains, drugs to treat and eliminate it do exist, but they are very expensive,

and sometimes, not covered even if you HAVE insurance. So the inability to pay for these drugs and the correlation with lack of regular health care visits in general does help contribute to this crisis, IMO.

[Connonym]

15. agreed

[phantom power]

18. Socialized health care certainly won't hurt.

And I for sure wouldn't advocate against socialized health care just because of MRSA.

I just think that drug-resistant diseases are more an outgrowth of bad medical practice than they are of any particular group's lack of access. On the other hand, it's also true that a sane health care system should be able to practice better medicine. If we ever achieve a sane health care system.

[closeupready]

19. Oh, yeah, totally agree.

Antibiotic abuse certainly contributed to the rise of MRSA as a crisis.

When I try to think of what would be a good, sane health care system, one measure would be life expectancy, and on that, we do not measure up to other industrialized countries, like France. Not news, I realize, but I'm curious if they also have problems with MRSA, and if so, how are they addressing it?

[phantom power]

20. I've heard that MRSA is a problem for Britain. I assume it could be elsewhere.

[DemReadingDU]

47. In Ohio

Fairborn Ohio schools closed after staph infection worries
http://www.daytondailynews.com/search/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/10/18/ddn101807mrsaweb.html

FAIRBORN, Ohio -- School officials with Fairborn City Schools said two unconfirmed cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus have been reported.
http://www.whiotv.com/news/14371474/detail.html

[NewJeffCT]

29. Additionally -

Hospitals can run tests for MRSA in every patient they admit, but the costs are prohibitive in a for-profit system. If there were a single-payer, the costs would be spread out among 300 million Americans and likely negotiated by those 300 million so they could get a cheaper rate.

[Connonym]

14. except that I think part of the problem is cost-cutting leading to inefficient medical care

antibiotic abuse as a result of cost cutting and failing to get bacterial cultures and positive diagnoses before prescribing antibiotics. MRSA started out as generally a nosocomial infection but the quest for ever cheaper, shoddier health care with less actual access to proper testing, proper diagnoses, proper facility hygiene has made it into the epidemic it's become. I think better access to health care -- provided it's GOOD health care -- could help make sure that people are getting the right diagnoses, not getting antibiotics when they aren't needed, staying on the proper antibiotics for sufficient periods of time when they are needed, getting tests of cure and proper follow up and that should be help the crisis.

[nannah]

23. agree

i think it also relates to the staffing in hospitals with too few, too rushed, hands on care givers; hospitals are very stretched financially as they provide the care first and then fight the insurance profitteers for every dollar. much hospital care goes unreimbursed.

[DesertFlower]

6. agreed. nt

[PA Democrat]

7. Excellent points. K&R

[bdamomma]

8. but you know what, all those sickening religious extremists or fundies

are going to say this is what God willed, sorry, God does not "will" men to treat people inhumanely.

[bobbolink]

31. Well, it's also many Dems who are against universal single payer..

It's "socialist", donchaknow....

It would be nice if it were all the RW, but it's not.

[AuntPatsy]

9. I am not sure such thoughtful proof is enough to sway them from getting

their real facts from the right winged mass daily emails they receive which tells them all they need to know....

[loudsue]

10. Um...I'm late to the party: what is MRSA??

Sorry, I missed it!

[xynthee]

12. I had to look it up too!

I don't feel so dumb now!

MRSA = methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

[loudsue]

17. Thanks, xynthee!

It's hard to keep up with stuff around here sometimes! :hi:

[Connonym]

24. the big bad voodoo daddy of drug resistent bacteria

Staph infections kill. Even when they are not life threatening they are a disgusting form of infection that multiplies rapidly and causes large abscesses of infection. It's gross to see even a superficial staph infection, I shudder to think of what it does to the insides.

ETA -- it's generally pronounced "mersa" not M.R.S.A. so you may have heard of it but not recognize it by the way it's spelled

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

13. Excellent point. Throw in all the other communicable diseases like the flu.

Besides, why NOT allow all Americans healthcare? Is money so important these days we have no sense of decency? How can the Republican party tout ANY values if money trumps EVERYTHING and EVERY AMERICAN?

[madrchsod]

16. proof everyone needs to practice being clean

and do their job correctly if they clean for a living. access to medical treatments and no penalty/paid days off to get over colds and flu or care to for the sick. if you become ill in this country you are penalized .

[Blackhatjack]

21. I hate to be so cynical, but until we can show Repubs it SAVES THEM MONEY it is not going to happen

Isolated gated communities and quarantined neighborhoods are in our future if the healthcare risks posed by communicable diseases are not addressed by treating everyone.

There is a 'tipping point' for every communicable disease, at which point the ability to implement measures that stop the spread of the disease are no longer possible.

We have records that document outbreaks of communicable diseases that killed MILLIONS of people which might have been averted if proper care and procedures had been implemented early on.

We will face more of the same as long as opponents to universal healthcare are more concerned about who pays and who does not pay for healthcare.

If we can show opponents to universal healthcare that it will save them money to treat everyone, we might be able to turn the vote in our favor. Sad but true, this crucial issue is being driven by the short-sighted concern over who pays and who does not pay health insurance company premiums.
In the end it is about money .... most of which goes in the pockets of the health insurance companies.

[kestrel91316]

22. More importantly, it's proof that we need to work a hell of a lot harder

on basic personal hygiene (i.e. PROPER handwashing technique).

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/pubhealth/pdf/handwash_tech.pdf

[Connonym]

25. especially when you learn that most MRSA carriers have the colonization

in their noses

[kestrel91316]

26. Note to self: wash hands after picking nose........

:evilgrin:

[bobbolink]

32. I really needed that visual...

:thumbsup:

[lovuian]

27. agreed

its scary

[alarimer]

28. We need to stop putting antibiotics in SOAP

Simple soap and water or bleach is good enough. We are creating this problem ourselves with such an obsession with cleaning and germs. Antibiotics are everywhere- in the water, in our milk and food. THAT is what is causing resistance among certain bacteria. Overuse and abuse of antibiotics.

[Evoman]

33. EXACTLY. We need to stop with Antibiotic soap, detergent, cleaners, and "sanitizers".

We need to lock up antibiotics so that everybody with a cold who wants some DOESN'T get it. We need to stop the rampant abuse of antiobiotics in farming.

Eventually, we will run out of antiobitics. But bacteria won't stop evolving. Do the freakin math.

[trashcanistanista]

37. Right. Bacteria do what they do, and that

is evolve and mutate and become resistant to antibiotics. The overuse of antibiotics and all of the antibiotics now in detergents and soaps and watersheds accellerates the mutation and eventual resistance. Today we have MSRA. Tomorrow it could be antibiotic resistant strep or e. coli. The possibilities are endless.

[ironflange]

50. Soaps and cleaners don't contain antibiotics

They have disinfectants, which kill stuff like MRSA just fine. That said, the overuse of these things may be worse than overuse of antibiotics. All these commercials for Lysol etc. I see these days just make my skin crawl. "When their world is cleaner, they grow up healthier." What bullshit! Get those kids out in the yard so they can play in the mud, for Christ's sake! Let them develop a healthy immune system so they can fight the icky nasty germs off themselves and maybe not unnecessarily burden the health system. You're doing your rug rats one hell of a bigger favor by sending them out to get dirty than by spraying fucking Lysol on the phone whenever you use it.

[Sneaky Sailor]

34. Just to be clear.

I have never seen anyone actually turned away who needed medical care. Whether they could pay or not. Maybe the hospital I worked at was special, maybe not. But we ate the cost of plenty who could not pay.

[bobbolink]

35. Yes, the hospital you worked at must be "special"

Plenty of people are turned away and die as a result.

It's the 'Murkin way.

[Sneaky Sailor]

36. Fair enough n/t

[bobbolink]

38. PLUS.. many hospitals that *do* treat then send collection agencies after the poor folk who couldn't

afford it to begin with.

:cry:

[Sneaky Sailor]

39. Hell we never saw

those people again for the most part, if they did show up, we still trated them. We were a Catholic Hospital though so maybe...

[bobbolink]

40. I thought Catholic Hospitals had been outlawed...

:hi:

Really, haven't all non-profit hospitals been "converted"?

[Sneaky Sailor]

41. Yeah

It is "Peace River Regional" Now instead of St. Joseph's.

[bobbolink]

43. There ya go.... sadly, your information is dated.

Those were the "good old days"

Plus, what the OP is talking about means good preventive care, not just emergency room, last ditch effort.

[lapislzi]

52. And probably run for profit by a private equity firm

Gotta look to the bottom line and return those profits to the shareholders. It's the only thing that matters.

[closeupready]

42. I am not a doctor, but from what I understand, an MRSA outbreak begins

as a pimple, and rapidly grows worse; however, at which point people seek treatment can vary from person to person, depending upon a lot of factors, one of which is doing the cost/benefit calculation. In other words, "I don't have health insurance, and I'll have to pay up the nose to get treated for this painful pimple - is it so painful yet that I can't wait and see if it gets better on its own? After all, it may just be a pimple." And of course many of those who have these infections won't have ever heard of MRSA - heck, people on this thread are just now being educated as to what it is. Suffice it to say that when uninsured people don't have enough money for diapers and gasoline, that's the type of financial rationing that goes through their minds. :(

[bobbolink]

44. You're absolutely right, which is why health CARE (not *insurance!) for all

should be considered part of the security of this nation.

(You may note that I'm avoiding the hateful term "homeland"...GAK

[Contrary1]

45. I think many hospitals try to talk

the patient out of treatment/staying, if that makes any sense.

My uncle's tongue swelled up to the point that he could not talk, and was having difficulty breathing. I called an ambulance, and followed it by car to the ER. His wife was in route, but it would be an hour before she got there. He did have health insurance, but no proof. All they would have had to do was make a call, but instead; they told me they could not treat him without guarantee of payment. So, after a few minutes of begging them just to help him breathe easier without results, I took out my credit card, handed it to the doctor, and told him to put it on my charge.

Guess what? They said that it would not be necessary, and began treating him.

[flashl]

48. Unmentioned or seldom discussed ..

is prisons, the incubator of diseases, where millions are trapped without benefit of healthcare. When a prisoner is released NO ONE follows that inmate with diseases into the community.

[TechBear_Seattle]

49. Everyone HAS access

Being able to afford to use that access is a different matter entirely.

[ljm2002]

51. Well of course you are absolutely correct...

...and so of course this point is never, ever discussed when we talk about health care in this country. That is, with 45M or so people who have no health insurance, whether or not they are illegal aliens -- they also add to the risk for the whole of society. Note, our population is about 300M; therefore, we see that 1 in 6 people do not have health insurance and thus are less likely to get preventive health care, or to get proper treatment for various communicable diseases.