As a young woman in my 20s, I know many people my age who are no stranger to the lifestyle of the proverbial “starving college student;” however, many of them are not students at all, but full-time employed young people who struggle to pay rent and put food on the table, let alone pay for health care during a pandemic.
Lincoln, my friend of 20 years, called in early April to let me know that he had taken his mother to the doctor on two separate occasions and her symptoms were minimized, dismissed and she was sent home. The third and final time the staff decided to test her. That’s when they discovered his mother had COVID-19. She died later that day.
One of the key factors causing Americans to die from COVID-19 is the U.S. for-profit health care system itself. And yes, it’s worse here than in other countries.
Our current patchwork of health care coverage leaves us vulnerable.
