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The true face is shown in times of crisis. The pandemic of the crown exposes the weaknesses of the EE. USA That they would otherwise be overshadowed by the country’s praise as a world power.
Donald Trump likes to call the United States the “largest country” in the world. The largest, largest, and best nation with the strongest economy, military superiority, and general superiority in virtually every area. The President of the United States generally has a penchant for superlatives. But other Americans also tend to exuberance when it comes to their own country. The crown pandemic, however, reveals deficits in the “land of limitless opportunity” more than ever.
Millions without health insurance
An important part of American society is not covered by health insurance. According to a census assessment published in November, about 27.5 million Americans were uninsured in 2018, 8.5 percent of the population. Many of the millions of people who have lost their jobs due to the Corona crisis in recent weeks are now being added. In a health emergency like this, this weighs particularly heavily: those who are uninsured are more likely to avoid going to the doctor, getting tested, and receiving treatment because of cost. This facilitates the spread of the virus. The United States government wants to step in and has promised that no one will have to worry about the cost of crown testing and treatment. But the details are not clear.
Hospital staff in the Queens district of New York. (Source: AP / dpa)
According to estimates, there are between 10.5 and 12 million people in the United States without a valid residence permit. Given Trump’s harsh immigration policy, many live in constant fear of deportation. Aid agencies say some of them are reluctant to report the spread or seek medical help in the current crisis for fear of retaliation or disadvantage in their efforts to maintain permanent residency status. It is also unclear whether the state will also cover the crown’s medical costs for uninsured people without documents.
A sick health system
Health care costs are higher in the United States than in many other countries in the world. Simple visits to the doctor quickly cost hundreds of dollars, hospital visits for astronomical amounts and medications are sometimes many times more expensive than elsewhere. Paying for coronavirus treatment yourself, possibly with a longer stay in the clinic, can plunge people into financial disaster without reservation. The US Health Care System USA Nor does it appear to be optimally equipped for the pandemic: in terms of the number of hospital beds per 1,000 population, USA. USA It lags far behind most OECD countries. In the current crisis, makeshift hospitals are hastily set up in particularly bad places, especially in New York. In the world’s largest economy, there is also a dramatic shortage of ventilators or simple medical equipment, such as protective masks for hospital staff.
Volunteers make protective masks at a former military shipyard in Queens. (Source: imago images)
The United States Federal Reserve last May reported that about 40 percent of Americans could not afford an unexpected expense of $ 400 or would have to borrow or sell property to do so. That means a broken washing machine or car damage is a major financial problem for many Americans in normal times. In the crown crisis, which is killing many jobs, the problem is compounded because many simply do not have the savings to make up for lost wages.
Impressive statistics: Unemployment in the United States is on a drastic course. (Source: t-online.de)
Poor social security
As a result of the crown crisis, more than 16 million people in the United States lost their jobs in the past three weeks alone. Layoffs are often much easier in the United States than in Germany. Unemployment assistance has expanded in the face of the crisis, but it is far from being benefits like those in Germany. Another problem: In many jobs, people don’t get paid when they are sick at home. You cannot afford to stay in bed with mild symptoms, as the government recommends. Instead, when in doubt, they go to work and thus contribute to further spread of the virus.
A work of art that says “We are in this together!” at a construction site in Cleveland. (Source: AP / dpa)
Social inequality
The crisis also highlights the disadvantage of certain groups in society: according to the United States government, African Americans are disproportionately affected by the epidemic. The background: Problems like heart disease, diabetes, or obesity were more common with them than with other groups, and such previous illnesses promoted severe courses with Covid-19. The director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, immunologist and presidential adviser Anthony Fauci, says that African-Americans are generally disadvantaged in the United States, but it is now becoming clear how unacceptable that is. A crisis like the current one sometimes “illuminates some real weaknesses in society”.
According to a statement by the US Department of Agriculture. USA, Approximately six million children in the US USA They lived in 2018 in homes that do not always have enough food for all members of the family. Many children depend on a meal at school. The fact that schools remain closed for weeks or sometimes months as a result of the crisis is causing real difficulties.
