Destroy the healthcare system to save the healthcare system
Remember when a major rationale for lockdowns and curfews was to "flatten the exponential growth curve" so that the healthcare system wouldn't be overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients? Only here's the side-effect on the healthcare system:
Prisma Health, purportedly the largest health system in SC, has already taken similar action: https://www.wistv.com/2020/03/31/prisma-health-joins-growing-list-us-hospitals-furlough-employees/. One article suggested a 77% drop in elective surgeries and a 40% drop in doctor visits, plus a 500%+ increase in PPE costs. To put that in comparison, Prisma Health was already in the red and had already laid off 500+ employees in the last six months (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/prisma-health-ends-q1-with-9-3m-operating-loss.html).
ReplyDeletePrisma Health furloughs and cuts affect 3,900 SC workers, including in hospitals
DeleteApr 09, 2020
Furloughs and cuts at South Carolina's largest health care system have affected 3,900 employees, Prisma Health's leader told lawmakers Thursday, as the nonprofit faces financial ... Post & Courier