Healthcare
‘It’s Going To Be Very Disturbing’: Fauci Says COVID Cases Could Surge By 100,000 A Day
In his Tuesday testimony before members of Congress, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke about his concerns over certain states’ reopening plans and the surge of cases the nation has seen in past days. He noted the death totals will be concerning and the country is “going in the wrong direction.”
Before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, Fauci fielded questions from senators — one question covered new data showing a 40,000 increase in cases one day last week. He said that “we’re not in control” and it would come at no surprise to him if the nation saw an increase by 100,000 cases in one day.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Fauci testified. “I’m very concerned. I’m not satisfied with what’s going on because we’re going in the wrong direction.”
According to the Guardian, Fauci called out younger Americans to follow guidelines.
“What we saw were a lot of people who maybe felt because they think they are invulnerable – and we know many young people are not because they’re getting serious disease – that therefore their getting infected has nothing to do with anyone else,” Fauci said.
Fauci urged the public to follow CDC and local guidelines, including the wearing of a mask in public and maintaining six feet distance from others.
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a longtime supporter of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is now acknowledging the unintended consequences of the healthcare legislation, particularly its impact on industry consolidation and rising healthcare prices.
Warren, who has been a vocal proponent of Obamacare, has recently had what the Wall Street Journal reported as an “epiphany” regarding the consequences of the healthcare law. In a letter addressed to the Health and Human Services Department inspector general, Warren, along with Senator Mike Braun of Indiana, expressed concerns about vertically-integrated healthcare companies potentially increasing prescription drug costs and evading federal regulations.
According to reports from Fox News, the bipartisan letter highlighted issues with the nation’s largest health insurers allegedly bypassing Obamacare’s medical loss ratio (MLR). According to Warren, these insurers, through vertical integration, have manipulated the system, leading to “sky-high prescription drug costs and excessive corporate profits.”
The senators detailed how conglomerates, like UnitedHealth Group, with ownership across various healthcare sectors, could inflate medical payments to pharmacies and, by realizing those payments on the pharmacy side, appear to comply with MLR requirements while retaining more profits.
Moreover, despite the Democrats’ argument that the MLR would benefit patients, it has incentivized insurers to merge with or acquire pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), retail and specialty pharmacies, and healthcare providers. This, in turn, has made healthcare spending less transparent, as insurers can allegedly shift profits to their affiliates by increasing reimbursements.
Warren, who has consistently voted against Obamacare repeal efforts, notably advocated for a “Medicare for All” proposal during her 2020 presidential campaign. Despite her prior support for the healthcare law, Warren’s recent concerns about its unintended consequences have raised questions about the long-term effects of Obamacare and its impact on the healthcare industry.
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