As we proceed through the hell that China has brought upon our country in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is instructive to observe not only what is happening, but also what caused it, and allows it to continue. Unfortunately, like in so many other occasions, we must follow the money trail.
As one of the last actions of his administration, President Clinton pushed through the United States–China Relations Act of 2000. That act gave China a coveted Normal Trade Relations Status, which was formerly referred to as Most Favored Nation Status. This action effectively opened the flood gates for Chinese manufactured goods to enter our country, but also allowed American companies to move their factories to China, selling their products in this country with no tariff worries.
As was the case when Clinton signed the North America Free Trade Agreement in 1992, American corporations quickly closed down their U.S. based facilities and moved to the country with lower labor costs, mostly Mexico at that time.
Starting in 2000, many more American companies moved factories to China, eager to break into the potential markets of that nation of over a billion people. The cost to our labor market was enormous. More important was the effect it had on essential goods. Within two years, most of the essential pharmaceuticals we rely on to keep our nation healthy were being manufactured in China. Everything from aspirin to antibiotics was now made offshore, and subject to restrictions.
Now, another issue has arisen. Hospital affiliation has a greater and greater affect on medical practices. The ability of a General Practitioner to maintain their practice unaffiliated with a hospital group is rapidly disappearing. Doctors basically must either sign on or quit, due to not having hospital admission capability for their patients. That’s where things begin to go south. I will give you an example.
My 75 year old wife has several preexisting factors which put her at additional risk should she contract the Covid-19 virus. Specifically, she is very prone to move from a simple cold to pneumonia in a very short time. She has had double diffuse pneumonia in the past, and was recently infected with the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a disease which is more serious for young children, but caused her to end up with “Walking Pneumonia”.
When the revelations about a combination of Hydroxychloroquine-Zithromax-Zinc being a very effective treatment of Covid-19, particularly in the early stages of the infection, my wife asked her doctor to give her a prescription for this combination of drugs. Only to be used if she began to develop symptoms during a time when his clinic is closed, a weekend for instance. He gave her the Zithromax in a “Z-Pack” 5 day dose, but declined to provide the crucial Hydroxychloroquine because the hospital he is affiliated with has a policy of not prescribing it outside the hospital, where possible “heart complications” can be closely monitored.
Hmmm. This is a drug which has been given to millions of patients world wide since the mid 1950s. It is routinely prescribed for Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis as well as Malaria. Are these patients required to be in a hospital to receive the drug? Short answer, no. Since this would be a very short regimen, only 5 days, there has to be another reason for the hospital’s policy other than extreme caution. What could that be?
Well, Medicare pays a hospital just under $14,000 if they admit a Covid-19 patient, and almost $40,000 if that patient is put on a ventilator. That opposed to just the cost of a doctor’s visit or even a tele-medical appointment. See the conflict here? Maybe this isn’t a factor in my wife’s case, but it sure makes you wonder. As the saying goes:
“Follow the Money!”