Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Kimberly Wyss, from Ventura, California, dons surgical gloves aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy. Mercy deployed in support of the nation’s COVID-19 response efforts and will serve as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan M. Breeden)

The coronavirus crisis, which has killed more than 16,000 Americans, has laid bare the flaws of America’s for-profit healthcare system. I’ve been criticizing the health care system for years and knew when the virus hit American shores, it was going to be a disaster. In March, Italy struggled to cope with the strains the disease put on its hospitals and they have a system where everyone is covered. I knew it would be much worse over here. Unfortunately, I was right.

Here are some of the problems the pandemic has exposed:

The American healthcare system is designed to make money, not provide a service. This simply doesn’t work when faced with a contagious pandemic. American hospitals always have to worry about the balance sheet. So even in the middle of a national healthcare emergency, healthcare executives are still worried about making a profit. This is why were faced with the bizarre situation of hospitals laying off workers in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic! A Vox article stated, “Altarum, a nonprofit research and consulting firm, reported last Friday that 43,000 health care workers had been laid off in the first month of the Covid-19 outbreak.” This occurs because American hospitals make money from elective surgeries, which they can’t do in the middle of a medical crisis. Unfortunately, the response to this is to shed workers. So now not only do medical personnel have to worry about losing their lives while they’re battling the disease, but they also have to worry about losing their jobs.

So even in the middle of a national healthcare emergency, healthcare executives are still worried about making a profit. This is why were faced with the bizarre situation of hospitals laying off workers in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic! A Vox article stated, “Altarum, a nonprofit research and consulting firm, reported last Friday that 43,000 health care workers had been laid off in the first month of the Covid-19 outbreak.”

The cost. American healthcare is ridiculously expensive. It’s not uncommon for Americans to forego going to see the doctors because they simply can’t afford the cost. This is bad for their long-term health needs because instead of going for regular check-ups, they wait until the condition gets severe and even more costly to remedy. Americans are still faced with this issue during the coronavirus pandemic. A Miami resident went to the hospital because he feared he may have the disease and got hit with a bill for $3,000. Do you think other potential sufferers will go to the doctor knowing they face that cost? No, they’ll stay home, keep working and infect more people. This is why the black community has seen so many coronavirus deaths. Many black people succumbed because they probably had undiagnosed diseases that they couldn’t afford to treat. “People of color are less likely to be insured, less likely to access medical care and thus at greater risk of suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma,” said USA Today.

American healthcare is ridiculously expensive. It’s not uncommon for Americans to forego going to see the doctors because they simply can’t afford the cost. This is bad for their long-term health needs because instead of going for regular check-ups, they wait until the condition gets severe and even more costly to remedy. Americans are still faced with this issue during the coronavirus pandemic. A Miami resident went to the hospital because he feared he may have the disease and got hit with a bill for $3,000. Do you think other potential sufferers will go to the doctor knowing they face that cost? No, they’ll stay home, keep working and infect more people. This is why the black community has seen so many coronavirus deaths. Many black people succumbed because they probably had undiagnosed diseases that they couldn’t afford to treat. “People of color are less likely to be insured, less likely to access medical care and thus at greater risk of suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma,” said USA Today. Healthcare is tied to work. In a pandemic like COVID-19, it’s in the interest of everyone to get healthcare and stay healthy. California has managed to slow down the infection rate because they were one of the first to order large swathes of the state to stay home. Unfortunately, this is nearly impossible for many Americans, especially low-income earners since healthcare is tied to employment. Many workers have to keep working not only to pay their bills but also because they need healthcare. The coronavirus crisis has also triggered an economic recession and millions of workers are being laid off just when they need healthcare the most. Those workers are now going to be stuck at home and possibly subjected to issues such as depression, high blood pressure, and even the coronavirus, with no health insurance. Employer-based insurance can also be used as a carrot and stick. Employees who enter negotiations for higher pay and improved benefits packages have often been met with employers who’ve threatened to cut healthcare. Workers soon fall in line when they realize they can’t live without health insurance and accept whatever deal is put on the table. But the real problem is that, in America, healthcare is seen as a luxury, not a right.

In a pandemic like COVID-19, it’s in the interest of everyone to get healthcare and stay healthy. California has managed to slow down the infection rate because they were one of the first to order large swathes of the state to stay home. Unfortunately, this is nearly impossible for many Americans, especially low-income earners since healthcare is tied to employment. Many workers have to keep working not only to pay their bills but also because they need healthcare. The coronavirus crisis has also triggered an economic recession and millions of workers are being laid off just when they need healthcare the most. Those workers are now going to be stuck at home and possibly subjected to issues such as depression, high blood pressure, and even the coronavirus, with no health insurance. Employer-based insurance can also be used as a carrot and stick. Employees who enter negotiations for higher pay and improved benefits packages have often been met with employers who’ve threatened to cut healthcare. Workers soon fall in line when they realize they can’t live without health insurance and accept whatever deal is put on the table. But the real problem is that, in America, healthcare is seen as a luxury, not a right. The emergency care bottleneck. Because of the problems I’ve discussed, many Americans use emergency care as their primary care system. This is expensive in the long run because it’s more costly to go to emergency care for a fever, than to see a general practitioner. A study by UnitedHealth Group stated that unneeded emergency room visits cost $32 billion per year! Now emergency care workers are tied up dealing with coronavirus, people who frequently use emergency care are out of pocket. This is a dysfunctional system!

Because of the problems I’ve discussed, many Americans use emergency care as their primary care system. This is expensive in the long run because it’s more costly to go to emergency care for a fever, than to see a general practitioner. A study by UnitedHealth Group stated that unneeded emergency room visits cost $32 billion per year! Now emergency care workers are tied up dealing with coronavirus, people who frequently use emergency care are out of pocket. This is a dysfunctional system! Everyone needs healthcare, especially during a crisis. This has become acutely noticeable during the coronavirus crisis. If that homeless person, low-wage worker or poor single mother doesn’t have healthcare, they still go out, use the coffee shop or go to the grocery store. And if they have a communicable disease that makes them a threat to the entire community. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, California, which has the nation’s largest homeless population, had an outbreak of typhus since homeless people were not able to access clean water and bathroom facilities. That’s also infectious and could have jumped to the general population. The coronavirus has exposed America essentially has no public healthcare system and everyone needs access to healthcare for the general welfare of society.

Finally, with 16,000 fatalities and parks being turned into mass graves, I hope Americans finally wake up to the fact that healthcare is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Monetizing healthcare generates great profits for health insurance CEOs, but it’s bad for the welfare of society, especially when you’re trying to suppress a communicable disease. (According to 2018 figures from Axios, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ Leonard Schleifer, the highest-paid healthcare CEO, made $118 million.) I hope we figure out these lessons before the next pandemic hits.