Single payer k2 bioterror response

Countries like Canada, which has universal health coverage and a well-funded public health infrastructure, are much better prepared to handle deadly epidemics. In 2003, Canada confronted Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which originated in China. A physician from Guangdong province inadvertently infected a number of tourists with the SARS virus, setting off a global pandemic after everyone returned to their home countries. Among the infected travelers was an elderly Canadian woman who returned to Toronto after a 10-day vacation in Hong Kong.

Over the course of about four months, the Canadian health system worked hard to contain the virus, treating 400 people who became ill and quarantining 25,000 Toronto residents who may have been exposed. Ultimately, 44 people died from the disease in Canada, but the result would have been much worse without a quick and well-organized response.

The Canadian government’s response had its glitches—primarily in the form of poor political leadership. Mel Lastman, the mayor of Toronto and a former furniture salesman, became angry when the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a travel advisory against his city. He railed against the WHO’s decision on television, revealing his complete lack of knowledge about either the organization or public health in general. As a result of Lastman’s poor leadership, he was ultimately relegated to a secondary role as the deputy mayor took his place. Lastman’s credibility and legitimacy never recovered from the SARS outbreak. Likewise, US leaders will be judged by how they handle a bioterrorist attack or pandemic.

Unlike Canada, America’s piecemeal healthcare and public health systems are inherently less able to handle such crises. The Affordable Care Act helped fill in the gaps, but really, the only way to prepare for the eventuality of pandemics or bioterrorist attacks is with a single-payer government-run system that covers everyone. The United States might consider modeling its health care system after the one in Israel, a country that, given longstanding threats, takes every terrorist risk very seriously. In 1994, it established universal health coverage for all citizens. The country’s Ministry of Health monitors and promotes public health, oversees the operations of the nation’s hospitals, and sets healthcare priorities. As a result, Israel’s public health, emergency response, and hospital systems are state-of-the-art, highly efficient, and coordinated—a necessity when responding to terrorist attacks.

The preamble to the US Constitution states the goals to “provide for the common defense” and “promote the general Welfare.” The US government won’t fulfill either of these duties if it fails to protect its citizens against pandemics and bioterrorism. The mandate requires a robust public health infrastructure and a universal healthcare system that covers all Americans. The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans threaten to undermine this essential function of government, unnecessarily jeopardizing American lives.