Ebola (EVD) is a pretty nasty little thing. I grew up thinking it's the one thing that would make you want to die. I learnt that EVD had a 90% fatality and the reason it stayed its ugly ass in Africa was the high, fast kill rate. That, I liked. Kinda made me feel safe. However, with the proliferation of air travel, maybe not so much. The WHO (no not the ban) has the fatality rate varying between 25 and 90 percent. I've heard anything from 50 to 75 percent from the news. Whatever the degree of fire and brimstone, I would rather it stay in the dark continent. Here's why, Cost. For this I will stay with the monetary value.
Texas Health Resources (THR) is a nonprofit org that owns the hospital that Thomas Duncan was treated at. It is estimated that it cost between 25 to 50k per day to treat a patient with EVD. The only way they will ever recover that amount is though patients at the 24 hospitals, 18 OP clinics, and TAX PAYER DOLLARS. Duncan didn't have insurance to foot the bill and if he did I'm sure there would be some sort of cap on it. The hospital has insurance for this scenario but it to has caps. Since No' Bama's administration refuses to issue travel restrictions. The tax payers are going to pick up the difference. No' Bama has already set aside 6 billion (with a B) for EVD response. That's not good enough for Demoncrat Senator Schumer from NY, he wants an addition 20 million for treating one patient.
The family has settle with the hospital that treated Duncan (a Liberian citizen and the only person to die in the US from EVD) for an undisclosed amount. Some of the money will go to his parents and two of his sons (yep, still live in Liberia) and to build a hospital in his native land to treat EVD patients. Josephus Weeks originally condemned the hospital for mistreating his uncle because he was BLACK, POOR, AND UNINSURED. After the settlement he was quoted saying, "the hospital is outstanding and he looks forward to working with them on building a state of the art" facility in Liberia.
One needs to understand that these are just some of the expenditures involved. THR also put the fiancée, her son, Mr. weeks, and a family friend in a gated, guarded community during quarantine and the time it took to find new residence. Four children; including his 13 year old son, were enrolled in a different school system so there is extra busing cost. I haven't begin to discover the finances on tracking the people on the airplane that one of the nurses flew on from Chicago to Dallas after coming in contact with Duncan. Then there is the cruise ship that was "lost at sea" because a nurse quarantined herself. And on and on and on...
Is it the Right, Moral, Christian thing to take care of these people? Sure. Do I need protein in my diet? Sure. Do I want a big steak every night? Sure. Do I get it? Nope. It has literally been years since I have walked into a grocery store and bought a steak to grill, YEARS. I can't afford it. So I have to supplement my diet with beans and other sources of protein.
Bottom line is Duncan should never been in this country. THR should never have to recoup that expense. Those employees and other passengers should not have to worry about contracting EVD. AND THE TAX PAYERS SHOULD DAMN SURE NOT COVER THE COST. NO' BAMA HAS ADDED MORE DEBT THAN ALL THE OTHER PRESIDENTS COMBINED.
We have to stop spending money we don't have. We; as a society, have to start making the hard choices that will insure a future for our children or whatever can be salvage of it.
