#covid in us

[yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt]

In light of Brian Thompson being shot dead on my birthday (🎉🥳🎂) I'd like to share a personal story about UnitedHealthcare.

During the peak of COVID, my family all got sick. I couldn't be on my parents' insurance because they were both older and on Medicare. So, I had insurance through my University: UnitedHealthcare.

For some reason, rather than roll-over each year, I got a new plan each year that ended after May and didn't start until August, so I was uninsured for the summer months, but it was a weird situation that the university denied, and told us we were supposed to be insured year-round, it was messy.

Both of my parents went to the hospital, and I got sick too. I had to take care of my pets, and myself, and try to stay alive and keep my pets alive when I was so weak I could hardly move. When my parents came home, my condition got dramatically worse (I think my body knew it couldn't give out, because there was nobody to take care of me, so once my parents were okay, it completely crashed and failed.)

I started experiencing emergency symptoms. It was a bit hard to breathe, my chest hurt, and I was extremely delirious. I wanted to call my insurance to see if I was covered (this was during the summer) and I was connected to some nice person, probably making minimum wage, who told me with caution in her voice that my plan was expired. I had no active insurance, but she urged me to go to an emergency room. I remember saying something to the effect of "You just told me I don't have insurance, I can't go to the hospital, I can't afford it."

She sounded so genuinely worried and scared. I remember she said "You really don't sound good, you sound really sick, please call 9-1-1" and I think I just said "I can't afford it without insurance, don't worry, I think I'll be okay."

And she paused and said "I don't want to hang up the phone with you like this." And it sounded like she was holding back tears. And I don't remember what I said, I think that I would be okay, and I hung up.

I still think about her. I wonder if that phone call haunted her, or if she had dozens of calls like that a day. I wonder if she thinks about it at all, if she wonders if I died after she told me I didn't have insurance and therefore couldn't go to the hospital without incurring a tremendous financial burden. I wonder if she feels guilt or blame-- of course she shouldn't, it wouldn't have been her fault if anything had happened to me. Maybe it's self-centered to wonder if she thinks about it. I'm not the main character and it was just her job. But, still.

I think about how evil it was that we were put in that situation. Because offering year-long continuous coverage through the university plan would maybe cut into profits, maybe not benefit shareholders enough, maybe cut into Thompson's $10 million salary. While his minimum wage administrators have to feel afraid to hang up the phone, because on the other line someone might be dying, and they wouldn't know. While his patients hang up and decide to take their chances rather than put their family through that trauma.

This is UnitedHealthcare. This is Brian Thompson's legacy. This is why, understandably, an entire nation is jubilant that he was gunned down like the vermin he was. I don't care about his widow. I feel pity for his children, despite the fact that they will inherit millions, but I feel more pity for the children of his victims patients who are gone because they didn't want THEIR children to inherit crippling debt. Brian Thompson got what he fucking deserved. I pray that he not be the only one. I pray for continued safety, peace , and anonymity for his killer.

American healthcare is a disease.

[covid-safer-hotties]

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]

[dsudis]

Help win cleaner indoor air!

The Airborne Act (H.R. 9000) creates incentives to clean up indoor air! It offers tax credits to commercial building owners for conducting indoor air quality assessments and making upgrades to ventilation and air filtration.

Indoor air quality upgrades can reduce substantially airborne diseases—protecting our health and decreasing health care expenses, lost wages and lost productivity.

[arctic-hands]

No but seriously the United States desperately needs to have a discussion about segregation against the disabled in our school systems and we can start with how anti-masking and perfect attendance policies have forced medically vulnerable kids to either put themselves at grievous risk or pull out of school all together

[lotus-tower]

y’all do NOT go out next week unless you have to and wear your best masks and tape the edges down bc it’s just not worth it

[hellyeahsickaf]

I found an extremely dope disability survival guide for those who are homebound, bedbound, in need of disability accommodations, or would otherwise like resources for how to manage your life as a disabled person. (Link is safe)

It has some great articles and resources and while written by people with ME/CFS, it keeps all disabilities in mind. A lot of it is specific to the USA but even if you're from somewhere else, there are many guides that can still help you. Some really good ones are:

How to live a great disabled life- A guide full of resources to make your life easier and probably the best place to start (including links to some of the below resources). Everything from applying for good quality affordable housing to getting free transportation, affordable medication, how to get enough food stamps, how to get a free phone that doesn't suck, how to find housemates and caregivers, how to be homebound, support groups and Facebook pages (including for specific illnesses), how to help with social change from home, and so many more.

Turning a "no" into a "yes"- A guide on what to say when denied for disability aid/accommodations of many types, particularly over the phone. "Never take no for an answer over the phone. If you have not been turned down in writing, you have not been turned down. Period."

How to be poor in America- A very expansive and helpful guide including things from a directory to find your nearest food bank to resources for getting free home modifications, how to get cheap or free eye and dental care, extremely cheap internet, and financial assistance with vet bills

How to be homebound- This is pretty helpful even if you're not homebound. It includes guides on how to save spoons, getting free and low cost transportation, disability resources in your area, home meals, how to have fun/keep busy while in bed, and a severe bedbound activity master list which includes a link to an audio version of the list on Soundcloud

Master List of Disability Accommodation Letters For Housing- Guides on how to request accommodations and housing as well as your rights, laws, and prewritten sample letters to help you get whatever you need. Includes information on how to request additional bedrooms, stop evictions, request meetings via phone, mail, and email if you can't in person, what you can do if a request is denied, and many other helpful guides

Special Laws to Help Domestic Violence Survivors (Vouchers & Low Income Housing)- Protections, laws, and housing rights for survivors of DV (any gender), and how to get support and protection under the VAWA laws to help you and/or loved ones receive housing and assistance

Dealing With Debt & Disability- Information to assist with debt including student loans, medical debt, how to deal with debt collectors as well as an article with a step by step guide that helped the author cut her overwhelming medical bills by 80%!

There are so many more articles, guides, and tools here that have helped a lot of people. And there are a lot of rights, resources, and protections that people don't know they have and guides that can help you manage your life as a disabled person regardless of income, energy levels, and other factors.

Please boost!

[i-still-mask-because]

Nassau County of Long Island, New York passed a mask ban bill today. Please make a habit of calling your city, county, state, and federal representatives expressing your opposition to mask bans because fascist legislative proposals like this is absolutely going to be domino effecting throughout the US. AND WEAR A MASK IN PUBLIC. WEAR A MASK TO NOT ONLY PROTECT US, BUT SUPPORT US.

Editing to add (8/14/2024): Please read the recent update.

[renthony]

Help keep COVID-19 vaccines free in the United States!

The People's CDC has created a template for sending a letter to Congress about extending the Bridge Access Program, which has been providing free COVID vaccines to uninsured people in the United States. As of time time of this posting (July 19, 2024), the Bridge Access Program will be ending next month.

My family needs the Bridge Access Program! It is the ONLY way for poor households like mine to access COVID vaccines. If this program goes away, a lot of people like my family are going to have even less access to the outside world.

My family has already had difficulty utilizing the Bridge Access Program for our updated boosters, because many vaccination locations are preemptively (and suspiciously) claiming they can't offer the vaccines for free. We tried three different locations for our most recent booster, and we still haven't been able to get it, even though the Bridge Access Program is supposed to still be in effect. We keep getting told there are "none available through the program" by pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens (who will only let us get them if we pay full price for some reason?), and the current wait for an appointment at the sliding-scale clinic is longer than the remainder of the Bridge Access Program. By the time I get in, it won't be free anymore, unless Congress is convinced to extend the program.

Vaccine access cannot be allowed to be taken from us like this. Lack of updated vaccines is why I can barely leave the house.

COVID hasn't gone away, vaccine boosters are vital, and I'm asking US residents to fill out and submit the form. It's a small way to help, but the People's CDC has had success with these campaigns in the past. I choose to cling to what slivers of hope I can right now.

[thistlecrimes]

Things I've learned from getting covid for the first time in 2023

I wear an N95 in public spaces and I've managed to dodge it for a long time, but I finally got covid for the first time (to my knowledge) in mid-late November 2023. It was a weird experience especially because I feel like it used to be something everyone was talking about and sharing info on, so getting it for the first time now (when people generally seem averse to talking about covid) I found I needed to seek out a lot of info because I wasn't sure what to do. I put so much effort into prevention, I knew less about what to do when you have it. I'm experiencing a rebound right now so I'm currently isolating. So, I'm making a post in the hopes that if you get covid (it's pretty goddamn hard to avoid right now) this info will be helpful for you. It's a couple things I already knew and several things I learned. One part of it is based on my experience in Minnesota but some other states may have similar programs.

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The World Health Organization states you should isolate for 10 days from first having symptoms plus 3 days after the end of symptoms.

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At the time of my writing this post, in Minnesota, we have a test to treat program where you can call, report the result of your rapid test (no photo necessary) and be prescribed paxlovid over the phone to pick up from your pharmacy or have delivered to you. It is free and you do not need to have insurance. I found it by googling "Minnesota Test to Treat Covid"

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Paxlovid decreases the risk of hospitalization and death, but it's also been shown to decrease the risk of Long Covid. Long Covid can occur even from mild or asymptomatic infections.

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Covid rebound commonly occurs 2-8 days after apparent recovery. While many people associate Paxlovid with covid rebound, researchers say there is no strong evidence that Paxlovid causes covid rebound, and rebounds occur in infections that were not treated with Paxlovid as well. I knew rebounds could happen but did not know it could take 8 days. I had mine on day 7 and was completely surprised by it.

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If you start experiencing new symptoms or test positive again, the CDC states that you should start your isolation period again at day zero. Covid rebound is still contagious. Personally I'd suggest wearing a high quality respirator around folks for an additional 8-9 days after you start to test negative in case of a rebound.

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Positive results on a rapid test can be very faint, but even a very faint line is positive result. Make sure to look at your rapid test result under strong lighting. Also, false negatives are not uncommon. If you have symptoms but test negative taking multiple tests and trying different brands if you have them are not bad ideas. My ihealth tests picked up my covid, my binax now tests did not.

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EDIT: I'd highly suggest spending time with friends online if you can, I previously had a link to the NAMI warmline directory in this post but I've since been informed that NAMI is very much funded by pharmaceutical companies and lobbies for policies that take autonomy away from disabled folks, so I've taken that off of here! Sorry, I had no idea, the People's CDC listed them as a resource so I just assumed they were legit! Feel free to reply/reblog this with other warmlines/support resources if you know of them! And please reblog this version!

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I know that there is so much we can't control as individuals right now, and that's frightening. All we can do is try our best to reduce harm and to care for each other. I hope this info will be able to help folks.

[parisoonic]

'We go together!' 🤝

[covid-conscious-and-silly]

TIME-SENSITIVE COVID ACTION ITEM FOR YOU, YES, YOU

In case you missed it: there is a proposed mask ban in Nassau County, New York that will not only make it illegal for anyone to wear a mask but will also fine you not $50...not $100...but ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS if you are caught wearing one. Absolutely disgusting.

So, what can you do?? There is a lovely organization called COVID Advocacy NY that has a comprehensive list of actions you can take at the link below! To my knowledge, you don't have to be a Nassau County resident to send a written comment. The meeting is tomorrow (July 15th) at 1 PM EST, so flood the inbox now!

"But Mitchie, what am I supposed to say?" Great question! There are talking points listed on the website, and I would also be happy to DM you the email I wrote for you to send/tweak yourself. We take care of us. Let's do this for Nassau. Reblog for other people to see. Love you! 😷❤️

[pandemic-info]

Excerpts:

“Some things that I love that I can’t do any more are exercising, lifting weights, hiking and reading an hour a day,” he said. ...“Having to still think about Covid fucking sucks. Trust me, I get it,” he said. “But empathy alone is not enough without actions of solidarity.”

According to one report, 400 million people have been affected by long Covid. But it is under-diagnosed and misunderstood. McGorry said in the video he hesitated to speak publicly about his health “primarily because of fear of career discrimination and also people making assumptions about what I can and can’t do”.

...having to convince people that accessibility and disability justice are social justice issues in the first place is incredibly dehumanizing and exhausting and usually very fruitless.”

One of the most common ways disabled people are discriminated against is people making assumptions about their capacities and not consulting them about it.

I’m new to experiencing it first-hand, but a lot of the systemic oppression that disabled people face is neglect. It may not be outright vitriol. If you don’t take the action to make the space accessible, we can’t be there, or we can’t be there safely. We have to risk our lives.

We’re used to being told that you get healthier by putting in effort. But with long Covid, to recover, many experts say to do less and rest. I was a personal trainer for a decade, including during my first two seasons of Orange Is the New Black. I was heavily indoctrinated into diet culture and thin supremacy. We’re taught you just have to keep pushing. A person that I help care for is mostly housebound, and often bed-bound. I was in a session with them with a neurologist recently, who was like, “But you should get up and walk around the block.” So it runs deep.

As an able-bodied person, you trust that your doctor is going to steer the ship if something pops up. But if I were to wait for them and not be proactive, my health would have continued to decline. So, for me, it looks like reading studies, following people who are at the forefront of the science, and cross-referencing with other people in the [long Covid] community. 

Before I had long Covid, when I was unconsciously invested in ideas of health and goodness and virtue, there was pride in being a good patient at the doctor. ... The more you have a complex illness, the more you end up having to push and advocate for certain things, including masking in the offices, which is absolutely exhausting.

I think people don’t understand that. You’re asking, “Hey, would you mind protecting my life?” When someone’s like, “Oh God, what a pain in the ass,” experiences like that make you reticent to ask in the future.

If we’re only focused on individual change and not on the systemic issues that actually have a larger impact on health, like poverty and lack of access to medical care, then what we’re doing is not really about health. It’s about thinness and desirability and social status. If we don’t have accessible healthcare, both for cost and when people feel safe to show up and not get infected, what we’re doing is not health. We’re excluding the people that actually need it the most, which in any other social justice issue we would understand is a huge fucking problem and that something needs to be done about it.

...it really comes down to respirators and getting updated vaccines, which most people just do not do these days. The science is really clear that getting Covid over and over again is not good for anyone. I... And I understand that it emotionally costs something – to admit that there is a risk disrupts the illusion of denial and back to normal.

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]

[covid-safer-hotties]

[dangeroustaintedflawed]