I think it’s true that CC skews on the high end I’ll also say that if you’re not on that high end here, you’re not exactly advertising it. Truth. I think there is plenty of company here who is not high end, but they just don’t share that.
Some of us are not being righteousness about staying home vs opening it up for people to go back to work. What I am having issues with is the states that are opening up now have no plan on how to keep the workers and customers safe. They just say, “Lets open.” Where is the guideline on how to keep some of those places safe? They are not telling the restaurants, gyms, salons what they need to do to keep their workers safe. Yes, those workers are having a gun to their heads to go back to work, because if they stayed home then they wouldn’t have a job and wouldn’t be able to collect unemployment. If they went back to work they would be making a fraction of they were making before.
If you look at some Asian countries, they have kept their economy open. Their daycares and schools stayed open, but they put in a lot more safety measures. As an example, students have to clean their shoes before entering school, they put up plexiglass between desks, their temperatures are taken before going to school. They regularly test the population and they have contact tracing. We have nothing like that in place. It is free for all and hoping for the best. Guess what, you could open the malls and restaurants, but until people are not afraid for their safeties they are not going to go to those places. Those business and workers are not going to be better off.
I talked to a neighbor today. Her son (who is my age lol) was days away from a stem cell transplant in early March. In a Detroit area hospital.
It was postponed, he had to go back into chemotherapy.
Now I’m not really sure exactly what happened but this cancer patient ran a fever, a not uncommon thing when you are having cancer treatments. He’s had fevers before and once they get high enough, he has to go to the hospital. Well, a cancer patient with a fever during a COVID-19 crisis is well, problematic.
The family has been told that the stem cell transplant should finally happen. Next week hopefully.
This is one story out of hundreds. The other cost of this pandemic.
Health insurance has always been part of the total compensation package in all of the jobs I’ve held. Just part of what companies offer to attract the employees they want/ need.
Same approach when unions negotiate health coverage for their members.
@dietz199 you aren’t the only one wanting their bakery favorites! My daughter’s workplace is insanely busy, like they can’t even keep up with the demand. Her manager told her that Easter was the busiest their location has ever been. My daughter thinks it’s the funniest thing how crazy people are for these cakes; they sell individual sizes too and people wait in lines down the sidewalk for one little cake. At one point they had to stop answering the phone b/c they just could not keep up with in store and phone orders. I have yet to have one of these cakes, but my BIL, who has one near him, said they are pretty amazing. He buys them for his clients.
I was a bit annoyed when the shut down all started that this bakery was considered essential and stayed open (b/c as her mom, living on the opposite coast, I worried about her getting sick). Obviously I want the business to succeed and certainly don’t fault them for staying open, but I was amazed so many people continued patronize the store. I’m glad they are doing so well. I can’t wait for my next visit so I can try one!
Hopefully your favorite place will be open soon so you can satisfy your sweet tooth!
For CC I think we’re on the lower end in that we make <100K most years. There have been two when we’ve been a little over.
For the US that still puts us above median, so I’m not totally sure where you’d put the line.
A thought for others to consider…
Many small businesses are closed. However, I’m not a big business lover and wasn’t prior to covid either. My lad and H both have birthdays this month. I was able to email/call local small businesses that I thought would have what I wanted to buy (board games, a dogwood tree) and ask if they would sell them to me over the phone with pick up in a basic parking lot. Both agreed - and offered thanks for thinking of them.
To me this is no different than buying online and having things delivered so I’m pretty sure it’s still allowed and it allows me to support local small businesses vs Amazon or Walmart or whatever.
It’s something others can try for certain things. It won’t get your hair cut (med school lad trimmed mine earlier today!), but for “things” it might work.
The bakeries here are open…and actually report their businesses are doing extremely well. We have a couple of local Take Out pages on Facebook…and their carry out menus are terrific. The local cupcake place says her business has doubled.
Many of these places are also working with restaurants that are providing meals at the hospitals, EMS, police and fire folks.
I’m so impressed with what these businesses are doing. When given the chance, I contribute to this very worthy cause.
@Mwfan1921 well, my husband is a happy Medicare recipient. Cheap deductible, zero copay for meds, same doctor as before, dental coverage and gym membership through his Advantage plan, etc. A friend with the same Advantage plan who needed back surgery in another state had no issues with coverage. I can’t wait to turn 65.
Re Medicare, I’m vicariously raising my mother’s hand as another happy recipient. She respects her primary care provider and specialists and feels very well cared-for.
Re the demographic on here: Yes, I am materially extremely fortunate. There’s a difference between being rich and being clueless – I work constantly trying to avoid the latter.
For all living alone it would be difficult. The young feel they will ultimately be reunited with those they love. But the very elderly must feel the clock ticking for any chance of this.
My H and parents have been happy with their Medicare coverage.
We continue to have takeout at local small restaurants and most are still operating/open. Some have open air seating that they could use and many are quite used to lots of takeout orders even before c19.
However, not everyone has a job at a big paternalistic employer that includes good medical coverage in the compensation package (and union representation has been declining over time). Self-employed people, freelancers, those retired before Medicare age, those working at companies that do not include medical coverage, etc. have to figure it out on their own. These days, ACA and Medicaid subsidize coverage for some, but others may find that the coverage that they used to get from big paternalistic employers costs quite a bit to buy oneself. Before ACA, they have to run the gauntlet of medical underwriting to get any coverage at all.
Urgent cares in NYC are giving antibody testings. I went to a CityMD around me this afternoon only to find out it’s temporary closed. I will go to another location early this week. D1 & her husband went to get tested this afternoon around where they live. They should find out tomorrow. D1 traveled extensively to Europe and west coast in Jan & Feb. She said they drew a vial of blood from her, not just a prick on her finger.
I guess they are getting serious about testing NYers. I was told they would start doing at pharmacies like Walgreen soon.
??♀️ As another satisfied Medicare person.
I think some posters really do not understand reopening. In Texas, at least, it was limited to only certain businesses, with a maximum capacity of 25% of total capacity in phase 1. So restaurants limit the number of diners that way, and space tables far apart. There are lines to enter grocery stores. Some counties have face mask laws. The rules are different if your county has 5 or fewer confirmed cases of COVID.
Before posters claim that everyone is rushing back to normal, one needs to investigate the actual executive orders in the affected places, which the media never does.
Similar partial opening in Florida. Counties with most infections are still on SAH. Counties with few infections are able to partially open. Restaurants and other retail at 25% capacity. Nonelective surgery OK if PPE is available. Some state parks partially open. No gyms, hair salons, tattoo parlors, spas, bars, large gatherings.
But if you read many of the media headlines, they make it sounds like Florida’s 100% open and down to party.
I have read those orders. What’s the point of allowing 25% capacity without any safety guidelines? A restaurant is not sustainable at 25% capacity, and wait staff can’t earn a living wage at 25% capacity.
This is one of Georgia’s guidelines:
Discouraging, really?!
Have a lot of restaurants chosen to re-open? It doesn’t sound like most restaurants could make money under such circumstances.
old fort: does the lab give any indication of what antibody test they are using? Sensitivity? Specificity?
As an aside, I just found an announcement that Quest diagnostics is now open for self-referral for antibody testing for immunoglobulin G (IgG). $119 (Perhaps I should put this on the College 2020 thread?)