Do you think the Coronavirus pandemic will lead to any lasting changes in US healthcare, especially for Seniors?

My husband is a physician. I do all of his coding and billing. He accepts Medicare and Medicaid. The reimbursements for both do not cover the expenses of having an office, paying staff, etc. And I’m unpaid. At the end of June he is dropping all Medicare and Medicaid patients. Private insurance is slightly better. It’s a thankless profession. He did not encourage our sons to go into medicine. This virus may show the lack of planning in the US, but it won’t change anything.

We can blame the slow reaction on China, if the info out there is correct, they knew about this virus a while ago and allowed it to get to where it is. My daughter says, most of these deadly viruses come out of China. Mainly because of the lack of hygene. Then u have billions of people many in the cities. Lots of close contact.

My #2 daughter just said that Winston Churchill said that the US is a Reactive country. So we have been like this for a long time.

I completely agree our current system of elder care is unfair, exploitive and dangerous. I take care of my mom at home but have experienced dismissive doctors, horrible issues with incompetent home care agencies and scam artists at every turn. I don't know what seniors do that don't have an advocate to protect them. I do hope this does produce change.

Healthcare is all about money. Profit margin. So, I don't see any changes being made. You can't test for something you have no idea about till its there. Then there is time to produce the test and a vaccine. Facilities don't have the ability to stock for something that may happen.

I would hope changes for the good happen across the board.
I have said for years that our society, any society for that matter is a REactive one not a PROactive one so while changes may be made it may not be enough or effective for the next thing that looms around the corner.
And if "pandemics" are on a 100 year cycle the generation 100 years from now will have forgotten what has been learned and will probably react as slowly as "we" have currently.

I would hope that something good could come of this horrific experience, but my first thought is that the medical system and planning need to be addressed.    I know from my relative who's an ER nurse and on the front line of testing that the screening and the potential infected load in addition to non virus related care is overwhelming, and that they DO NOT HAVE adequate supplies.

And I agree that the care of elders needs to be addressed and  revamped.    It's become an industry unto itself, and even though there is oversight, the challenges and costs are overwhelming.   

One big change I'd like to see is the warehousing of older people, and implementing more natural activities including assistive gardening for all senior communities and facilities.    People need to be in contact with Nature.

I don't disagree that it's exploitive, financially especially, and often in other ways.  

It may also be that the first reassessments post CV need to be done globally, as some nations are doing now.   We're all in this together even though we live in competing nations and countries.    More screening at airports, perhaps quarantines after travel, higher screening of imported and exported goods (which could also address the damage done by non native insects and animals), and other options which I can't think of at the moment need to be addressed.

What needs to happen as well is that countries share their experiences, research, data and potential solutions.    I'm sick  of rogue and despotic leaders putting their own egos and obsession with control above everything else.  Unfortunately though, there's not an easy way to rid the world of dictators and wanna be dictators and other nutcases.    

But there also has to be a first response, critical level, something like a DefCon1, a MedCon1 perhaps, with multiple avenues to allow governors and the medical community to respond w/o waiting for the federal government.    Backup supply sources also need to be planned, identified and configured for rapid gearup, but not by federal bureaucrats.

Plants that are idle now could be put to use manufacturing medical supplies, as was done during WWII.   Standby plans absolutely need to be created.      Right now, private sector is gearing up to do this, and that's probably the better solution, and a better one than business clambering for handouts as is being done with the proposed "stimulus" bill. 

This is going to be a hard and sad learning experience.  

I hope I live long enough to see changes made, as I'd hate to think of leaving this world w/o knowing that better plans and options can be devised.