Won’t Back Down
The Morass of Employment and Care Policy

What's In Your Wallet?

Rich poorMost of us at AofA are well aware of the crushing expense for families who support a loved one with autism. The lack of government response and support for two or more decades has been disheartening and heart-hardening.  No unemployment bonus for us when we quit our full time jobs to stay home. No forgivable loans to tide us over... until what? No rent hiatus to keep a roof over our heads. Nothing. Yesterday, The Sunday Times took Covid vaccine manufacturer executives to task for taking price hikes and making a King's ransom while the world's economy staggers under the effects of lockdowns. We've excerpted the article below - it's behind a paywall. At what point will Americans, Europeans, Citizens of the World open their eyes and understand that there is NO altruism in the economics of war. WAR MAKES MONEY. In this war, it's not GM and Goodyear. In this war it's not Grumman and Lockheed Martin. It's pharmaceutical companies fighting the virus. ALL WITHOUT LIABILITY.  Blaxill et all published a paper on the societal cost of autism last month:

Blaxill, M., Rogers, T. & Nevison, C. Autism Tsunami: the Impact of Rising Prevalence on the Societal Cost of Autism in the United States. J Autism Dev Disord (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05120-7

Abstract

The cost of ASD in the U.S. is estimated using a forecast model that for the first time accounts for the true historical increase in ASD. Model inputs include ASD prevalence, census population projections, six cost categories, ten age brackets, inflation projections, and three future prevalence scenarios. Future ASD costs increase dramatically: total base-case costs of $223 (175–271) billion/year are estimated in 2020; $589 billion/year in 2030, $1.36 trillion/year in 2040, and $5.54 (4.29–6.78) trillion/year by 2060, with substantial potential savings through ASD prevention. Rising prevalence, the shift from child to adult-dominated costs, the transfer of costs from parents onto government, and the soaring total costs raise pressing policy questions and demand an urgent focus on prevention strategies. Read here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05120-7

Operation Warp Speed provided more than $18B in funding Covid vaccine development. The Lancet: Operation Warp Speed: implications for global vaccine security The article below makes it sounds as if the companies had to dip into their kids' piggy banks to produce the products.

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Sabah Meddings
Saturday August 14 2021, 6.00pm, The Sunday Times

Moderna’s chairman is unapologetic about the price of its Covid vaccine. Like Pfizer, its American peer and rival, the Boston-based biotech company has jacked up the price of its jabs as countries race to order booster shots for next year. “This mRNA was not some academic science that suddenly we found ourselves using to make a vaccine,” said Noubar Afeyan, referring to the underlying technology. “There were ten years, over $2 billion of investment and hundreds of scientists working for many years to make all this possible.”

...Albert Bourla, chief executive of Pfizer, is one of the leading figures in the fight against Covid. Bourla, 59, was paid $21 million (£15.2 million) last year and drew attention in November after selling $5.6 million of shares on the same day the drugmaker announced that its Covid vaccine was more than 90 per cent effective in protecting people from transmission of the virus.

...Earlier this year, Pfizer paid the TV channel National Geographic to produce a glowing documentary, Mission Possible: The Race for a Vaccine, which featured interviews with the company’s scientists and its chief executive, Albert Bourla, 59. He explained that he had told scientists there was an “open chequebook, no questions asked”.

Staff were told to begin manufacturing the vaccine before it was clear that it worked, he said.

“Do it all at once and see if it works,” he declared. “If not, it’s only money.”

Comments

Angus Files

Exactly Betty just the tip of the iceberg and no damages accepted...win win win for Pharma just alive to keep coming back for repeat prescriptions , attend work occasionally, then die for following advice from your Government pharma puppet ministers!


Pharma For Prison

MMR RIP

Betty

Angus,
The study you cited is ridiculous when you look at the details. The "wonderdrug" they seem to be talking about is just Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment. There is absolutely nothing new with IVIG being used for autoimmune issues. Insurance frequently pays if a person is able to show auto-antibodies associated with their disease. The interesting part is that they seem to be classifying the Vaccine Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VIITT) as autoimmune. So, the vaccine causes autoimmune diseases. What other autoimmune diseases does it cause. And they came up with 70 people for their study. Probably just in their area? How many such people with VIITT are out there? Their statement about the improvements for these patients is telling: "These patients are able to live an independent life rather than depending on carers or family to look after them." Still it is claimed to be rare and usually not serious. Ha!

Shell

Noubar Afeyan, Chairman of Moderna said that this mRNA Vaccine took 10 years, 2 Billion dollars of investments, hundreds of scientists working years to make this possible... NOT BAD for a Supposedly NEW and NOVEL DISEASE,EH???

Emmaphiladelphia

Is this why the U.S. government doesn't have money to help families with vaccine injured kids?

""As for the collapse of the regime, it is most eloquently characterised by the way Ghani fled from Afghanistan: four cars were full of money, they tried to put part of the money into a helicopter, but everything did not fit. And some of the money was left on the runway...""
https://sputniknews.com/world/202108161083620203-afghan-president-ghani-fled-kabul-with-cash-filled-cars-russian-embassy/

"Take The Money And Run"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQKB37JUKso
Some of the little guys aren't so lucky....

TOB

I hear you on all fronts, Benedetta. I don't mean to brag to anyone on this site about running or cooking--I just hate when pundits talk about vaccines as if they're the only health choice anyone makes. Kind of like how they took our real lightbulbs away while living in massive, air-conditioned homes and flying everywhere. I guess only some things are global warming sins.

And that is a crummy situation with respect to the thyroid. I am really, really sorry.

Greyone, I had not thought of that. If only you could place a monetary bet. It would be nice to cash in if you turn out to be right.

greyone

TOB
I wonder if Kaiser has been selected for the Medicare for All monopoly ; just a hunch (AI, deinnovative medicine with an accountant in every pot and bot).

benedetta

Elisabeth Rosenthal An ER doctor before she turned journalist for the New York Times. She wants the unvaccinated to pay higher insurance premiums. But after Obama Care -- that is all dirt cheap, I mean really. I am being sarcastic, but of course.


and Jonathan Meer a professor of economics is the best I can come up with what he does for a living.
He is all about charities - an economic professor.

I think the best way to riches and hell is to open up a charity and collect yourself rich.

benedetta

TOB Thanks for responding, and for understanding since I left out the part of have to get vaccinated or else.

I do pay cash for my thyroid medicine. $21.27 dollars this morning. Since it was vaccines that gave it to me in the first place/kind of like Fauci gave us the covid and so the government was all generous (for once) about paying for that mistake to some-- finish that thought.

I admire those that can run 3.5 miles. I am sure though that it would cause everything that makes up my body to hurt! LOL.

I do walk 5,000 steps a day; that is about two miles, and the other 5,000 is my daily have to do.


benedetta

I meant if some one ends up in the hospital with covid and they have not gotten the vaccine - they have to pay for it. Apparently there was a time when the government paid for it?

I also heard that the government will help pay for your funeral if you die of covid. My cousin who is a nurse - said so, plus something on the news?

TOB

Benedetta,

I think it's Jonathan Meer (as cited here: https://www.econlib.org/should-the-unvaccinated-be-required-to-pay-for-hospital-bills/) who said unvaccinated people's insurance should not cover their medical care if they need care related to coronavirus.

Elisabeth Rosenthal of Kaiser Health News said the same thing (https://newrepublic.com/article/163276/unvaccinated-pay-higher-insurance-premiums). And of course "ethicist" Art Caplan jumped on the jackwagon--oops, I mean bandwagon.

I run a 5k literally every day, and my family spends our hard-earned money on real food, which sure as heck is costing us a pretty penny in this inflationary environment. I wonder if Meer and Rosenthal would like to have their insurance coverage taken away because they (I'll bet) doesn't live the way I do.

It's just another tool to divide us. I hope someone with more money than my family has will stand up and sue if/when this nutty idea comes to pass.

As for the cost of your thyroid medication, it may be that you can get a better deal paying cash. You might see if there is a cost-plus pharmacy in your area that will sell you generics at cost, plus a bottle-filling fee. (There is a place in Pittsburgh called Blueberry that runs its whole business this way.) I know that metformin, for example, is often cheaper for people to buy *without* using their insurance. Insurance for prescription drugs is a nice little scheme where the more layers there are, the more people are there to grab your money. I will pray for you. I have been enjoying (wrong word, but you know what I mean) your comments for a long time. As a nun I knew in high school once said, "Everyone will get what's coming to him in the end." Sometimes it seems a long time to wait.

mwalimumtoro

Let me get this straight. Moderna's chairman is claiming that his company invested 10 years and 2 billion dollars in the mRNA technology? And they developed it all by themselves? No reliance on academic research whatsoever? No government NIH scientists involved? And I suppose therefore, no academic, government scientist or public institution could possibly hold patent rights on any part of the technology or vaccine?
I honestly don't want the shot. And if the price discourages some people from taking it, especially younger ones, that might be a good thing. Right now, I'm more concerned about the impact of the blatant lying pandemic.

Angus Files

Great post thanks..well I never! (joke ha ha) a pharma company creating a wonder cure for a problem they caused..nice colour of orange in the photos..

Coronavirus breakthrough as UK scientists back wonderdrug to treat vaccine blood clot
A CORONAVIRUS breakthrough may have been made by UK scientists who have found a possible treatment for blood clotting in the brain following the vaccine.
The COVID-19 vaccine is very safe for the overwhelming majority of people. But, on a few very rare occasions, there have been some cases of blood clotting in the brain. This kind of blood clotting is known as cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) and it can lead to strokes and even death.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1477449/coronavirus-uk-scientists-vaccine-blood-clot-brain-ucl-covid19-pfizer-astrazeneca-scn

Benedetta

Who are the fools that bought Albert's stocK?

I got up this morning to take my last thyroid pill. I have had this little problem well before I hit 40, let alone 59. I called in my prescription and these are not all that cheap by the way.

I took a moment to feel bad for those trying to buy insulin. I gave them a quick prayer, and Fauci is just not going unless he decides to retire. I gave that another prayer. I am not sure that just the top people needs to go to jail in all of this.

Ohhhh and here is a little zinger I heard on the news. Some top person - (some one run this down for me) is it in the government or in a pharma that said they need to stop paying for people's hospital stays if they get covid and end up in the hospital. I had heard that the government was paying out to the hospitals in New York, but by the time covid reached Minnesota according to Senator Johnson they were not.

SO there is another stick, whip, two by four to beat us on the head with. Except I have my doubts they will help out with my son that has no insurance at this time.

Bob Moffit

"Albert Bourla, 59. (millionaire chief executive of Pfizer) explained "we have an open checkbook, no questions asked .. Do it all at once and see if it works. If not, its only money".

If there is a God .. I pray that someday in the near future he hold accountable this man for his callous disregard and respect for his fellow mankind .. using mankind to experiment on is a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY … at last report from RFK's Children Defense Fund .. there have been thousands of deaths reported as well as thousands more injured and hospitalized due to covid vaccine .. so … obviously IT'S NOT ONLY ABOUT THE MONEY .. IT IS ABOUT THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF MANKIND.

Last report there are at least 49 newly minted BILLIONAIRS the product of COVID PANDEMIC … to them all … IT'S ONLY ABOUT THE MONEY.

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