Little Pills, Bigger Bills

I went to pick up some of my prescriptions today ands was told that one of them is no longer subsidized. When I asked why from the pharmacist, they said that it is generally because they have decided it is too expensive. Thankfully, this particular medication is not so expensive and will only add about 12€ to my monthly medication costs, but I still found it interesting. I wonder how many other medications are no longer being supported because so much was spent on the Covid response?

Agree with the response or not, the fact is that it has not only heavily affected the economy negatively, but also made it difficult to respond to the economic conditions. With trillions spent globally through debt building mechanisms that kicked the can down the road, that can is now fast approaching and the piper wants to get paid. And, like normal, the only ones who are actually going to end up paying is the people that were forced to already pay for it - us.

I have several posts over the last few years that talk about the future costs of the covid response and mention several times that our physical wellbeing would be compromised because of it. It is not just the changes in medicine costs like this however, it is also the breakdown of people's health through the many impositions applied.

"Small things" like people's backs being in far worse condition due to their poor work from home environments, to complete mental breakdowns from isolation, and changes in the way children are behaving. People have got even fatter during this period too, which of course is going to carry a cost.

The initial outlay of the costs of direct Covid expenses was immense, but the real cost is going to dwarf it, as it is going to have ramifications for many years to come, with very few of them being good for us. We aren't just economically worse off, we are physically worse off too and this is on the average, an average that is going to have knock-on effects, even if you managed to get healthier during this period.

Society (especially one like that which I live in which is a social democracy), comes at a cost and that has social implications too. For example, when there are more disruptive children in the classroom, those who are able to learn, suffer. Or, when people are getting fatter to the point they are ill, they both put more strain on the healthcare system and, are less productive in the economy.

One of my friends is the CFO at a global Pharma, and was saying that for them, they are expecting a significant drop in revenue on some of their product range - essentially, what isn't subsidized. With people having to make more restricted choices with how they spend their money, the assumption is that medication is going to suffer unless vital. What this means is that over time, they will most likely worsen and need more severe (and expensive) intervention.

And of course, this is just a segment of the ongoing problems that have been catalyzed into a faster burn by Covid decision-making. Sure, a lot of the conspiracy theories that got air are trash, but it is undeniable that this has increased the wealth gap between rich and poor at the fastest rate ever. It has done harm to the small businesses and while inflation is running rampant, salaries are not close to following behind.

At least in the mid-term, I don't think it is going to get much better for most people unfortunately. I think that we are being conditioned to put up with worse conditions on a near daily basis, whilst paying more for it than we would have earlier. Things like the amount of hours worked has increased globally on average by employed people, yet the salaries haven't gone up to meet the additional work. Not only that, jobs are still unfilled, because people aren't willing to work for what they are offered.

The high cost of overwork

The findings of the W.H.O. study are alarming:

Working longer hours (more than 55 hours a week) resulted in 745,000 deaths in 2016, up from 590,000 in 2000
Overwork is the single most significant risk factor for occupational disease
Those working more than 55 hours a week have a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of heart disease compared to those who work 35-40 hours
Overwork has significant negative ripple effects on health and behavior—including poor sleep, inadequate exercise, unhealthy diet, smoking, and excessive drinking

source

The World Health Organization - the ones who backed the response, regardless of how unscientific it was to "save lives".

COVID-19 Mortality in Australia: The median age for those who died from COVID-19 was 84.7 years (82.9 years for males, 86.7 years for females).

COVID-19 Mortality in Finland: The median age of those who have died after positive coronavirus tests has risen since last spring from 84 to 85.

Out of the Covid frying pan, into the old age fire.

Btw. In both of those countries, the average age of death from Covid is above the average age of death.

But, those longer hours and overworked conditions are going to persist for years to come. As are the other various conditions that will affect our well being and quality of life, like the increase in financial burden, stress, obesity and violence. For example, domestic violence cases increased by an estimated 25-33% globally. That in itself has other affects on society.

What is the "final toll" really going to be and will the outcomes of the response be worth it five or ten years down the track, when those ripples are still spreading?

Hard to say.

I suspect, much of the impact will never get attributed to this period of time, it will just get swept under the rug, like so much else has been in the last few years.

We're going to need a bigger rug.

Or better pills to look over it.

Taraz [ Gen1: Hive ]

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