On March 31st, Politico released an article hailing the Coronavirus chokehold on New York City as “an equalizer,” quoting Greater New York Hospital Association President Kenneth Raske as saying “everybody’s in the same boat.”
Calling the Coronavirus an “equalizer” is something one could only say from a place of advantage over others. Yes, the virus is affecting all of us, killing rich and poor alike. Actor Tom Hanks caught it. My friend, a Black woman working in a pediatric hospital, also caught it. But pretending these two cases are equals is ludicrous.
Often, coupled with the headline that a certain celebrity has just “tested positive” is an additional note saying that they’re “not showing any symptoms.” How exactly celebrities have been able to have such easy access to tests has shocked many. But not me.
I grew up in Canada, and when I moved to the States, one of the biggest shocks to me was how unequally healthcare was handled. While far from a perfect system, in Canada basic healthcare is completely covered. That means that even if you are feeling slightly sick, you go to the doctor and you get checked out. There is no cost, and no barrier to heading to your doctor for a sore throat, a weird lump, a discoloration, or a dizzy feeling. While this means that often you get sent home with ibuprofen and instructions to rest, it also is the perfect way to identify early major problems.
Healthcare for the rich in America is exactly the same; cost is no barrier. They can afford to go to doctors for minor issues, and get easy access to tests. Money affords rich people the very best and fastest care as well. Conversely, access to healthcare for the poor is an at times insurmountable wall.
When I was lying on the ground immediately after my motorcycle accident, one of my dominating thoughts was how much my ambulance ride was going to cost. Ambulance rides can cost upwards of $3,000 per trip, and even though it was the fault of the driver who hit me, I was afraid. I’m not rich. I bring in on average $25-35k a year, and while I have a little bit of savings, a bill like that would completely wipe it out.
With the exception of doctors, most people on the front lines of the pandemic end up being poor. And they’re dying at alarming rates. The fast-food workers, the grocery clerks, the delivery drivers, the waste collectors, and even the clinical workers administering the treatments for the sickness… all of them are among the lowest-paid, and all have the most contact with and exposure to the coronavirus.
The poor are the most reliant on public transportation. The poor have the least access to childcare if they have to work. And the poor have the least access to jobs where they can work from home. America’s poor also have the least access to comprehensive healthcare or even savings to pay for costs. As the pandemic spreads, the news is filling with stories of loved ones who are refusing treatment for fear of the cost.
Because of the ways in which hierarchies in the United States have been designed, Black people, First Nations people, the homeless, the imprisoned, the disabled, and those living in rural communities are all getting hit the hardest. Many of these disadvantaged groups have people who intersect with them in multiple ways, compounding the lack of access to healthcare. And yet, rather than critiquing the policies and barriers that keep the less-advantaged confined and exposed to illness, we criticize the poor for not being proactive enough on social distancing.
Saying the Coronavirus is an equalizer is like noting that we’re in a flood from the deck of your yacht while the rest of us cling to boards. The virus does not discriminate, but the system in which we live does.