Over 50 people killed in worst mass shooting in modern U.S.
Over fifty people were killed and hundreds more were injured in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, which took place in Las Vegas. Hospitals in Clark County, Nevada, are treating hundreds of injured people. However, a second tragedy awaits them in the form of astronomical medical costs because this is a country that has never had guaranteed universal health care. This morning, Steve Sisolak, chairman of the Clark County Commission, started a GoFundMe page to collect money for the victims of the shooting.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak donated $10,000 and shared that he is currently with victims at the county’s level-one trauma center: Las Vegan and Chair of the Clark County Commission Steve Sisolak here. We’re holding a fundraiser to help the families of those killed in the Las Vegas shooting. I am currently with the victims and their loved ones at the only level-one trauma center in Clark County. The funds will be utilized to help the victims and their families of the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada, a Republican, vetoed a bill last summer that would have allowed residents to purchase Medicaid coverage. In the United States, it is common practice to solicit financial aid from complete strangers in order to pay for unexpected medical expenses. Medical expenses account for $930 million of the $2 billion raised by GoFundMe since its 2010 start, according to a report published in 2015 by NerdWallet. NerdWallet’s extensive analysis of crowdfunding platforms, however, found that only about one in ten medical campaigns actually managed to achieve the full amount they had set out to.
Think about how the experiences of some of our allies compare to the United States. Several dozen people were hurt and eight were killed in June when terrorists in London drove a van through a crowd before stabbing them. It was the year’s second major terrorist assault, following March’s atrocity in Manchester. Most medical care in the UK is provided at no cost to the patient. The National Health Service (NHS) was established after World War II to ensure that all British citizens have access to high-quality medical care.
NHS workers responded quickly to the London incident, arriving within six minutes to help the wounded. The NHS recognized the first responders, nurses, and doctors who helped the victims of the terrorist attack in London last month. They praised the NHS workers’ “resilience and compassion” intending to victims who had endured “unimaginable injuries” over and over again. According to NHS chief nursing officer Jane Cummings, “This is the NHS at its best.”
Kurt Cochran, an American, was among those killed in the Manchester incident. Melissa Cochran, his wife, flew back to the States because she required round-the-clock attention. She had to start a GoFundMe because there is no equivalent to the NHS in the United States. Thankfully, $83,512 was raised, which is more than the original goal. It’s the cost of letting the market decide how to handle health care.
