You are either intentionally or unfortunately misunderstanding my posts.

Let me clarify: it certainly seems likely that hospitals may be overwhelmed by covid cases. That’s not something I’ve disputed ever.

My point is: if we have more ICU beds and ventilators and overall capacity than most places with universal healthcare, it’s silly to blame our lack of preparation on the decentralized nature of it.

Any system might be overwhelmed by a sufficiently overwhelming crisis. Do we rail against capitalism when there’s not enough bread on the shelves the day before a snowstorm? I guess maybe you would, I don’t know.

I never said NYC hospitals wouldn’t get overwhelmed. I never even said covid was no big deal.

AGAIN: the article is utter nonsense because its main thrust is that the US health system is uniquely unprepared to deal with this kind of pandemic.

Now, if people don’t take it seriously, and insist on ignoring social distancing, etc. then there’s no level of preparedness what would be enough. That’s the hallmark of a crisis: it overwhelms even the best prepared. We may build our houses ready to withstand a 50 year or even a 100 year flood. But we can’t practically do the same for a 200 year or a 500 year flood. Those floods happen too! And when they do I may reliably depend on some hack from the Atlantic to point out that only the myth of American exceptionalism or capitalism could have let us live so complacently and unprepared for its eventuality.

This kind of nitpicking ax grinding gets clicks and pays bills, I get it. But it’s still utter nonsense.