Bernie Sanders Says Medicare for All Would Provide "Quality Care" During Pandemic

[AtheistCrusader]

34. It can influence SOME aspects of this.

For instance, Medicare has tremendous bargaining weight. This will alter the profitability/nature of cost allocation by hospitals. That will have upstream impacts on what the hospital chooses to fund from the get-go. (like stockpiles of various PPE, which today doesn't drive any profit at all, and is maintained (or not) for different reasons.

I don't think your speculation about competition for funding is wrong, in fact, I tend to agree. But it also opens the doors for the CDC to earmark funds for certain things, like 'fill a warehouse with 300,000 of these masks, and establish an emergency distribution plan with this money' during 'good times' for use in events like this.

But yes, there are always points of competition in budgeting. I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
Italy's health care system has certainly been overwhelmed. They're the last player in the chain though. Public policy up front, has to stem the tide, and that's through things like the social distancing controls. A time-sensitive policy issue that was … late.