Jan Stowe saw countless patients go through withdrawals during her 40-year nursing career, but last month she experienced it herself when the U.S. Postal Service failed to deliver her medication for chronic back pain and muscle spasms.
Stowe, whose back problems forced her into retirement, is among thousands of Americans who have missed their prescription medications because of Postal Service delays. A dramatic decrease in on-time deliveries since the beginning of July has put lives in jeopardy as a growing number of people depend on getting their prescriptions by mail.
The Postal Service manages 1.2 billion prescription drug shipments a year — or about 4 million each day, six days a week — the National Association of Letter Carriers reported earlier this year. That number has grown during the pandemic, and many recipients are accusing President Donald Trump and the White House of orchestrating mail delays to undermine mail-in voting. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said last week that he would suspend any operational changes to the Postal Service until after the election to avoid any impact on voting by mail. But that doesn't address secondary effects, such as delayed prescriptions and the economic fallout on small businesses.
Like many of this administration's screw-ups, be they through malice or incompetence, the ongoing destruction of the post office is threatening lives.
Postal Service delays of prescription drugs put thousands of American lives at risk
Like many of this administration's screw-ups, be they through malice or incompetence, the ongoing destruction of the post office is threatening lives.
Postal Service delays of prescription drugs put thousands of American lives at risk
Amid the increased concern about election security are key issues relating to USPS’ financial outlook that have plagued it for years. These include threats from competitors and customers like Amazon, UPS and FedEx, billions of dollars in debt, costly pension and health benefits and the shift toward digital communication and marketing.
Its current resources are more than enough to enable it to deliver ballots and handle any election-related mail, according to Kevin Kosar, an executive at the R Street Institute think tank who spent over 10 years covering postal issues for the Congressional Research Service.
Thousands of people that have no bank account for direct deposit, so they rely on receiving their S.S. checks or retirement checks through the USPS. Many of these people live in rural areas of red states. It seems to me that delaying the mail as a tactic is going to backfire on Trump.
This can be solved easily if we privatize the USPS. The UK and Germany have privatized theirs, so why cant we?
This can be solved easily if we privatize the USPS. The UK and Germany have privatized theirs, so why cant we?
USPS manufactured crisis. Another case of smoke and mirrors. Request your ballots early if not planning to vote in person.
USPS manufactured crisis. Another case of smoke and mirrors. Request your ballots early if not planning to vote in person.
This can be solved easily if we privatize the USPS. The UK and Germany have privatized theirs, so why cant we?
That doesn't get people's medicine to them on time.
This can be solved easily if we privatize the USPS. The UK and Germany have privatized theirs, so why cant we?
Can ups or fedex ship a letter with a 55 cent postal stamp with out additional cost?
What? You two think that is the actual market value of sending a letter? Do you know what subsidies are? I havent sent snail mail in years yet I have to pay taxes so that you can send out 55-cent mail? Its about time we actually transact at fair market values because I aint paying for your mail.Show me where I can mail a letter to anyone else in the US for the same cost with a private company, then I will be open to discussion about it.
What? You two think that is the actual market value of sending a letter? Do you know what subsidies are? I havent sent snail mail in years yet I have to pay taxes so that you can send out 55-cent mail? Its about time we actually transact at fair market values because I aint paying for your mail.
The postal service is a common good used by everybody. Profit should not matter.
Article One Section Eight
Only Congress shall have the power to establish post offices and post roads. In order to get this changed requires a constitutional amendment. The USPS is an American institution, not a commercial enterprise. Even if the House, Senate and President all agreed to privatize the USPS, the court system would need to rule on the hundreds of cases that would spring up challenging the attempt.
When it becomes a financial liability, it needs to modernize. We live in the 21st Century, not in the 19th Century.
What? You two think that is the actual market value of sending a letter? Do you know what subsidies are? I havent sent snail mail in years yet I have to pay taxes so that you can send out 55-cent mail? Its about time we actually transact at fair market values because I aint paying for your mail.
This can be solved easily if we privatize the USPS. The UK and Germany have privatized theirs, so why cant we?
Can ups or fedex ship a letter with a 55 cent postal stamp with out additional cost?
What? You two think that is the actual market value of sending a letter? Do you know what subsidies are? I havent sent snail mail in years yet I have to pay taxes so that you can send out 55-cent mail? Its about time we actually transact at fair market values because I aint paying for your mail.
Like many of this administration's screw-ups, be they through malice or incompetence, the ongoing destruction of the post office is threatening lives.
Postal Service delays of prescription drugs put thousands of American lives at risk
When profita become the motive it will only hurt those that truly rely on the USPS. Do you believe a private company, with profits as the goals, will provide the same service to rural America as urban areas? I don't. They will, for the sake of profits, either reduce service, increase prices or both.This can be solved easily if we privatize the USPS. The UK and Germany have privatized theirs, so why cant we?
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