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Comment by sovnade | Hacker News Reader

If you haven't been for a covid test lately, especially in a populated area, things have changed significantly. Lines are 4-12 hours long and often run out of tests before they can get to everyone. There are no appointments available. Urgent Care centers are overrun and can't handle nearly as many tests as people are requesting.

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How does this disprove market theory. The tests are free due to subsidizing. High demand leads to shortages.

Because one of the options you stated (waiting in line) isn't even an option in a lot of areas.

This specific scenario has nothing to do with market theory. It's a combination of regulation, subsidization, and infrastructure. We're not buying playstations.

Are PCR tests free in the US? I found tons of paid testing services when looking, they just didn't have capacity.

Yes they're free. I haven't paid for an antigen test or PCR test and I've had probably half a dozen of each.

They’re covered by insurance…try being a visitor to the US then an antigen test will cost you $150+.

They're also covered if you don't have insurance, but yeah that could be completely correct if you're not a citizen/resident of the US. Bummer.

The tests are free to the person testing. They don't magically appear out of thin air. The government is buying them via the normal capitalist system but there aren't enough because the manufacturers can't make enough to meet demand.

(In part, because major manufacturers closed factories and destroyed inventory between spikes. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/20/us/abbott-covid-tests.htm...)

I'm a bit baffled as to why the Defense Production Act hasn't been utilized more during the pandemic for stuff like this.

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