The numbers are bleak about 0.5% of the ?American population lives in nursing homes (1.5 million people). This small group of people account for 40% (probably more) of the almost 400,000 U.S. Covid-19 deaths. By December 2020, residents of Genesis Health Care nursing homes were almost 3,000 of those deaths. The common reason is, well, residents of nursing homes arc older and, generally, in less good health than the population at large. But this "explanation" obscures more than it reveals about the actual story behind this slaughter. The bigger story is the nursing home industry itself, the way it is organized, the nature and limits of industry regulation and, of course, the financial incentives that structure this industry today and have done so for more than a half century. The story of Genesis Health Care the largest operator of skilled nursing facilities in the United States has much to teach us about this industry and the disaster of Covid-19. The firm both shaped and was shaped by the financial dynamics of caring by the dollar, seeking profits through providing health care for the elderly.