Saturday, June 30, 2007
Sicko, Sicko
Want to improve the quality of your health care? Begin by taking better care of yourself. We usually ignore our own role in our health care. Are you too heavy? Do you smoke? Do you drink too much alcohol? Do you get enough exercise?
During my physical exam a couple of years ago, my doctor told me I would live to be 100. I don't take that literally but I've always been physically active. I had let myself get too heavy but started exercising more and lost some weight.
More recently at work, we had health risk assessments done. I scored 91, with 100 being the best score. This score reflected not only current physical health but healthy, safe practices such as wearing seat belts, speeding, drinking, food habits, etc.
Sure, there are maladies, injuries, etc. that occur to us despite our best efforts. But, the U.S. may be the fattest country in the world. The doctor can try to fix you and patch you up once you break. Only you can do what it takes to keep yourself in good running condition.
At 56 years old, I can ride a bike further than my kids want to go. I can hike, backpack, throw ball, demonstrate basketball skills, chop down trees with an axe and more. Much more than Mr. Moore who wants to deride the U.S. health care system.
It seems to me that if Mr. Moore truly wants to improve the health and lives of the American people he would set a better example.
I think he just wants to get rich off the mindless left-wingers who eagerly lap up his blather. He must weigh double his recommended weight.
During my physical exam a couple of years ago, my doctor told me I would live to be 100. I don't take that literally but I've always been physically active. I had let myself get too heavy but started exercising more and lost some weight.
More recently at work, we had health risk assessments done. I scored 91, with 100 being the best score. This score reflected not only current physical health but healthy, safe practices such as wearing seat belts, speeding, drinking, food habits, etc.
Sure, there are maladies, injuries, etc. that occur to us despite our best efforts. But, the U.S. may be the fattest country in the world. The doctor can try to fix you and patch you up once you break. Only you can do what it takes to keep yourself in good running condition.
At 56 years old, I can ride a bike further than my kids want to go. I can hike, backpack, throw ball, demonstrate basketball skills, chop down trees with an axe and more. Much more than Mr. Moore who wants to deride the U.S. health care system.
It seems to me that if Mr. Moore truly wants to improve the health and lives of the American people he would set a better example.
I think he just wants to get rich off the mindless left-wingers who eagerly lap up his blather. He must weigh double his recommended weight.
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“Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll. "
Ahhhh! what a shame, youth is waisted on the young as they say. When you let or want the government to run a most important offering like Healthcare, you are just looking to get poked in the eye.
Folks , the government brought you the IRS, they are sill 'helping' New Orleans recover, they want to give you the Grand Bargain in Immigration.
The last thing I Need is for the Government to be ir-responsible for my health care plan... Now the question - is what we have today performing optimally - absolutely not. Can we do better! Sure. There are too many people in the profit pool chain that expect high earnings - doctors, hospitals, payers and providers - all that burden goes down to the individual and to the companies they work for. And , for those that do not have insurance, what a point of grief, eh?
So, if we want MORE grief, let the Government do it and reap the consequences. Not only will you be filling out 1040's for Income, you will be filling out 1140's ( I made that number up) for healthcare pro-forma's on a yearly basis too.
This is called a 'train wreck in the making".... less government is better government - they are too too big to give you any personal attention that you deserve and that is needed for a healthcare plan.
Ahhhh! what a shame, youth is waisted on the young as they say. When you let or want the government to run a most important offering like Healthcare, you are just looking to get poked in the eye.
Folks , the government brought you the IRS, they are sill 'helping' New Orleans recover, they want to give you the Grand Bargain in Immigration.
The last thing I Need is for the Government to be ir-responsible for my health care plan... Now the question - is what we have today performing optimally - absolutely not. Can we do better! Sure. There are too many people in the profit pool chain that expect high earnings - doctors, hospitals, payers and providers - all that burden goes down to the individual and to the companies they work for. And , for those that do not have insurance, what a point of grief, eh?
So, if we want MORE grief, let the Government do it and reap the consequences. Not only will you be filling out 1040's for Income, you will be filling out 1140's ( I made that number up) for healthcare pro-forma's on a yearly basis too.
This is called a 'train wreck in the making".... less government is better government - they are too too big to give you any personal attention that you deserve and that is needed for a healthcare plan.
One more note on healthcare...
I spent 14 years in the heathcare field, Manufacturing side of the fence... Baxter , the vendor/manufacturer of the goods and items used ( IV systems, blood collection, dialysis, etc) . I worked with doctors, hospitals, providers, etc. I seen this stuff every day.
For me, and what I have seen , and I am not the expert on the payer side e.g. Insurance Co's ( but had to work HIPPA issues on various projects). There is too many Companies that HAVE to turn a profit, have to have YOY growth in earnings.
So is this the PRIMARY Issue, I am not sure. Yet the value chain is inefficient. Add to the fact that employee's do not really feel total pinch for the cost of healthcare, they would not care, yet this is changing as CO's are starting to pass the expenses to the employee. Now, if I may ask you and the reader to hold that thought just one second for another key point.
All the companies that sell equipment into these hospitals, big equipment and small (computers to PET , to CT, to dialysis equipment) are pumping this stuff in as fast as hospitals can be convinced to buy it. Why would we care care? Fixed costs!
Not retiring the OLD equipment, this stay on the books for more and more operating expense. To make more money due the balance sheet numbers they need to charge more i.e. decreasing marginal returns from thier investments.
The argument - why are they buying more stuff? To be/stay competitive - when you shop or employers shop they are looking for the offers that have the highest utility, the best for the least. It's competitive and its measured in technology, and how many beds are serviced ( like market share , its bed share).
So, a large part of the costs, is just too much stuff...
I AM NOT advocating Government controlled Healthcare. If we get that wish as a society, we are gonna be some unhappy campers. the Gov in my opinion cannot do the little things right, let alone the big things like Healthcare.
I spent 14 years in the heathcare field, Manufacturing side of the fence... Baxter , the vendor/manufacturer of the goods and items used ( IV systems, blood collection, dialysis, etc) . I worked with doctors, hospitals, providers, etc. I seen this stuff every day.
For me, and what I have seen , and I am not the expert on the payer side e.g. Insurance Co's ( but had to work HIPPA issues on various projects). There is too many Companies that HAVE to turn a profit, have to have YOY growth in earnings.
So is this the PRIMARY Issue, I am not sure. Yet the value chain is inefficient. Add to the fact that employee's do not really feel total pinch for the cost of healthcare, they would not care, yet this is changing as CO's are starting to pass the expenses to the employee. Now, if I may ask you and the reader to hold that thought just one second for another key point.
All the companies that sell equipment into these hospitals, big equipment and small (computers to PET , to CT, to dialysis equipment) are pumping this stuff in as fast as hospitals can be convinced to buy it. Why would we care care? Fixed costs!
Not retiring the OLD equipment, this stay on the books for more and more operating expense. To make more money due the balance sheet numbers they need to charge more i.e. decreasing marginal returns from thier investments.
The argument - why are they buying more stuff? To be/stay competitive - when you shop or employers shop they are looking for the offers that have the highest utility, the best for the least. It's competitive and its measured in technology, and how many beds are serviced ( like market share , its bed share).
So, a large part of the costs, is just too much stuff...
I AM NOT advocating Government controlled Healthcare. If we get that wish as a society, we are gonna be some unhappy campers. the Gov in my opinion cannot do the little things right, let alone the big things like Healthcare.
There are a lot of folks out there who say "our [the US] health care system is the best in the world," and by virtue of this oversimplification, decide to quell all criticism of the industry.
I don't think highly of the Maligning Michiganer, but I hold very little love for our current way of doing things. And I know, am friends with, or am family to some spectacular professionals in the medical field.
Now, would replacing the current system with a government run system be the answer? Who knows? Right now, I've seen boneheads in the private industry and boneheads in the government screw up what should be sure things (living in New Orleans can make you violently cynical of both private insurance and government interventionism). Both sides of the coin, business/government are too big to actually 'fail' in the health care field, while neither ever seems to succeed.
Dancing with the devil we currently swing with is just as much a gamble as dancing with the devil in the corner wearing the "Hello, my Name Is Uncle Sam" sticker. Both are huge gambles, and both have proven records of spectacular failures while we somehow move forward to better things.
I just don't know how we move this particular piece forward, as so many Americans are being screwed over, and private industry is not being responsive. Pretty soon, we may not have the ability to make a rational choice on the matter.
I don't think highly of the Maligning Michiganer, but I hold very little love for our current way of doing things. And I know, am friends with, or am family to some spectacular professionals in the medical field.
Now, would replacing the current system with a government run system be the answer? Who knows? Right now, I've seen boneheads in the private industry and boneheads in the government screw up what should be sure things (living in New Orleans can make you violently cynical of both private insurance and government interventionism). Both sides of the coin, business/government are too big to actually 'fail' in the health care field, while neither ever seems to succeed.
Dancing with the devil we currently swing with is just as much a gamble as dancing with the devil in the corner wearing the "Hello, my Name Is Uncle Sam" sticker. Both are huge gambles, and both have proven records of spectacular failures while we somehow move forward to better things.
I just don't know how we move this particular piece forward, as so many Americans are being screwed over, and private industry is not being responsive. Pretty soon, we may not have the ability to make a rational choice on the matter.
People, there is NOT a health care crisis. There is a payment issue but that can be solved if intelligent people put their heads together. Opps, that leaves out congress.
Well, if there ain't a health care crisis now, I'd hate to see one emerge. I know insured folks who bled for so long in the ER that they finally went home, patched the wound themselves, and visited a doctor later to get their stiches. Thank God it didn't get infected.
I know insured folks who have to take out a loan to get the medical care their kids need. I know a cat with asthma who can't get an inhaler prescription because the test to prove that he has asthma isn't covered, even though he already had the test. Then a doctor at the same office prescribed me an asthma inhaler that I didn't need for an ailment that was not asthma.
I know another cat who has a condition that is covered by his insurance, but the test to prove the condition is not covered by his insurance.
I know someone who had to take their Mom to a doctor in another town because the local hospital refused to diagnose her correctly.
And I come from a family and friend group of spectacular medical personnel, and I have always been done right by the medical community.
If it ain't a crisis yet, there are sure a lot of people who have had the screws put to them. That number gets high enough, a crisis is exactly what you're going to get, and perception is half the battle anyway.
If the medical community, the insurers, and the pharmecutical companies don't start policing themselves better in relation to service, cost and effective care, then the devil we don't know is going to look more appealing than the devil we do know.
Just like the government has no credibility to spend on the immigration issue, private industry may not have any credibility to spend on the 'don't nationalize healthcare' issue.
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I know insured folks who have to take out a loan to get the medical care their kids need. I know a cat with asthma who can't get an inhaler prescription because the test to prove that he has asthma isn't covered, even though he already had the test. Then a doctor at the same office prescribed me an asthma inhaler that I didn't need for an ailment that was not asthma.
I know another cat who has a condition that is covered by his insurance, but the test to prove the condition is not covered by his insurance.
I know someone who had to take their Mom to a doctor in another town because the local hospital refused to diagnose her correctly.
And I come from a family and friend group of spectacular medical personnel, and I have always been done right by the medical community.
If it ain't a crisis yet, there are sure a lot of people who have had the screws put to them. That number gets high enough, a crisis is exactly what you're going to get, and perception is half the battle anyway.
If the medical community, the insurers, and the pharmecutical companies don't start policing themselves better in relation to service, cost and effective care, then the devil we don't know is going to look more appealing than the devil we do know.
Just like the government has no credibility to spend on the immigration issue, private industry may not have any credibility to spend on the 'don't nationalize healthcare' issue.
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