Now ze French doctor, ee eez, ow you say, biting ze ass of ze American doctors for insulting eez 'andywork, and suing ze manager of ze Johnny for being a "Lying sack of sheet"...sacre-bleu !
Not to hi-jack a relavant thread, but it's important enough to; a few years ago I went in for my "50 year old scope" like a good dad, I was in "perfect health" from all the previous tests. After the scope, the doctor invited me and my wife into his office, closed the door, and proceeded to tell me I had "18 months, with luck, surgery and heavy chemo........". It was a little disconcerting to say the least. Long story short, it turned out to be a large NON MALIGNANT tumor in my colon that showed ZERO SYMPTOMS to me. "Thats the way they all are" said the doctor, by the time colon cancer shows a physical symptom, it's ALWAYS too late. After surgery (3 days in the hospitol, $140,000 later, thank God for good private health insurance!) I'm good as new (they just removed the growth, none of the colon) with a newfound outlook on life. Having someone tell you calmly that you have a little over a year to live, with the last half being a living hell of surgery and chemo has a way of sharpening your focus. Rocky has no more "bad days", they call today "the present" because every day is truly a gift! Anyway, the point I was trying to make here is;
IF YOU ARE 50 OR OLDER, GET YOUR SCOPE DONE SOON! (it is a very simple, totally painless exam that takes a few minutes and WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!) Colon cancer is a very slow progressing disease, and if caught early enough it is over 90% CUREABLE! But if you wait and let it progress for years, by the time you start showing some type of symptom, yer toast.... I would have put mine off for years if it wasn't for the specter of my wife ragging on me to get it done. If not for yourself, do it for the ones you love! (End of lecture/rant, resume normal behavior........
-Rocky-
PS. this story begs the question; what would my treatment options have been if Uncle Sam was footing the tab? Would they still have been willing to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to give me another year.......?
I'm glad it worked out for you, it didn't for two of my brothers. Both died of colon cancer. You asked the question would have a Medicare like system been there to help you, I say yes. People knock the government to no end but leave out the problems associated with private industry. Only a few health insurance companies run the health care industry now, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into scare tactics, lobbyists and politicians re-election coffers.
In recent poles conducted with those covered by Medicare, a clear majority think very highly of the coverage and so do I. From my brief experience with them they have been right on time in every respect. My Dad said the same thing and so did my Mom.
Those that are fortunate enough to have employer provided health insurance or civil service health insurance better take a look at the future of their program. I've tracked this unofficially over the last ten years and just by talking to my former boss the current system is beyond broke. Premiums have been skyrocketing and services have been deleted, this is the pattern over the last ten years and projections are even worst for the future. He told me recently he is strongly considering denying health care benefits for the first time in 20 years because he simply can't afford them anymore. For a typical employee with two kids, he was shelling out $1,400 a month. For my coverage it was $1,700 a month. My brother's wife got laid off and COBRA extended med program cost them $1,500 a month for a family of 5. Except in his case the fee was lowered to $500 because stimulus funds were picking up 2/3s of the tab, for now.
Now, this is where I tell everyone who is against this health care reform to go to hell because in my case my wife was denied coverage by 4 insurance companies including Kaiser because of a pre-existing medical condition. A simple and routine diagosis from 4 years ago and no treatment since put her in the massive insurance company database as a red flag. Since I retired I needed to find my own coverage. My wife was told she could be covered, but at a rate 4 times the usual rate. It was bullshit again from the insurance companies and it was obvious I couldn't afford that. I finally found coverage through an organization I belonged to over 20 years ago and I was fortunate enough to still be a member. So I had to reconsider my coverage and get my wife on board this new program and it still costs us $1,000 a month! So, after a short 3 month retirement I went back to work part time 5 days a week just so I could afford the medical premiums.
I heard the new reform will help small businesses and also not allow insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. The first goal will be good for my ex boss and the second one will be good for us. Maybe if and when it takes effect we can shop for a realistic rate and I then can retire again.
There are literally thousands upon thousands of hardships out there caused by the current state of affairs, and it will only get much worst. My situation is minor compared to most and I have a moral obligation to see these families get treated fairly. It seems those who scream the loudest against reform, don't they know of anyone or heard of anyone who hasn't been screwed by the system?
I started to turn against the anti-reform cultists when I watched a video of a older lady at a town hall meeting describe her very sad medical predicament. Instead of showing some sympathy towards her the crowd turned against her, yelling her down and saying ignorant shit like "die" and laughing at her as well. Who in the hell are these hillbillies? You can tell by most of the anti-reform, tea party types they are in the most need of medical care. Majority of them were morbidly obese.
This is a start and another good point I heard was the fact my daughter can go back on my insurance until she is 26, instead of being dropped at 23. Times have changed, prices have gone through the roof, her employer doesn't offer health insurance and the less expensive programs offer nothing.
Not one Republican voted for the bill, what a crying shame. The so-called party of responsibility in money matters. Well, what happened to that party during the last 8 years, they fall asleep at the wheel? Its funny how hypocracy works in America today.
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2003 HD FLHRI
2003 Ducati 999R #189
2009 Buell 1125CR (sold)
2007 Ducati 1100S MTS (sold)
2005 Honda 600RR (totalled)
2001 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1995 Ducati 916 (sold)
2004 Ducati 999S (sold)
2005 Honda 600RR (Oops, I did it again, this time in red/black - sold)
you know, healthcare is a serious hot button issue for me. I'm not sure what the answer is, but we are in desperate need of reform in one way or another. I don't think that socialized medicine is it, nor do I have any faith in leaving my fate or anybody else's up to bean counters. the system as it is just doesn't work unless you are an illegal alien. there is entirely to much corruption on the parts of the doctors, hospitals,pharmecutical(sp) companies and insurance companies. let me share my story.I'll try to keep it brief.
A few years ago I blew out my back and neck in an unfortunate accident where I ended up being crushed by an excursion. Yes a Ford. Anyway I had to have surgery and made a full recovery, but I picked up an infection from the hospital. Some of you may have heard of a little bug called MRSA. Nasty little fugger it is. well at the time you could only find this "superbug" in hospitals. so I was treated, but not properly and it became a chronic ailment. I had insurance at the time so it realy wasn't a big deal right? wrong.
a couple of years go by and I change jobs so there was a lapse in my coverage(because nobody can afford cobra). during that time this infection took hold in a very nasty way from a small scrape on my knee. within 12 hours of small abrasion I was hospitalized with no insurance.
two days. . . . $12,000.00.
I sat in the emergency room for 12 hours waiting to be admitted. actual time in room was 36 hours. the emergency room NURSES(this is important) cleaned my wound and gave me IV antibiotics slapped a bandage on and called it good. the next 36 hours I saw one doctor for literally about 45 seconds, got three more bags of antibiotics and one bandage change.(by the nurses)
I was sent home with a perscription for a fairly common oral antibiotic and another not so common. the script was for 20 pills $1500.00. whuuuuuuut? turns out this stuff can be bought in Mexico, Canada, the UK and most other countries for the equivalent of about $10.00. so here is what I was billed for
Doctors 3
infectious disease specialist 1
pathologist (?)
nurses (fair) 2
bed (fair)
room (fair?) . . . 2 rooms two days. . . wait a minute?
drugs (fair)
supplies (fair)
surgeries 2 huh?
skin graft 1 WTF?!
wheel chair (this one cracks me up) $500.00 I guess the two minute mandatory ride out of the place was in a formula one wheel chair the rents for 250 bones a minute.
I can go on and on but like I said I'll try to keep it somewhat brief. long story short I didn't have 9 out of 10 of the things that I was billed for. I've been fighting this hospital for going on 5 years now about this matter because I refuse to pay for things that were not provided. so the Monday after Christmass I have to go to court because they are suing me for the unpaid medical bills.
but wait there's more.
just recently I had a little skin cancer removed from my eyebrow. no big deal right? well the surgery wasn't, and I have insurance so you'd think that all would be peachy. well it's not. having been through this before I scanned my bills; which of course have generic descriptions, just to make sure they're legit. I request an Itemized bill for about three weeks and then two more weeks go by and I get one.
surgery right brow upper (fair)
pathologist (fair this time)
anesthesia (fair)
surgery nose (WHUUUUUUUUUT????????)
skin graft/neck/ nose placement (are these people high)
so my long winded point is it's to easy for the doctors to commit fraud against the insurance companies. it's easy for the insurance companies to deny claims. and it's easy for the drug companies to jack prices to ridiculous levels.
it's not easy for anybody to afford healthcare in the state that in now. and there is no profit in a cure. So regulation of some sort is in order as well as taking profit out of the industry. a persons health shouldn't ride on whether somebody is going to make a buck off of it. end rant.
you know, healthcare is a serious hot button issue for me. I'm not sure what the answer is, but we are in desperate need of reform in one way or another. I don't think that socialized medicine is it, nor do I have any faith in leaving my fate or anybody else's up to bean counters. the system as it is just doesn't work unless you are an illegal alien. there is entirely to much corruption on the parts of the doctors, hospitals,pharmecutical(sp) companies and insurance companies. let me share my story.I'll try to keep it brief.
A few years ago I blew out my back and neck in an unfortunate accident where I ended up being crushed by an excursion. Yes a Ford. Anyway I had to have surgery and made a full recovery, but I picked up an infection from the hospital. Some of you may have heard of a little bug called MRSA. Nasty little fugger it is. well at the time you could only find this "superbug" in hospitals. so I was treated, but not properly and it became a chronic ailment. I had insurance at the time so it realy wasn't a big deal right? wrong.
a couple of years go by and I change jobs so there was a lapse in my coverage(because nobody can afford cobra). during that time this infection took hold in a very nasty way from a small scrape on my knee. within 12 hours of small abrasion I was hospitalized with no insurance.
two days. . . . $12,000.00.
I sat in the emergency room for 12 hours waiting to be admitted. actual time in room was 36 hours. the emergency room NURSES(this is important) cleaned my wound and gave me IV antibiotics slapped a bandage on and called it good. the next 36 hours I saw one doctor for literally about 45 seconds, got three more bags of antibiotics and one bandage change.(by the nurses)
I was sent home with a perscription for a fairly common oral antibiotic and another not so common. the script was for 20 pills $1500.00. whuuuuuuut? turns out this stuff can be bought in Mexico, Canada, the UK and most other countries for the equivalent of about $10.00. so here is what I was billed for
Doctors 3
infectious disease specialist 1
pathologist (?)
nurses (fair) 2
bed (fair)
room (fair?) . . . 2 rooms two days. . . wait a minute?
drugs (fair)
supplies (fair)
surgeries 2 huh?
skin graft 1 WTF?!
wheel chair (this one cracks me up) $500.00 I guess the two minute mandatory ride out of the place was in a formula one wheel chair the rents for 250 bones a minute.
I can go on and on but like I said I'll try to keep it somewhat brief. long story short I didn't have 9 out of 10 of the things that I was billed for. I've been fighting this hospital for going on 5 years now about this matter because I refuse to pay for things that were not provided. so the Monday after Christmass I have to go to court because they are suing me for the unpaid medical bills.
but wait there's more.
just recently I had a little skin cancer removed from my eyebrow. no big deal right? well the surgery wasn't, and I have insurance so you'd think that all would be peachy. well it's not. having been through this before I scanned my bills; which of course have generic descriptions, just to make sure they're legit. I request an Itemized bill for about three weeks and then two more weeks go by and I get one.
surgery right brow upper (fair)
pathologist (fair this time)
anesthesia (fair)
surgery nose (WHUUUUUUUUUT????????)
skin graft/neck/ nose placement (are these people high)
so my long winded point is it's to easy for the doctors to commit fraud against the insurance companies. it's easy for the insurance companies to deny claims. and it's easy for the drug companies to jack prices to ridiculous levels.
it's not easy for anybody to afford healthcare in the state that in now. and there is no profit in a cure. So regulation of some sort is in order as well as taking profit out of the industry. a persons health shouldn't ride on whether somebody is going to make a buck off of it. end rant.
i just don't know what to say
this whole thing blows and this is the reason nobody can afford Insurance to begin with
"Exercise restraint and discipline, only responding to posts from legit customers and those with constructive positive intent, you will find that the handgrenades explode harmlessly. You have many satisfied customers who are happy to have the parts you've made. My suggestion to you is keep making good parts, keep getting more customers, take care of them and let them speak for you."
...let me share my story.I'll try to keep it brief.
Just one word - Wow.
Quick story from my side with government-funded insurance:
Not long ago I fell off the bike. Broke 8 ribs and punctured a lung. Got an ambulance ride to the hospital. Immediately attended to. Chest tube inserted (ouch). 10 day stay in a private room while lung healed. Good as new after 3 months. Total cost: $ 0.00. And the nurses weren't too hard to look at, either! My health care costs are so small I'd have to check a pay stub to know what it is. Something like $120/month.
There are pros and cons for all different health care systems. I'm only recounting my experience.
Wow.... Those stories are horror stories. My best wishes for your new health reform.... sooo close. I hope the tea baggers will see what a privilege and honour it is to grow up in a society that cares for all of it's citizens, on all sides, in all strata and always in all ways.
Whenever a system allows bizarre bureaucrats and greedy fraudsters to squeeze people in dire need of help and care..it's broken. When denial of service is part of a health policy that bankrupts people.. it's time to deny the deniers. I grew up in Canada, moved to the States for many years and lived few years in Europe and now back to retire in Canada. I have been hospitalized in America before... serious accident, first class treatment, first class care but very expensive. I was lucky, my insurance paid 3/4 and my government paid most of the rest.
I have been busted up so many times now. I couldnt have bashed myself so badly in other countries and just rolled on... The list of broken body parts in me is impressive and so was the care I received here at home, every single last time. I cannot imagine my health system broken and a pox on those who threaten to break it. As I say, I grew up with this amazing health system as a way of life and it is not something to stand by and watch corrupted by big indusrty and weak politicians. I want my kids kids to know this system all of their lives, they want it now for their future.
We still fight for healthcare and it's prominent and integral role in our lives. I am a great example of the system working to keep me healthy despite an overly adventurous, highly dangerous lifestyle. Maybe I should pay a little extra, I'd have to say "yes" looking through hindsight. My adventurous nature was severely curtailed while in Europe because I couldnt afford the primo healthcare insurance to do as I wished without facing financial ruin if I 'binned it'. Maybe a higher premium wouldnt hurt the adventure retards and obese people alike.
I hope that universal, guaranteed coverage never changes in Canada and I hope all countries can offer this kind of quality care to all of their citizens.
It does wonders for self esteem, respect, life expectancy, intelligence, security, infrastructure and status of peoples.
Lets hope the Republicans can get with the program and help out instead of talking "no we cant" , treason, hijack, denial and delay. The irony is that the mindset of a healthy, trustworthy conservative person is probably best suited to sensibly managing something like collective healthcare.... OMG is America drifting into the evil world of soc#@*&%ism?
A revamp of health care "ways and means' goes nicely with a green industry agenda dont you think?
Really, hope you guys find some relief soon!
Some bad experiences for sure. I guess if instead of paying 25% in taxes this year I could be more European and pay 50-60% than I would fully expect universal healthcare.
Well, it seems like you are living in a new Golden Age.
Since the Christmas truce is now officially over and I've taken my place back at the sniper position.
This year the government sent accounting inspections in local healthcare units. There was one result which struck me particularly. The healthcare unit in Rovigo, serving roughly 80000 persons, has accumulated a 280 million euro deficit over the past five years. This isn't the Deep South with its widespread corruption and eight digits deficits or Emilia-Romagna with its overgenerous Welfare State mentality.
This is a very rich area, one that has always been the synonymous with "Good Government" (no corruption) where people work hard and pay their (high) taxes. Results from bigger health units are still to roll in as the inspectors are still busy at work but nobody's holding his/her breath.
The newspaper simply ran the stories; nobody even took the time to comment because this is "business as usual". Healthcare and pensions are getting harder and harder to finance, even with our oppressive fiscal system: costs are skyrocketing no matter what we try. And believe me, we've tried pretty much everything: hospitalization times have been drastically cut, nurses and doctors are squeezed harder each year, mentally ill persons are just sent home with some pills to take... that's just the way it is. Yes, perhaps cutting privileges to Big Pharma could help a tiny bit but we'll probably end up eating up what we've saved in a couple of years.
What is beyond me is how could a country that is so deep in debt and running such enormous deficits as the US even think about increasing its expenditure levels. This healthcare reform (which should cover about thirty million persons I've heard) will cost money. This money will have to come from somewhere: the Obama administration has not just increased healthcare expenditures but also foreign aids, military spending etc... Will they raise taxes? Perhaps but it won't be enough to fund the Santa Claus spending spree. The money will have to come from somewhere. Since China hasn't bough US bonds since May this may be a signal vassals may have grown tired of being forced to pay tributes and the European allies are also looking for bond buyers... who are becoming more and more reluctant to "invest" in a system that will topple sooner than we may like. That means the Federal Reserve will have to concoct some new scheme in order to do something about the debt.
Next time you go buy bread or apple juice and see it's up 20% do not complain. You are funding the Welfare State and the War on Terror.
It's ok, the dems just raised our debt ceiling to 12.4 trillion yuan,I mean dollars, so they can spend more of our children's dollars on us now. Thank the old people, AARP and boomers are going to kill us with their hands out and sense of entitlement. Nobody wants to pay the bills,everyone wants their piece of the pie. Health care is expensive and needs changes by the individuals who need it and those who provide it. People can only think what's in it for them and not about their children and future/present grandchildren. A lower standard of care is coming to a hospital near you. How else do you think costs can go down other than reducing service, raising taxes, making people who do not want to pay for insurance pay, and those who won't pay anything get the free ride.
A lower standard of care is coming to a hospital near you. How else do you think costs can go down other than reducing service, raising taxes, making people who do not want to pay for insurance pay, and those who won't pay anything get the free ride.
a good shot of accountability and legitimate billing practices would go a long way. as well people actually taking the time to audit an itemized bill.
Some bad experiences for sure. I guess if instead of paying 25% in taxes this year I could be more European and pay 50-60% than I would fully expect universal healthcare.
Not sure about the Euros but I pay a little less than 25% income tax, earn in the top 10% of the income earners in this country and get universal health care. Do we have the perfect health care system? Nope.
At the same time, the aging population of the western world will be a burden to ALL countries so we better get used to either tightening the belt or hearing some really sad stories in the coming years.
Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of universal health care nor a condemnation of private health insurance so put down that flame thrower.
No doubt accountability by all is a must. Medicare and other insurance fraud with claims needs to be clamped down on. People rarely scrutinize their bills and would often need help to sift through the crap on an itemized bill, which is another problem. I am still not on board with the permanently unemployed getting free health care though. Nor am I on board with the obese person paying the same rate, or the better off person paying alot more for the same service. More problems than answers.
No doubt accountability by all is a must. Medicare and other insurance fraud with claims needs to be clamped down on. People rarely scrutinize their bills and would often need help to sift through the crap on an itemized bill, which is another problem. I am still not on board with the permanently unemployed getting free health care though. Nor am I on board with the obese person paying the same rate, or the better off person paying alot more for the same service. More problems than answers.
I can't say I disagree with any of that.
on a side note I often wonder what the real numbers people pay in taxes are in other countries. you know a no BS honest to goodness assessment. 'cause when it comes down to it I pay a tick over 35% in income taxes. and that gets compounded by sales tax, this tax, that tax and every thing else. not to mention the taxes that are paid on goods before we purchase them. don't mean to jack, but it's kinda relevant considering that is where Obama care would come from.
I too would like to see a good breakdown in taxes paid in all industrialized countries. You might envy the European major countries with their universal healthcare and many with great roads and tremendous retiree benefits which are often upwards of 60-80+% of preretirement income. What they get sounds great even to me. 60+ percent taxes is also common. Many have up to 20% VAT, value added tax, which means 20% of final price in tax paid in pieces by each person/company along the way to the final product for a total of 20%. A VAT would be in addition to any other sales tax local/state if the US adopted such a system. The slippery slope is the governent starts with a few percent VAT for a national sales tax and it raises income very quick. The stick is that everytime the government needs to raise cash for programs, war, roads, etc. the temptation to add a 1/2 or 1 % in enormous which is what leads to the higher rates. Food is more expensive. Cars we might pay 30K for here like a honda accord in germany might be 50-60k because of tariffs. Isurance is high, gas is very high. Property and homes are much more on average per unit of size. Eating out is much more expensive. Alcohol and soda are significantly higher in many places. In finland traffic citations are based on income. Example, a well off person gets a speeding ticket for 30over the limit and the ticket might be $1500, whereas another same ticket might be less than a third that. Maybe some of the EU members could chime in. Healthcare is rationed in many of those countries despite being free. If you need dyalisis for kidney failure and your 70 years old and could otherwise live 10-20 years based on health, you could be denied the dialysis, which means death much younger than if full care provided. It is the European way and they accept their systems wholeheartedly which I admire. But our system does not accept this rationing and thus costs are much higher. When I say 25% taxes I refer to federal income tax. Add sales tax, local/state income taxes, property tax, vehicle fees, etc and it ramps up to a high number fast. It is still much less than our oversees friends system. They are in disarray as to how to keep their systems afloat with low 70-high 80% debt to GDP ratios and many less young workers per retiree to fund their systems in the next 30 years. If a familyof four is willing to pay10-15k in extra tax in exchange for "free" healthcare with copays of course, than maybe that would seem better than not paying the tax and just paying for insurance which costs 12-15k, but that seems to be more aggravating to most.
Some bad experiences for sure. I guess if instead of paying 25% in taxes this year I could be more European and pay 50-60% than I would fully expect universal healthcare.
we would be paying 15% if we had not been bankrupted by attacking the world
we use like 70 cents on the dollar on military and etc and it leaves nothing left for stoopid chit like education and healthcare
"Exercise restraint and discipline, only responding to posts from legit customers and those with constructive positive intent, you will find that the handgrenades explode harmlessly. You have many satisfied customers who are happy to have the parts you've made. My suggestion to you is keep making good parts, keep getting more customers, take care of them and let them speak for you."
we use like 70 cents on the dollar on military and etc and it leaves nothing left for stoopid chit like education and healthcare
What's "etc" mean? Because we don't spend that much on the military. And why should our government be involved in education or healthcare anyway? You should pay less in taxes and be able to choose what education and healthcare you want to purchase. You know, kinda like the way our Constitution says things should work...
Desparate SP2, get yer verbage right my good man, I believe the current moniker is "overseas contingencies", NOT "the war on terror", THAT would imply that we are AT WAR with people who want to KILL US....... We don't want to offend Al Queda now do we?
Semper Fi!
-Rocky-
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ROCKYMT
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
What's "etc" mean? Because we don't spend that much on the military. And why should our government be involved in education or healthcare anyway? You should pay less in taxes and be able to choose what education and healthcare you want to purchase. You know, kinda like the way our Constitution says things should work...
You've read his posts, you can clearly see that he chose not to go to school. He knows about choosing your education for sure.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrgrn
why don'y you do yourself a favor and put me on ignore
70% is an outrageously incorrect ammount. Medicare and social security are/will be the greatest drags on our economy. Ask yourself why we need mediicare when each state can tax all they want to provide the services needed by their citizens. Some states have high sales tax, some low. Some have high, low or NO income tax. High or low property tax. Each state can find the combination of taxes to raise the money needed to provide services. Or federal government is there to protect the states. States have to balance their budgets by law usually and they cut services they cannot pay for more than the fed obviously. Why should welfare nanny states like California drag the rest of down disproportionate to their population?
whuuuuuuut? turns out this stuff can be bought in Mexico, Canada, the UK and most other countries for the equivalent of about $10.00. so here is what I was billed for
Why does everyone always want shit for free?
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