POLITICAL: Gooferment interferes in medicine

Saturday, March 13, 2010

http://channel-surfing.blogspot.com/2010/03/dispatches-and-loser-is.html

“Americans spent $7,289 per capita in 2006 compared with Norway’s per capita figure of $4,763. Canada, which has a single-payer system, spends $3,895 per capita.”

I’m just a fat old white guy injineer. But, you’ve got apples and oranges comparison here. You’re comparing the semi-socialist USA with the more socialist N and C. AND, then telling us that “it’s twice as bad”.

Sorry, but we have the worst of both worlds. Federal interference in the drug market place. Regulation of everything in sight “medical” at all levels of gooferment — federal, state, county, and municipality — adds enormous costs. Not all of which are accounted for. The costs are indeciperable.

I’m frustrated trying to demonstrate it to you.

Let’s compare insurance marketplaces. Medical insurance is disaster. Car insurance is better than medical, but still costly. Life insurance is cheap, and other than fiscal solvency, basically unregulated.

One problem is that “medical insurance” is more like pre-paid medical care; rather than “insurance”. Another problem is that the cost of regulation and bureaucracy is extraordinary. Pay a doctor in cash and you’ll find 50 to 75% discounts. Finally, drugs are the “technology” that will flatten the medical cost curve. But FDA and BigPharma are conspiring to keep the cost of entry high. Also, the FDA gets criticism if an “unsafe” drug gets out, but none if it never gets out at all.

Look at how we do “medical care” with all the government intervention. I have cold, sunburn, or a sprain. I need to go to the government licensed doctor, to get a prescription on a government approved form, take it to the government licensed pharmacy, where a government licensed druggist dispenses something aking to an aspirin. Note, I left out the government licensed and government regulated insurance company.

Argh! Recently, I got sunburned in a Third World Country island. I went to the local gas station and bought some lidocaine-laced aloe gel after consulting with the gas jockey (about the cost in US dollars). Also, recently, on a different trip, I was in a First World Country in Europe with a headache, needed an asparin, and went to the “drug store” to find out that I had to have “a script from a doctor” to buy such a “powerful drug”. Are you kidding me?

Finally, “We, The People” are free to do anything we want with OUR bodies. It’s the essence of self-ownership. If I want medical advice from an “unlicensed” provider and put “unapproved” drugs into it, that’s my business. Not the gooferment’s.

Keep your gooferment out of my body, my health, and my business. It’s only role is protect my rights from being abridged by force or fraud. “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ..”

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RANT: Pre-existing conditions

Friday, March 5, 2010

http://healthinsurance.about.com/od/healthinsurancebasics/a/preexisting_conditions_overview.htm

Pre Existing Conditions – Understanding Exclusions and Creditable Coverage
HIPAA Pre-Existing Condition Protections
By Michael Bihari, MD, About.com Guide
Updated February 08, 2010

*** begin quote ***

Many Americans have health-related problems that insurance companies define as pre existing conditions. A pre-existing condition is a health problem that existed before you apply for a health insurance policy or enroll in a new health plan.

*** and ***

An important feature of HIPAA is known as “creditable coverage.”

Creditable coverage is health insurance coverage you had before you enrolled in your new health plan, as long as it was not interrupted by a period of 63 or more days. The amount of time you had “credible” health insurance coverage can be used to offset a pre-existing condition exclusion period in your new health plan.

*** end quote ***

Clearly the President and the various Congress Critters don’t understand the concept of “insurance”.

I know it’s a hard concept. But, in a population of people subject to the same RANDOM risk (i.e., meteorite), we can pool our premiums and award them to the “winner”. The Amish help their neighbors. The Mormons have their bishops. The Catholics have Catholic Charities.

We have “insurance partnerships”, like Lloyds of London, that will usually take the other side of any “bet” for the right price. We have “insurance companies” that have “standardized wagers” that they offer to take. That’s Life, Car, Health, and yes even Pet Insurance.

(What confuses us is that we don’t see the aggregation of the risk premium and the “apply – claims – payout” process as really a pass through mechanism. Like “corporate income tax”, only real people pay taxes. So when the “insurance company” has to pay for “pre-existing condition” — like paying off winning lottery tickets purchased after the drawing — it’s really transforming it into pre-paid medical care. Like insuring your car’s oil changes.)

(Let’s examine “insuring” your car’s oil changes. I can go get an oil change for 40$ (Jiffy Lube) to 75$ (Dealer). If an “insurance company” was involved, what would it cost? 500$ You’d have to compensate the insurance salesperson, the clerk to process the claim, and adjuster. And, of course, we have to have lawyers. Maybe 500$ is optimistic. Could be 1,000$. OR two!)

Note: This is NOT buying insurance AFTER the meteorite hits your house. Do you buy the winning lottery ticket after the drawing?

Economics IS truly the dismal science. We’ll always have shortages. But we have been given tools to manage the risks of life.

For car accidents, we have car insurance.

But once again, President Obama demonstrated his lack of economic understanding. Buying car insurance and expecting it to fix “HIS car after an accident. Obviously, he bought LIABILITY insurance; not collision or comprehensive insurance. For a lawyer, at this stage in his career to have such a misunderstanding of insurance is either: stupidity or duplicity. (Dumb or misleading? You choose!)

SO … … …

… … … “pre existing conditions” are buying the lottery ticket after the drawing.

… … … small costs should be out of pocket expenses; insurance is for BIG ones.

… … … health savings accounts with high deductible insurance sounds good.

And, politicians should be sent to “economics class” before they are allowed to vote!

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RANT: Palin was right about “death panels”; gooferment health care kills

Monday, February 8, 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249114/Patient-dies-hospital-resuscitate-form-mistakenly-files.html

Patient dies in hospital after ‘do not resuscitate’ form is mistakenly put in his files
By Jo Macfarlane
Last updated at 8:03 AM on 07th February 2010

*** begin quote ***

A patient who suffered a heart attack on a hospital ward died because clerical staff had mistakenly inserted a ‘Do Not Attempt Resuscitation’ form into his medical notes.

Peter Clarke was not treated by doctors after going into cardiac arrest as a nurse had spotted the form in his files and, even though it was blank and had not been filled in, told other ward staff he should not be revived.

The blunder emerged at an inquest into the incident at Derby Hospitals NHS Trust, where bosses revealed staff had been ‘routinely’ placing the forms alongside medical records before they had been correctly signed and witnessed by senior doctors.

*** end quote ***

And, you want to entrust “health care” to the US gooferment?

After all they do so well with VA Health Care. And Indian Health Care.

And, Medicare and Medicaid are the exemplars of efficiency and effectiveness.

Argh!

In the USA, mistakes get corrected by wrongful death suits. After Obama care, you’ll sue the gooferment hospital in the gooferment courts. That’ll will work out how?

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RANT:You may have no recourse

Saturday, February 6, 2010

http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/four-factors-to-consider-before-roth-ira-conversion.html/comment-page-1#comment-337355

NateUVM says: 02/05/2010 at 11:09 am

*** begin quote ***

With all due respect, attempting to get something done since 1948 does not, in my opinion, indicate a “rush to do everthing all at once.” That’s how long we’ve been trying to fix health care.

The idea that this is being rammed through without due consideration is GOP spin.

You say “progressives want control.” My first question would be, “what control would this give them?”

*** end quote ***

@NateUVM

It gives them the power of “life and death”. And, don’t think it won’t get used and abuse. “Yes, Comrade NateUVM, you do have free speech, but for speaking out against the war (who knows which war it will be), you’ve been awarded a status of ‘category 12’ for you AND YOUR FAMILY. So, you can ONLY have aspirin and there will be a 7 year wait to see the specialist. If only, you’d have supported the war, you’d be category 21 and entitled to everything.”

Yes, like the Japanese internment, it CAN happen here.

I think the striongest argument against “gooferment healthcare” or “health insurance” is that if the gooferment screws you as opposed to the insurance company, where do you go for relief? The gooferment’s courts. Now you can sue. In the future, you may have no recourse.

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RANT: A gooferment helthcare testimonial!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2510700

N.L. Premier Williams set to have heart surgery in U.S.
Kenyon Wallace, National Post Published: Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The National Post is now on Facebook. Join our fan community today.

*** begin quote ***

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams will undergo heart surgery later this week in the United States.

Deputy premier Kathy Dunderdale confirmed the treatment at a news conference Tuesday, but would not reveal the location of the operation or how it would be paid for.

“He has gone to a renowned expert in the procedure that he needs to have done,” said Ms. Dunderdale, who will become acting premier while Mr. Williams is away for three to 12 weeks.

“In consultation with his own doctors, he’s decided to go that route.”

Mr. Williams’ decision to leave Canada for the surgery has raised eyebrows over his apparent shunning of Canada’s health-care system.

*** end quote ***

Guess that sums up the value of Canadian healthcare. And, who wants to be that the Canadian taxpayer will pay for this politician to come here?

Argh!

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POLITICAL: Obama’s health agenda

Thursday, January 21, 2010

WITH APOLOGIES TO ONE OF MY FACEBOOK FRIENDS:

*** begin quote ***

Coakley took the hit, but Obama can’t let one vote derail his agenda and his Presidency. Seat Brown, then have the House pass the Senate bill as is and sign it before the State of the Union address.

*** end quote ***

It’s NOT just one vote.

This bill is a DISASTER. Both personally and for the country. It’s not about “heath”, “health care”, or even “health care insurance”. It’s about putting the gooferment in charge of people’s decisions about their lives.

Personally, my wife needs her doctors to work hard on her case; not playing games to satisfy some gooferment bureaucrat deciding what care she will get.

Nationally, we can’t afford this monstrosity. The gooferment already “runs” Medicare (broke!), Medicaid (breaking Fed and States), the VA (hated by most vets and underfunded), and Indian Health System (hated and goes broke every June). Let them “fix” one of those and then revisit the issue.

As a little L libertarian, I’d prefer that they just leaves us alone. If they can’t do that, how about some things that EVERYONE can agree on: (1) interstate competition; (2) eliminate the unfavorable tax treatment on self-purchased health care insurance; and (3) some limits on malpractice awards?

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POLITICAL: Sic transit gloria mundi

Thursday, January 21, 2010

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,673192,00.html

01/21/2010
The World from Berlin
The World Bids Farewell to Obama

*** begin quote ***

Center-left daily Süddeutsche Zeitung writes on Thursday:

“Obama made a serious misjudgement. Right at the beginning of his first year in office, he saved the banks, rescued the automobile industry from collapse and passed a huge economic stimulus package. He had hoped that these enormous deeds would give him the space to address those issues which are dearest to him: health care reform, climate change and investment in education.”

“Those issues, however, are clearly not priorities for people in the US at the moment. Scott Brown campaigned on two promises, both of which apparently struck a nerve with the electorate. He wants to block health care reform and he wants to find ways to reduce the enormous budget deficit. It is here where the roots of dissatisfaction with Obama are to be found. His reform agenda, in its current form, is highly suspect to Americans. And they have the impression that, if he continues piling up debt, he will be gambling away the country’s future.”

*** end quote ***

He’s misjudged the meaning of his election. And, for all the talk of tough Chicago style politics, he wasn’t so tough. He caved to Wall Street. He should have said to little Timmy, Helicopter Ben, the Labor Unions, the Trial lawyers, Nancy, and Harry: “Howdy, now get lost!”. They sunk him. Along with Big Sis, and all the hangers on weighing him down. I believe he missed one key factor. Wall Street has a unique survival mechanism. Self-preservation. If he had zipped the public purse form the bail outs — all of them — magic would have happened. All these folks with “no way to survive” would have figured it out WITHOUT a bail out. And, after the first one was rejected, there would have been NO QUEUE for more “worthy contenders”.

He should have focused on the message of Bill Clinton. Like Kennedy, he could have had the Obama tax cut to small business. Figure out a complicated formula to ensure it went only to the little guys. They make the jobs any way. Then go after the sugar and milk price supports to bring down prices to the people. Then, repeal the minimum wage and put youngsters back to work. Minorities would have been helped. He could have gone after the absurd “war on some drugs” and emptied the prisons of non-violent drug offenders.

Then, maybe he could have done all sorts of good things. He went for the big brass ring and fell off the ride. He should have, in consultant speak, gone after the low hanging fruit. Quick easy wins that score big points.

Sad.

All glory fades.

Seeking to be a JFK, he winds up a Carter. At least, he not a joke like Clinton. “Democratic” President don’t seem to work out too well.

(It is interesting how the UK, German, and International press is so much better than the US counterparts.)

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POLITICAL: The View on healthcare

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Whoopi: “I want what all the guys and girls in Congress have. Gimme what you got! Why do you get better than me?”

AGREED! Why should the employees have better than the poor people paying the bills.

Joy on preexisting conditions.

DISAGREE! Hey that’s why the call it “pre-existing”. And, it’s insurance. Otherwise it’s welfare. You can’t buy fire insurance when your house is burning down. Or as some Californians discovered, when the neighborhood it threatened by wildfires. Why should you be able to buy “insurance” AFTER your diagnosed with the condition. The problem is the way the gooferment has mucked up insurance coverage in this country. If you bought “health” insurance like you buy car insurance, life insurance, dental insurance, pet insurance! The problem occurs when health insurance is connected with your employment. Lose your job; lose your insurance. You don’t lose your car insurance. Argh! You could buy a high deductible policy (i.e., 5, 10, or 25k) even today and never ever hear about pre-existing conditions. Argh!

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POLITICAL: It’s the economy. It’s ALWAYS the economy!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

http://www.keywestlou.com/2010/01/haiti-has-brought-earthquakes-to-mind.html

My Life in Key West
Monday, January 18, 2010

*** begin quote ***

This Massachusetts election to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat is both interesting and troublesome. The political pundits this morning are predicting the Republican will win. If so, the Democratic majority of 60 will be gone. And probably also the new healthcare bill.

What does this all reflect?

There is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction in this country. Properly so. The economy is down. Unemployment is rampant. Foreclosures continue. The banks and insurance companies say screw you to the government and people.

The situation is much like that which causes earthquakes. Things have to move and move properly. If not, there is a glitch big time. An earthquake in one instance. A political upheaval in the other.

Something has to be done. And soon. We cannot much longer tolerate the abuse which is being heaped upon us as a people.

Obama, wake up! You can do it!

*** end quote ***

BHO43 has forgotten the (Bill) Clinton doctrine. “It’s the economy stupid!” His “heath care” fiasco — which is not about health, health care, or health care insurance — it IS about putting the gooferment in control of people’s lives. To make a permanent dependence upon politicians for “medical care”. Along the way, in the tradition of good old Chicago politics, BHO43 and his co-conspirators can reward their firends, punish their enemies, and feather their own nests. Argh!

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RANT: Simple health insurance fixes

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

http://www.humblelibertarian.com/2009/12/how-to-strip-us-health-insurance.html

Monday, December 28, 2009

How To Strip US Health Insurance Companies of Their Power Forever in 1 Easy Step

Regulations Empower Insurance Companies

*** begin quote ***

These regulations usually consist of a long list of ridiculous coverage mandates that require customers to be covered for all kinds of things whether or not they want or need it.

So even if a woman in Maryland doesn’t want to pay $500/month to be covered for in-vitro fertilization, morbid obesity treatment, smoking cessation, substance abuse, and hair prosthesis, she has no choice.

And she can’t purchase more affordable insurance without any unnecessary coverage from another state because it would be non-compliant with Maryland’s regulations and mandates.

*** end quote ***

It’s interesting that the congress critters have deliberately created the “crisis” that they now seek to “save” us from that same crisis!

Argh!

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