Health Concerns & Costs

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oldsalt1
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

Post by oldsalt1 »

This is a very touchy subject , I feel sorry for those that are going thru expensive procedures.

It seems that no one has anything good to say

So I will stick my nose in My experience

I have an aarp supplemental plan thru Humana I pay about 300 a month for it I went thru a triple bypass with 11 days in the hospital 6 in intensive care Between the VA medicare and my supplemental plan the total out of pocket cost to me was $187

I am very thankful for the care I received and feel sorry for those who don't have the same advantage.

something has to be done to help those facing major medical bills.

Now ill get political yes something has to be done but I don't think giving every illegal who crosses the border free care is the place to start
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SkirtsDad
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

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oldsalt1 wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 1:03 am Now ill get political yes something has to be done but I don't think giving every illegal who crosses the border free care is the place to start
If you want to get political then where do you think the people of the USA came from? Ooops, they were "illegals" that travelled, mostly across the sea, just a few hundred years ago and settled in someone else's land... did they not?

Having remained there they are now at the point where they have a GDP of approximately $21 trillion, yet appear unwilling to look after the health of their own people. Compared with that of the UK, for instance, that (and much of the 2000 years of migration is recorded) currently has a GDP of less than $3 trillion yet is happy to ensure that the population remains healthy at zero cost at the point of care.

The current UK government, to the UK's detriment, can unfortunately be described as quite xenophobic and is trying to go down the US route of stigmatising and blaming foreigners for it's own lack of investment that make the poor suffer whilst at the same time increasing the wealth of the already rich. Donald Trump with an estimate wealth of around $3bil boasts about not paying taxes. Perhaps if he, and the many like him did then no-one would have to worry about healthcare or the fact that a few extra "illegals" that generally work and help to keep the economy going, were also being looked after.
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Uncle Al
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

Post by Uncle Al »

OK everyone, this is getting a bit(majorly) off track. My main post was about the stroke.
Yes, I was griping about Insurance companies but most everyone I know does that too. ;)

Now for today - -

OK! :D She was able to pick up a drink cup today. Slightly moving her left arm & hand but
this is an improvement, too :!: She picked up and ate most of her chicken salad sandwich.
She said it didn't taste that good. I fed her the chocolate pudding. She really liked that :D
She can't handle thin liquids such as water or tea. It must have a thickening agent added
to the drink. Then she doesn't cough. To me, the room is too quiet - I almost fell asleep
while I was there.

I hated what she said yesterday - that she didn't think "it" would end this way.
NOW - - That Sh!t hurt - I mean, deeply hurt. I didn't have much of a comeback
other than saying the "it" wasn't over yet :!:

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moonshadow
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

Post by moonshadow »

Uncle Al wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 3:28 am Now for today - -

OK! She was able to pick up a drink cup today. Slightly moving her left arm & hand but
this is an improvement, too She picked up and ate most of her chicken salad sandwich.
She said it didn't taste that good. I fed her the chocolate pudding. She really liked that
She can't handle thin liquids such as water or tea. It must have a thickening agent added
to the drink. Then she doesn't cough. To me, the room is too quiet - I almost fell asleep
while I was there.
I hope things work out and it's not too serious. Though it does sound like she had a bad one. Here's to a good overall outcome.
Uncle Al wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 3:28 am Yes, I was griping about Insurance companies but most everyone I know does that too.
Well now you only pressed the hottest button in America....

but most everyone I know does that too.
Yeah, that sounds about right... let's do something about it...

Come over to our side... shoot, even OldSalt agrees that something needs to be done! :lol: :mrgreen:

It's okay man, showing compassion for your fellow Americans and advocating for solutions to a very wide spread and out of control problem doesn't make you a socialist or a libtard snowflake, it makes you a compassionate American that cares.
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Uncle Al
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

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moonshadow wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 3:48 amIt's okay man, showing compassion for your fellow Americans and advocating for solutions to a
very wide spread and out of control problem doesn't make you a socialist or a libtard snowflake,
it makes you a compassionate American that cares.
Yes Moon, I am a very compassionate person. My wife say's I'm too compassionate.

Yes, I would love to see our healthcare system improved. BUT, not at the costs of
political suicide by socialism. Take a look at Venezuela. "IT" all started with politicians
similar to Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi, et-al.

I get VERY upset when people don't learn from history or believe the 'history' really took place.

My wife & I were watching TV showing the Berlin Wall being torn down. Our eldest son walked
into the house and ask why we were crying. We said that the Berlin Wall is finally coming down.
He said - hey, it's just a wall. We told him, yes - it's just a wall, BUT WE KNOW WHY IT WENT UP :!:

Uncle Al
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denimini
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

Post by denimini »

That sounds encouraging news about your wife. I know a few people who had strokes, recovered well and receiving medical care to reduce the risk of any more.
Odds are that it will be a different "end" far in the future.
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

Post by Big and Bashful »

Al,
A good friend of mine had something fairly similar maybe 8 years ago, a bleed in the brain the size of a satsuma. He was very lucky in that it didn't affect his movement, but for quite a while he lost his speech. He had to really struggle to find any words and started speech therapy, he still has to work hard at keeping his brain going, All the work he put in has paid off and not only is he speaking, he leads classes, running Heartstart training sessions and even works with training paramedics. He is only a few years off being 70 and is the most active First Responder in this area (Attending emergency calls and keeping people alive with CPR etc. until the ambulance or paramedic arrives). He hasn't made a 100% recovery, his sense of taste is broken and his memory has problems, also when tired or stressed his speech suffers. He told me that one simple thing he now finds almost impossible, he can't read things aloud because the link in his head between reading and speaking has gone. After all that, what I am trying to say is there is always hope, put a lot of effort in and it will make a big difference, forcing the brain to work around the damage that was done. His speech has been improving slowly but surely, and more importantly, he ain't dead, he is still around and productive, not bad for a nearly 70 year old ex-ships captain whose brain exploded!
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

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Uncle Al wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 4:14 am Yes, I would love to see our healthcare system improved. BUT, not at the costs of
political suicide by socialism. Take a look at Venezuela. "IT" all started with politicians
similar to Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi, et-al.
Then why not keep partisan politics out of it and follow the example of successful programs like in Canada, the U.K., Australia, etc.

Yes, if not managed correctly ANY system can crash and burn, including unchecked capitalism (see the crash of 29).

We have the advantage learning from the mistakes of nations like Venezuela, and following the example of more successful nations.

It frustrates me when the far right zeros in on one disaster situation like Venezuela and completely ignores the majority of successful examples. We have several members on this site who have pointed to examples of how their system works, and yet we can't follow their lead becase.... Venezuela... it makes no sense!

But it makes perfect sense if you consider the motive of politicians who oppose a plan on both sides... kickbacks from the insurance industry.

Why would any family purchase a home? So many Americans lose their home to foreclosure, could we say that buying a home leads to foreclosure? Of course not, it's all in how the family manages their finances

Should we not drive a car because of the risk of crash?

Even disciplined capitalists say risk is required, and for the better part of 50 years the pure capitalist health system has failed in this nation. The far right won't acknowledge that. I doubt the people who are having to choose between insulin and rent are worried about the folly of Venezuela... they're dying of a illness that one of the most advanced nations in the world could do something about, but wont... because of fear.

In words of the Democrat that brought us social security and the New Deal, a long list of government programs that helped lift this nation out of the great depression,

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"

Now... let's fix this.
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
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oldsalt1
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

Post by oldsalt1 »

moonshadow wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 11:56 am
Uncle Al wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 4:14 am Yes, I would love to see our healthcare system improved. BUT, not at the costs of
political suicide by socialism. Take a look at Venezuela. "IT" all started with politicians
similar to Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi, et-al.
Then why not keep partisan politics out of it and follow the example of successful programs like in Canada, the U.K., Australia, etc.

Yes we need to improve our system but I am tired of having the healthcare in the UK being used as an example
According to an article by the Patients Association

There is an average 18 week wait in England for routine surgeries

For major operations the average wait time is 100 days so if you need a knee replacement come back in 3 months
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

Post by Shilo »

I am fortunate enough to be a beneficiary of the NHS in the UK Just recently my daughter commented that the cost of my own various treatments would have been astronomical without it.
There are plenty of things wrong with it and long waiting lists. Ironically one of the reasons for this is lack of staff as many have been detered from immigrating in recent years. There is also a lack of funding due to our aging population. Something which politicians have refused to address for decades. We do have the option of private medical insurance which I took advantage of before the insurance companies put too many exclusions on me. Turns out they only want to insure younger, healthy people.
No one in the UK wants to bite the bullet and pay what things cost.
No system is perfect but some are less so than others!
:roll:
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

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oldsalt1 wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 12:10 pmAccording to an article by the Patients Association
From their own website:
The Patients Association is an independent patient charity campaigning for improvements in health and social care for patients.
This is clearly an advocacy group and will by simple virtue of that be critical of the existing system.
There is an average 18 week wait in England for routine surgeries
What classifies as "routine"? Might someone getting a "routine" (i.e. non-critical) procedure get bumped for someone with, say, an urgent need for a coronary bypass?
For major operations the average wait time is 100 days so if you need a knee replacement come back in 3 months
If that was the case we'd see an uptick in mortality and/or morbidity, and that doesn't seem to be the case.

One needs to be careful with one's sources.

Is the UK system perfect? No. No system created by humans can be. Is it better than what exists in the USA which is very close to "if you're not rich you die"? My guess on that one is, "Yes."
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moonshadow
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

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One common theme I notice in these discussions, is those dead set opposed to any public health care system seem to fall short when it comes to advancing ideas of their own.

We have the ability to fix this. We just have to try. Is Sanders plan the answer? NO.

There, I said it.

We will not have Bernie Sanders socialism in this country, even of Sanders is elected. He will never get his lofty plans through Congress. BUT, perhaps with a president that's serious about fixing the problem, he can charge Congress with delivering a reasonable health plan to his desk.

Frankly this one reason I've favored Warren, she doesn't seem as bull headed and stubborn as Sanders.

Indeed, dangerous legislation is working it's way through Virginia as we speak. Including a wage deal that's going to put a $7 per hour difference in wages on opposite sides of State street in Bristol TN/VA. Small businesses here are greatly concerned because they won't be able to compete with businesses in neighboring states.

Are Democrats crazy? They can be. They are just about as crazy as Republicans are self serving. Neither seem to have their head screwed on right, but at least the left is presenting ideas.

All the Republicans do is just say "no".

"Let's try this..."
"No..."

"How about that....?"
"No"

"Well, what do you think we ought to do?"
*shrugs* "let the free market decide..."

"Yeah... that's not exactly working..."
"YOU COMMIE LIBTARD... DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS!"
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moonshadow
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

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I don't care who fixes it. If Trump says to Congress "bring me a medical bill that stops people from declaring bankruptcy".... I'll give him my vote in November.

Again... I don't care who fixes it or what "ism" they are loyal to...

JUST FIX THE DAMNED THING!
-Andrea
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

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moonshadow wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 6:17 pm*shrugs* "let the free market decide..."

"Yeah... that's not exactly working..."
Well, yes it is working if you're well-placed in the "insurance" industry, or a stockholder therein. Here's a particularly infuriating read that points up just one tiny part of the problem. Galling as that may be, it's even worse when one recalls that what the CEOs are pocketing is only a tiny fraction of the money: the rest is going to the billionaire stockholders of those companies. For all of the trillions supposedly spent on health care, likely 85% wind up in the pockets of the money-grubbers. Sick folks and providers are all getting squeezed -- to the point of death sometimes. It's become blood from a stone.

And it'll continue until the revenue stream dries up when the last ounce of wealth has been sucked out of what's left of the middle class.

This is not going to change, and it's not going to change for one simple reason: it's not that Congress has no backbone, but rather that Congress is soundly in the employ of the super-rich. They make it look fiery and spectacular by way of show, but they will not change the system because they are bought and paid for. Perhaps not each and every one of them, but at the very least 2/3rds are because at that level they can override a presidential veto (and as far as that goes, he's "on the payroll" as well). So, change is not going to come from within.

Don't worry about Sanders. He's not going to be allowed anywhere near the general ballot. The same thing with Warren. My money's on Biden being run by the Democrats, who has already sided with the "insurance" industry with his support for Romneycare (aka the "Affordable Care Act"). Trump already has the Republican "nomination" in hand by virtue of having no credible competition.
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moonshadow
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Re: Health Concerns & Costs

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Well, my bottom line is (then I'll drop it)

To the right leaners here, if you don't want a public health care option then you need to write, call, shout out to those Republican lawmakers, get them to encourage their rich fat cat donors that they need to voluntarily work to correct this...

Failure to do so will eventually result in revolt, as it happens every few hundred years...

You want free market capitalism rather than Bernie Sanders socialism? That's okay with me... I'd actually prefer that myself, but capitalist need to step up to the plate, and give back their fair share. They are building their fortunes on the backs of the working poor and they're not giving anything back....

That ain't right, it ain't ethical, and it ain't moral.
-Andrea
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