tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post4160413723550368197..comments2023-07-04T06:58:32.627-04:00Comments on View on the News: A wise moveMoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13612323587459830074noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-15651529792091489312009-09-07T19:56:04.908-04:002009-09-07T19:56:04.908-04:00The "local Rev." isn't going to give...The "local Rev." isn't going to give you a colonoscopy. But he or she can take steps to see that the church social hall can be used to offer free blood pressure screenings, or allow a nurse who is a member to start a fitness program at the church. The church can act as a clearinghouse for unbiased health information because some people will believe what comes from a pastor before they will believe what comes from a friend. It can run a soup kitchen, house homeless families once a month or otherwise raise awareness of the state of the poor and sick in the nation. And although I'm not convinced that prayer works, what can it hurt?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-2361099415204780322009-09-07T15:20:34.061-04:002009-09-07T15:20:34.061-04:00"Lets go back to the church and local communi..."Lets go back to the church and local communities taking care of the poor and sick who don't have health insurance"<br /><br />I know I want the local Rev. doing my colonscopy and the catholic nuns treating my wife's breast cancer with prayer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-73196243751769247842009-09-07T06:47:59.228-04:002009-09-07T06:47:59.228-04:00Late last week, the White House had a conference w...Late last week, the White House had a conference with Democrats on the Hill. What leaked out of that conference was the fact that the White House may write their own health care reform legislation. Over the weekend, suddenly "all options are on the table" (as per Axelrod).<br /><br />These revelations demonstrate that the White House had no ownership in the House legislation, contrary what perception may have been advanced by them. This goes a long way why the roll-out of the proposal was done so poorly. President Obama was out as the cheerleader for something that he had no part in drafting. He was the leader in creating confusion and conveying misinformation, later attempted to be covered by Press Secretary Gibbs. <br /><br />This is what happens when such a massive overhaul is attempted to be pushed through without debate, and without knowing what was included in the bill. There was no reason for all the divisiveness this reform has caused. Most citizens agree that reform is needed, so that isn't the argument. The question is how to attack the problem. With the White House not fully on board with what Speaker Pelosi promoted, the average US citizen was left wanting with good explanations. <br /><br />Perhaps the White House can regain control of the situation by doing just what they suggested -- starting over with something drafted by the White House, with both houses of congress on board. The past effort was only developed with one of the three bodies at work, and proved to be a dismal failure. This is far too important of a matter to have one of the three bodies manage the progress.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-17534765872871285612009-09-04T16:38:18.648-04:002009-09-04T16:38:18.648-04:00Whoa, Steelerfan. Dr Garrett is involved with a n...Whoa, Steelerfan. Dr Garrett is involved with a not-for-profit hospital, not a non-profit one. Your argument falls apart with this distinction.<br /><br />For those wanting to discount Garrett's comments (another suggested that the hospital's tales of woe are bogus), please provide a refutation of what he says. Give us the accounting records, or summary of balance sheets to support that what he says is wrong. Or, if you are self-proclaiming a refutation, then provide us with your credentials on why your statements are right, and Garrett's are wrong. Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-73861795356295951392009-09-04T12:38:52.702-04:002009-09-04T12:38:52.702-04:00I agree with Steelerfan43. I was recently a patie...I agree with Steelerfan43. I was recently a patient at the Washington Hospital. I delivered my baby there. I stayed two night. They gave me a total of 5 Motrin, 3 vitamins, and 4 stool softeners. I received my statment from the insurance company. The charge of those 12 pills were over $500. <br /><br />Yes, we need a health care reform but it needs to start from the bottom up. <br /><br />JDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-42156615386655840322009-09-04T10:03:51.065-04:002009-09-04T10:03:51.065-04:00Great point, Mr. Polamalu. Here's another &quo...Great point, Mr. Polamalu. Here's another "non-profit" hospital... UPMC, yet its brand is slapped on all three sides of the Steel Building.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09862109705577881367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-69148893169413650072009-09-04T09:56:31.169-04:002009-09-04T09:56:31.169-04:00I would just like to point out that one of the ano...I would just like to point out that one of the anon posts stated that a Dr. Garrett works at a non-profit hospital in Virginia and that it would go down the tubes if the gov't gets invovled with health care. Well, most hospitals are "non-profit." Here's an example of one, Washington Hospital. Guess what, they still charge a ridiculous amount for a regular over the counter Tylenol that they claim is hospital grade. They still charge a ridiculous amount for gauze, bandaids, wooden crutches, etc. They still blow money on additions and upgrades when they can't afford to staff them. They still lay people off after those upgardes because they claim there is no money. And all of this without a universal health care system and the gov'ts little stickie hands. WOW! So where are we better off...............we're NOT. We need a complete overhaul of the health care system. We need to tear down our current system and start fresh and new. The politicians need to think less of themselves, their campaign and their pockets and think more of their constiuents they claim to care about so much. Stop blowing smoke up all of our @$$es republican, democrat and liberal alike. Do what we put you in office to do. Reform this country and make it the place that our founding fathers wanted it to be. The place of opportunity and freedom for EVERYONE, not just a choice few. Stop bickering and pointing fingers, come together and help the masses.Steelerfan43noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-87139746441325781632009-09-04T09:39:41.488-04:002009-09-04T09:39:41.488-04:00Health care isn't about "extending life a...Health care isn't about "extending life a few years." It's about quality of life in the years you have. Routine health care shouldn't break you or your employer. It shouldn't cost $500 a month for a single person to have access to quality health care. And before you say that extending your life into your 80s isn't worth it, talk to 85-year-olds who have decent health. Then wait till you're 78 to see if you want to live a few more years. No one wants to exist hooked up to a machine, but if having decent, preventive health care when I'm 75 helps me get to 85, I'm all for it. May each of us be so lucky as to die in our sleep and save our families the cost of long-term hospitalization.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-29823881100687787352009-09-04T08:41:35.253-04:002009-09-04T08:41:35.253-04:00That's my point... we agree on life expectancy...That's my point... we agree on life expectancy- it's not necessarily about extending life by an extra 5 or 10 years... it's about cost.<br /><br />Other health care systems in the world cost half as much as ours while their populations live as long or longer than us.Ellipseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04061702655686662457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-90822027737723541772009-09-04T08:29:14.446-04:002009-09-04T08:29:14.446-04:00Even if your life expectancy numbers are right, th...Even if your life expectancy numbers are right, that is only eight years longer. So what? What is being done with those eight years? At what cost? At what suffering, just to keep the heart pumping and brain waves moving? What is wrong with natural death?<br /><br />Spend your time considering what end-of-life means, not trying to make it something it is not. Listening to all this hollow talk leaves one to wonder how arrogant mankind has become, thinking we are in control and that we can really manage the big issues of life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-846880982524784292009-09-04T08:02:59.449-04:002009-09-04T08:02:59.449-04:00The average life expectancy between 1959-1961 was ...The average life expectancy between 1959-1961 was 67.55 for males and 74.19 for females.<br /><br />Today, average life expectancy is 75.21 for men and 80.36 for women.<br /><br />The biggest part of health care reform is the cost. We pay twice as much, by any measure, as the rest of the world. If life expectancy didn't change at all from current levels, but we saved a couple thousand dollars per year, per person... it would be a huge successEllipseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04061702655686662457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-41398280806641858402009-09-04T07:04:44.627-04:002009-09-04T07:04:44.627-04:00After reading so much about this health care matte...After reading so much about this health care matter, I am led to believe that those who are pushing for Obamacare believe that immortality is right around the corner. The argument is that if we get the proposed program, including a public paid option, people will live longer, and possibly just keep living forever. <br /><br />Why do so many people feel so strongly about extending life on earth? What is so great about this place? Consider: hatred of others, broken relationship, broken promises, sickness, unexpected loss of life, unemployment, wayward children, lies, ... and the list goes on. Everybody can fill in their own blank. If short of ideas, just read the newspaper.<br /><br />Having a health care program is so important to some folks, just to extend life a few years. Fifty years ago, nobody had any health care plans. How much has lifespan been extended? Oh yes, a year or two. Who cares? So what? So many of the advances only create an illusion that life will be better, when, in fact, many suffer and suffer, with a hope that they will be better. <br /><br />The last time I checked, the failure rate of life is 100%. The only question is the point of failure. Are people so afraid of what happens at death that they want to prolong that date further? Maybe we need to spend more time in preparation of that point in life (which EVERYBODY reaches), rather than trying to move the date.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-49226238841828617792009-09-04T06:00:49.259-04:002009-09-04T06:00:49.259-04:00I like the folks who don't believe numbers and...I like the folks who don't believe numbers and just stick with their preconceived notions. In other words, "The heck with those facts. I'll just blindly keep believing what I wanted the believe in the first place."Branthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10472711158045753698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-18298565298264187602009-09-03T23:13:15.520-04:002009-09-03T23:13:15.520-04:00See, the thing with health insurance is, those tha...See, the thing with health insurance is, those that have don't want to give up for those who have not. Just like in so many other areas. Help everyone, but don't take anything away from me. Save gas, but don't take away my big car.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-82587828840944950042009-09-03T21:35:55.677-04:002009-09-03T21:35:55.677-04:00Oh, and to one of the anonymouses...
No, the fact...Oh, and to one of the anonymouses...<br /><br />No, the fact that unemployment went above 8% when the president said it wouldn't is not a lie. If you believe something to be true, and you state what you believe to be true... if it turns out to be false, it's simply incorrect, not a lie.<br /><br />Case in point: George Bush, in believing that Iraq did, in fact, have weapons of mass destruction, did not lie in using that as justification for war. He was wrong, but he did not lie, as long as he did not know that there were not WMD in Iraq, it was not a lie.Ellipseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04061702655686662457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-3228430892888696912009-09-03T20:27:02.250-04:002009-09-03T20:27:02.250-04:00Goat Lady... it's not about the treatment. It&...Goat Lady... it's not about the treatment. It's about being able to afford it. I don't think you should have to declare bankruptcy due to medical bills.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09862109705577881367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-52268232407647177952009-09-03T18:41:35.297-04:002009-09-03T18:41:35.297-04:00E, You can make numbers say anything. When numbe...E, You can make numbers say anything. When numbers don't jive with common sense, (see global warming) I don't factor them. Dr.'s agree that having the government in the room with the patient and the lawyer isn't a good thing. The Dr. patient and lawyer is enough. Why can't we try tort reform and allow individuals to shop across state lines. If you want to see how the feds compete in the private market look to Amtrack.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-14636197710510756552009-09-03T18:28:15.755-04:002009-09-03T18:28:15.755-04:00MJ, The lady without health insurance who was sho...MJ, The lady without health insurance who was shot at LA Fitness...Did they turn her away or did she receive the same top notch care as other who were injured and insured?????<br /><br />The Goat LadyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-39953307639398321232009-09-03T18:28:03.222-04:002009-09-03T18:28:03.222-04:00So your response to actual statistics is "nuh...So your response to actual statistics is "nuh-uh!"??Ellipseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04061702655686662457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-35885927087474424072009-09-03T18:01:41.361-04:002009-09-03T18:01:41.361-04:00Cash for Clunkers is an example of how our governm...Cash for Clunkers is an example of how our government operates. Not real comfortable letting those jabrones handle health care. No matter how many times ellipses posts doctored figures I just don't buy it. I think I have too much common sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-80727540626833416762009-09-03T17:59:44.702-04:002009-09-03T17:59:44.702-04:00Brant, Please provide an example of a lie told by...Brant, Please provide an example of a lie told by Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh in regards to the health care issue. Thank you<br />Is it a lie that unemployment wouldn't reach 8 per cent with stimulus bill passed?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-43968612840918000042009-09-03T17:23:49.905-04:002009-09-03T17:23:49.905-04:00Anyone else sick of the right-wing mainstream medi...Anyone else sick of the right-wing mainstream media?<br /><br />http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09246/995148-109.stmMJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09862109705577881367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-85016580763523137212009-09-03T16:00:58.004-04:002009-09-03T16:00:58.004-04:00What I am having a problem getting beyond is this ...What I am having a problem getting beyond is this argument that seems to arise from a belief that it "can't" work for reason x or reason y... yet we have example after example of where it DOES work. <br /><br />I mean, if you simply made a carbon copy of just about any other country's health care system and implemented it here, it would be a MASSIVE step in the right direction. <br /><br />"How can it possibly cost less?"<br /><br />Ask any Franc, Fin, Brit, Maple Leaf, Swede, Germ, or Norse... <br /><br />It's like the rest of the world has iPhones and we are sitting here saying that the world will fall apart if we adopt this new "touch tone" technology for landlines...Ellipseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04061702655686662457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-77085135747140198172009-09-03T15:55:31.532-04:002009-09-03T15:55:31.532-04:00"So adding more people into the system and cr..."So adding more people into the system and creating a bureacracy within the government will lead to cost savings?"<br /><br />Yes. The purpose of an insurance company is to spread risk. The bigger the subscriber base, the more thinly spread the risk is.<br /><br />"Ok, if you put every insurance company out of business, cut doctor pay rates by a third, and give hospitals less money for each procedure, you MIGHT get some savings."<br /><br />Who said anything about putting insurance companies out of business? You can still buy private insurance in universal health care countries... <br /><br />And what's with cutting doctor's pay by a third? <br /><br />And yes... pay LESS for services rendered. Japan's national health service pays something like 85 dollars for MRI's (compared to 1,500 here) and MRI centers in Japan are profitable.<br /><br />"And, I certainly don't think an mere 1100 page bill is the panacea to our problems... The system is broke, and it's a heck of a lot more complicated than 1100 pages and some evil insurance companies."<br /><br />It's a start... Oh, and insurance companies aren't evil (I'm an atheist, I don't believe in "evil" to begin with)... they are simply ill-equipped to simultaneously fulfill two contradictory roles.<br /><br />You can't insure people for less than the amount of money their care requires AND be profitable. You can either evenly spread the cost of risk amongst a population and charge exactly what the expenditure on that risk is (aka, 0% profit margin) OR you can determine which customers are MOST likely to incur the MOST amount of charges and then either eliminate them from the pool or increase the average cost to offset their expense. <br /><br />Insuring the population in order to ensure that everyone has basic, routine, and preventative care available to them should at least be a loss-leader government program or at BEST a zero profit, minimum expense system...Ellipseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04061702655686662457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6137997322301347949.post-79121435303176035922009-09-03T15:45:01.722-04:002009-09-03T15:45:01.722-04:00That almost certainly contributes to the problem.....That almost certainly contributes to the problem... and since we aren't leading the world as far as our actual health, it would appear that getting an MRI for every sneeze and hang nail is probably not necessary to keep a population in good healthEllipseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04061702655686662457noreply@blogger.com