General Music Chat

Personal family healthcare insurance going up $342.61 PER MONTH.
Checking the balance sheet on our provider shows that they are only making 3.5 to 4 % profit on invested money. McDonalds blows that away.
Most insurance co's turn a greater profit on homeowners and car insurance.
I just wonder why this health care bill continues to be called " REFORM"
Maybe we need to slow down and spend some money to find out why healthcare cost has RISEN so high.
Maybe we we need to understand were all the waste is and truly work toward "Healthcare Reform"
By the way , I gave Kramer a MONTH. It was less than 2 weeks.
I like the guy, I like his playing, I just don't like his name calling.

I pay my health care OOP Glen.
The way I see it, if insurance is going to cost me $600.00 a month.
I might as well put that into an interest bearing account of my own.
Or bury it in mason jars. I'm a lower middle class guy. If I have a catastrophic illness, insurance ain't going to save me from going broke anyway.

Lawsuits that award ridiculous millions upon millions of dollars in lawsuits have raised doctors liability insurance to the point where they have to charge tons of money.

So if they REALLY wanted to do something to lower health care costs, they would cap lawsuits. However, all the stinking cheating lying bastards that refer to themselves as "representatives" around election time are also lawyers.

So they will not do what needs to be done. What they are trying to pass off as a health care bill is more like a pyramid scheme that will line the coffers with billions that will be re appropriated for other reasons as soon as those greedy bastards can get their hands on it. Not? Then look at Social Security, Highway taxes... and on and on and on....

From an RN observation point. If Doctors were all that concerned about lawsuits as they pretend to be. They would pay a lot more attention to what they are doing.
Every day I get orders to stop a medication someone was never on or it was already stopped three days ago. Take staple closure out of incisions on patients admitted for stroke ( no incision ).
Lord God, don't ever let me be sick or injured enough to end up in the hospital. Geez, this is some scary shyt ya,ll.

AMEN

Sans, I am only concerned that most interest bearing accounts pay less than putting some money in the cookie jar.

Slacker... Thats the point..... WE are trying to fix this and we do NOT have clear grip of WHAT THE PROBLEMS REALLY ARE! Right on man.

I went under aenesthesia so they could look for a chip of bone I thought was stuck in my throat, once, at the local slaughterhouse...er...hospital. I woke up with three cracked ribs.

They said I coughed when I woke up & cracked them then, right after they checked thier charts right in front of me & saw that I smoke.

I say the prolly killed me & cracked 'em with CPR, if they didn't just toss me on the gurney & miss.

Either way, my family would have suffered greatly had I died during that lil thingie that wasn't even necessary (cuz they found nothing). Still, though I still believe that they cracked my ribs, I did nothing to pursue anything.

'Nuther time I went in to the same place with some terrible internal event (I won't give ya the gross details other than to say I was bleeding out both ends). They had me crap in a hat so they could have a sample. They left the damned thing sitting in the room for 6 hours...not once, but twice, & so it was unuseable...while I & my unfortunate room-mate had to lay there & smell it, even though I hit that damned call button & told them to remove it.

I was in for a snake bite, same joint, my IV ran out & that damned beepin' was driving me buggy. I called them to replace it, & when no one came I called again & told them I was turning off the beeper cuz I was sleepy. They assured me that someone would be along shortly. I fell back asleep, & woke some time later to a loud gasp. The nurse who woke me ran out & got another nurse, who then just pushed the IV stuff into my hand. They hollared at me for turning the beeper off, & it had been off for over 4 hours before someone stumbled upon it. I later found out that by pushing the IV stuff they could have pushed a clot into my veins, they could also have caused serious damage to my hand.

What's the value of YOUR hand? YOUR life?

Yes, tort reform is called for, but let's not go overboard on that kind of talk, cuz there IS another side to things when there's gross negligence that causes ppl harm. Most of us have had bad experiences that may have or could have caused us damage. This side of the equation must also be addressed - the Dr's & nurses working double & triple shifts, the lab mix ups, the chart mix ups, the unnecessary push for surgery, the screwy damned drugs they keep pushing on ppl that kill or make 'em crazy or do permanent damage - there's a world of things that can & often do go very wrong for someone who trusts that Dr, nurse, or hospital to take care of them.

A HUGE part of our medical problems in this country have to do with the issue of "profits vs proper care." How many pills are YOU on? My wife's on SEVEN, minimum, every day, & she's 46 yrs old! EVERY time I see a Dr, he wants to put me on something. It's common knowledge that Dr's are getting perks & kickbacks for pushing often unnecessary drugs on ppl. Our federal gov't fines & does even worse to the Dr who would actually CURE a medical problem without the use of drugs. Our children are on daily prescriptions. Between the pharmaceutical co's, inept Dr's & nurses, sloppy lab outfits, & our gov't intervention to assure the highest profit over actual cures, it's a wonder that more ppl aren't dying from this outmoded corrupt system.

Yes, there are issues all around, & the best answer I've heard is to TAKE THE PROFIT OUT OF MEDICINE BECAUSE IT'S KILLING PEOPLE.

Checking the balance sheet on our provider shows that they are only making 3.5 to 4 % profit on invested money.

But they have paid professional accountants to produce that number for you. A number that does not include how much they spend advertising in an area where they have no competition. Nor does it show how much they overspend on employee compensation... i.e. bonuses and salaries for people who did not create a single thing. They just moved money around... and made millions.

So your number is practically useless... 4% of what? What were the expenses? Its called a "strawman argument" when you throw useless facts around.

Strawman is also the "McDonald's blows them away" statement. McDonald's is a Global company set up to serve a meal... not Health Care. If MickyD's had to serve hundreds of types of meals instead of the menu they choose, they would make less.

Farther lets take a peek at this "Profit" thingy... where in the course of your health care, or the health care of your family do you want to hear "I can save this life, but there is no profit in it"?

Couple that with the fact that in ALL of the other "Progressed industrial nations" Profit is not an issue... the health and well being of the majority of the nation is the priority. These "other nations" do it better AND cheaper than we do it.

Now sure... folks used to flock to the US for premium health care... Now the Saudi Royals only come here for health care when they fear the wrath of a disgruntled subject.

So you just keep on thinking this is about profit... never you mind that Pharma makes $4 BILLION PER MONTH! Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, the state's largest insurer, earned $186 million last year while raising premiums on customers as the economy slid into recession. That's after they paid out BILLIONS in salaries and bonuses... retreats and "perks" for Doctors playing ball with them.

So you do the math... $186 million in PROFIT and RAISING PREMIUMS while the state goes bankrupt... yeah, those innocent insurance companies, suffering under their 4% profit margins.

Well done Dewy. I used to work for BCBSM and I saw first hand how much money they wasted, it was obscene. Multi-million dollar software peojects were started and abandoned with little rhyme or reason. Golf outings complete with awards, steak dinners and garbage cans full of beer at every hole. I know one guy that during the summer months all he does is entertain agents, party and play golf. No I don't feel sorry for them at all.

You don't want your own health care, says big brother. But mandatory government taxes and fines will make you take theirs and pay for it.

Next in line is legalizing the millions of illegals so they will get this health care. But they are dodging taxes and other things American citizens have to finance. So how much are your government health care costs going to go up to cover them? How is that going to cut down health care costs?

How long before you are old enough to be "deleted"? How long before they say your health care is cost prohibitive. They ARE going to do that, you know. They have to. When will your mother or father be on the "too old to waste the money on" list? How long before they look at your children and declare they aren't worth saving, after an illness or an accident?


How long before only those ramming this health care crap are the only ones able to get treatment, since they opted themselves out of it.

And if THOSE WHO WROTE AND ARE TRYING TO PASS IT opted themselves from it, just how good or fair can it possibly be for YOU?

Take my word for it. Those self gratifying self serving bastards don't give diddley crap about you or your health. This is about control and power. It has nothing to do with your health care.

Hey SG, Americans do that every day...in CANADA! Even Sarah Palin recalls her childhood experiences going across the border for health care!

As far as the "how long before you're deleted" question - I'm sorry, but I find that argument to be completely ridiculous propaganda brought to us by the "conservative" ppl who stand to lose so much, should we take away thier mondo profit factor. Thier profits are all they're concerned about "conserving."

You don't want your own health care, says big brother. But mandatory government taxes and fines will make you take theirs and pay for it.

Excuse me... but yes, I'd like very much to have the same coverage I already pay for my "Big Brother" Sen. Richard Shelby. And the damning fact is, we can give everyone in this nation that coverage CHEAPER than paying for "insurance" to deny you if they can for a profit increase. But you would rather the nation continue to pay an increasing amount for less coverage because ... what, can you give me a decent reason?

Next in line is legalizing the millions of illegals so they will get this health care.

Ok, so you want to use illegal aliens to scare me? Not going to work... that argument is taken care of by deporting them. Until then... yes, treat them for broken bones or communicable diseases... because we are not only a humanitarian nation... we also are intelligent to understand that the "uncovered" incidents arriving at the ER drive up costs for everyone. So take your "debt/fear of immigrant" arguments elsewhere.. .because they do not belong in a reasonable discussion on how to best "insure" the health of our nation.

How long before you are old enough to be "deleted"? How long before they say your health care is cost prohibitive.

How is that different from having your current insurance cancel on you because of a typo? That crap happens all of the time. Companies dropping insurance coverage because its "too costly". They are "For Profit" after all.. .and they don't turn a profit by paying out... they turn a profit by collecting premiums and denying payment.

So once again, non argument. Death panels... really?

How long before only those ramming this health care crap are the only ones able to get treatment, since they opted themselves out of it.

Not sure, your question is vague and certainly misleading. How would the ones who opt out of treatment be the only ones who could afford it?

but I know this... the current system isn't working... MILLIONS can't afford it. Not a matter of "they're too lazy", because you know the medicare thingy is already taking care of those "freeloaders" you're crying about. The folks who are not able to afford healthcare are WORKING... go figure.

Lets make a real argument... Will the foot draggers and nay sayers trying to stop this bill from being "rammed down our throat" do anything to make it more affordable? They've had plenty of time and insurance lobby cash to work it out... and their plan? Fear... pure and simple. I'm supposed to be afraid of "Obamacare" despite the fact they have had ample opportunity to craft and pass their own bill... and what did they do with that opportunity? They could have been responsible legislators and participated in the AMERICAN PROCESS OF LEGISLATION... but no... they wanna run around on the news channels and scream SOCIALISM!!

Well lemme tell ya, fear is working. Fear my daughter won't have insurance next month... fear that the repubs are doing nothing despite my having defended them for 17 years since voting for Bush's Daddy.

Fear that the American Public are too shallow to see thru the tired ruse of "Tax and spend Democrats" when the "cut taxes and spend" party has bankrupted this nation.

But hey... sure, sit in your foxhole and cry foul that a black man is smarter than either one of us... and is actually making congress pass healthcare reform. That's effective, its inspiring... it inspired me to reply after promising myself a hundreds times over "Do not respond to the teabaggers Dewy... they are baiting you... they don't have any facts... they just want to drag you down to their level and beat you with idiocy".

Take my word for it. Those self gratifying self serving bastards don't give diddley crap about you or your health. This is about control and power. It has nothing to do with your health care.

How can I take your word for it... I have read and studied on this topic for the last 15 years. Health Care in the US is broken.... but your tactic is the teaparty tactic... Scream Nazi/Socialist until the Repubs save us.

And that's a load of male bovine manure you can take to the bank.

I'll grant you the repubs can sow fear... the majority of American's "oppose obamacare" 53%-48%... but when you actually look at the provisions in the bill as currently written, they approve of each by 60% or more. But folks aren't reading the bill... they are hearing the sound bytes, and lemme tellya, the Mob loves fear. Its like a primal animal honoring one of the primal instincts.

So instead of responsibly legislating... the Repubs sow fear... and you're here echoing their talking points. Enough already, we get this crap in a steady diet from "talking heads" like Beck and Limbaugh... we don't need it in a musical forum. Even the general topics section.

Your uniformed opinion and my informed opinion will get us both a cup of coffee... if we put a dollar with it.

Wait until it happens. Then you will see that I have a better handle on it than you do. Until then you sound less informed than I do. The proof is when what I said either happens or it doesn't. Until then your opinion isn't any more valid than mine.

However, I do understand big government better than you. You grew up in the school of liberal brainwashing. I was out of there long before that. So I guess you have your opinion and I have mine. Those who taught you think we came from amoebas who turned into monkeys that turned into people.

My lineage didn't arrive here that way. They came from creation.

Highlighting my opinions and refuting them with your opinions is a rather silly argument. Just watch and learn. This administration is going to destroy America with smoke and mirrors, and gullible supporters.

Meanwhile I'll drink coffee at home. It always tastes better at home. I'll even share a pot with you if you are ever in the area.

"However, I do understand big government better than you. You grew up in the school of liberal brainwashing. I was out of there long before that. So I guess you have your opinion and I have mine. Those who taught you think we came from amoebas who turned into monkeys that turned into people."

Ha, you sure don't understand evolution, why would we think you understand big government? What you call liberal brainwashing the rest of the world calls education, too bad you didn't get one.

Are you Glenny's dad or grandpa?