As we all know the cost of health care is getting out of hand due to over zealous lawyers and the general pubic
preception that doctors should be perfect. In Utopia that may be the case, but this is the real world and I am here to
tell you that doctors, just like you and I are real people with minds, ideas and last but not least feelings.
I can speak from many years of experiance. For one I am, and I admit it accident prone and have spent a whole lot of time dealing with doctors. Second of all I work for a community health center and after saying that it goes without saying, I work with a lot of doctors. Yes most of them have a "God" complex, but I guess when you have to make life and death decisions on a daily basis you would get to feeling that way. Life is different in a community health center for a doctor because of the type of facility it is. Most are struggling for monies that just aren't forth coming and grants from the government that we may or may not get.
The reason most doctors come to work for places like I work is that they don't have to deal with malpractice coverage, it is covered through the CHC. I recently spoke to one of our providers and she informed me of the horrendous cost of malpractice insurance. She told me before she came to work with us that her malpractice premiums with reaching for coverage of $500,000.00, you read it correctly, $500,000.00.
You wonder why the cost of health care is so high! When she came to work for us she said that they insurance comany was getting ready to raise rates and drop the coverage. I couldn't believe the cost of the insurance so I did a little investigating and talking to other providers who provided similar numbers to what she had quoted me.
So there we have one part of the puzzle, now for the second and the one that burns my ass the most, the cost of prescription medications. My doc prescribed a medication for a problem I was having, of course I have insurance so I figured no biggie! Boy was I mistaken, first off I find that because the medication is for something other than my problem, it is not covered by my insurance company. Ok no problem I think to myself until I get the cost of the prescription, $70.00 for I believe it was two weeks worth of medication (14) pills! I am fairly healthy so I was able to tell the pharmacy thanks, but no thanks. If I can't afford something that wasn't that big of a deal and I will live with out it, how do the people like older folks who have to have certain meds just to live feel! The companies that devalope these drugs blame the high cost on R&D and the cost of getting it through the FDA! I call bullshit, what I see is a bunch of money grubbing buttheads trying to make as much as they can off people they know need this stuff to survive!
I speak from experiance after speaking to my mom, who is trying to survive with my step father on her retirement and little else.
There comes a time when something is so broken it has to be fixed no matter how painful it is. Doctors should be the ones making decisions on what gets done and what is prescribed. Those calls need to be takin out of HMO's, PPO's and laywers and judges hands.
Also Congress and the President need to get off their dead ass's and either get universal health care in place or place caps on what a doctor can be sued for and how much liability needs to be paid out.
Remember people doctors and nurses are people also, just like you and I even though they do have your life and mine in their hands.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Tibet and the Olympics
As we all know the Olympics are being staged in Beijing China in this four year cycle.
And of course along with the Olympics we have political discourse to go along with it. If you are not sure what I am speaking of just turn to the front page of any major newspaper or online news source of your choosing and look for or search for the Dalai Lama or Tibet and I know you will find articles on what has been happening there. It seems that Tibet for some strange reason feels that they should have independence from China.
What started this whole thing was a headline I saw where China accuses the Dalai
Lama of stirring up unrest prior to the Olympics being staged there this summer. Well let me see here, you have a foreign power that is controlling a country not their own, a spiritual leader who preaches peace and a military that is shooting, beating and generally doing what they want to peaceful protesters. They (China) has tried everything in their power to not let that information out to the rest of the world i.e. shutting down You Tube and banning any news coverage of the events that would not look favorably upon the Chinese government. I follow the world news at large and seeing this is one of the greatest abuses I have seen from China since the Tiennamen Square massacre. China feels it can get away with these types of abuses because it is calling on the world at large to ignore what is happening there and not to make the Olympics a “political pulpit”. This has happened before as we all know with the United States and the U.S.S.R. Both boycotting Olympic games held in each others countries in the eighties. Those boycotts didn't accomplish anything. But with these Olympics boycotting would be the perfect way for the world to show their displeasure.
I am not sure if most people understand the orient and honor. China feels it is a great honor to host these games. If the world were to boycott the games the Chinese government would lose great face (honor) in the eyes of the rest of the world and that would be a great dishonor. Yes I feel the whole world should boycott these games to show the Chinese government that it is time to forgo the dictatorial type of government they have and to honor a countries sovereignty and allow either greater autonomy or free rule, as they are supposed to do to another area of China, Hong Kong.
The Chinese government places no value on human life and their human rights records show this. But this is the perfect time to show that they are willing to move forward and change.
As one of the world largest countries and economies they should be taking the lead in human rights and issues like that, but they still rule their country with an iron fist and attempt to control everything the people of their country reads, watches on T.V., and listens to on the radio . That is not freedom, that is being afraid of what your countrymen will see outside of their own country and want to know why they can't have the same freedoms as the rest of the world.
These are old men trying desperately trying to keep this huge country under their thumb and keep their people ignorant of what could be without their dictatorial rule.
They are so afraid of their own people they won't have democratic elections and let the people decide for themselves because they know they will lose their power over the largest population in the world.
China, it is time to move into the 21st century and allow you people to think and make decisions for themselves, not have the government do it for them. They do have minds of their own.
And of course along with the Olympics we have political discourse to go along with it. If you are not sure what I am speaking of just turn to the front page of any major newspaper or online news source of your choosing and look for or search for the Dalai Lama or Tibet and I know you will find articles on what has been happening there. It seems that Tibet for some strange reason feels that they should have independence from China.
What started this whole thing was a headline I saw where China accuses the Dalai
Lama of stirring up unrest prior to the Olympics being staged there this summer. Well let me see here, you have a foreign power that is controlling a country not their own, a spiritual leader who preaches peace and a military that is shooting, beating and generally doing what they want to peaceful protesters. They (China) has tried everything in their power to not let that information out to the rest of the world i.e. shutting down You Tube and banning any news coverage of the events that would not look favorably upon the Chinese government. I follow the world news at large and seeing this is one of the greatest abuses I have seen from China since the Tiennamen Square massacre. China feels it can get away with these types of abuses because it is calling on the world at large to ignore what is happening there and not to make the Olympics a “political pulpit”. This has happened before as we all know with the United States and the U.S.S.R. Both boycotting Olympic games held in each others countries in the eighties. Those boycotts didn't accomplish anything. But with these Olympics boycotting would be the perfect way for the world to show their displeasure.
I am not sure if most people understand the orient and honor. China feels it is a great honor to host these games. If the world were to boycott the games the Chinese government would lose great face (honor) in the eyes of the rest of the world and that would be a great dishonor. Yes I feel the whole world should boycott these games to show the Chinese government that it is time to forgo the dictatorial type of government they have and to honor a countries sovereignty and allow either greater autonomy or free rule, as they are supposed to do to another area of China, Hong Kong.
The Chinese government places no value on human life and their human rights records show this. But this is the perfect time to show that they are willing to move forward and change.
As one of the world largest countries and economies they should be taking the lead in human rights and issues like that, but they still rule their country with an iron fist and attempt to control everything the people of their country reads, watches on T.V., and listens to on the radio . That is not freedom, that is being afraid of what your countrymen will see outside of their own country and want to know why they can't have the same freedoms as the rest of the world.
These are old men trying desperately trying to keep this huge country under their thumb and keep their people ignorant of what could be without their dictatorial rule.
They are so afraid of their own people they won't have democratic elections and let the people decide for themselves because they know they will lose their power over the largest population in the world.
China, it is time to move into the 21st century and allow you people to think and make decisions for themselves, not have the government do it for them. They do have minds of their own.
Friday, March 14, 2008
World Elections
It seems to be election time all over the world. Russia just finished their “free and open” elections and now Iran is having theirs. Before Iran’s election started the Supreme Ayatollah called for massive turn outs which would tell the west that they are happy with the type of government they have. As the results have filtered out the numbers are much lower than they had hoped. I believe this means the people are not happy but you can be assured the twisted president they have elected will make it look like some kind of support for his continued stupidity of defying the United Nations Security Council.
I hope the rest of this great nation looks at the way countries like Iran, Russia, Egypt, and any number of other countries that try to claim that they hold fair and free elections and then look at what they have here. We have a system that may not be perfect, but it allows it’s people to really choose who they want to represent them, not some sham election where all the opponents of the ruling class are declared ineligible for shady reasons ala Russia and Iran. Russia claimed that their elections were free and fair. If they were free and fair why were foreign monitors restricted so much that they quit because they couldn’t do their jobs properly. What about the majority of opposition opponents’? They were forced to drop from the race or were blocked from placing ad’s on the state run television stations. The president – elect wouldn’t even debate the remaining opponents.
When and incumbent dictator hand picks his successor and all opposition is crushed, where is the “free and transparency” part of the election. Not only had all that happened consider all of the arm twisting that gone on before Russia’s election. Bosses are going to the people that worked for them and basically blackmailed them into voting for the ruling party just as they were probably blackmailed with loss of jobs or promotions and such. And on top of all that, to maintain his power Putin has “volunteered” to be the next Prime Minister of Russia, hmmmp, who’s in power here?
Just one more example of sham elections. Remember the little island approximately ninety miles off the U.S. shore, Cuba. Here is one of the worse offenders in the world! Let me get this straight, Had one President for forty nine years (because there was no one to run against him). One party rule, great opportunity for change huh? Now they held elections and what do they do, elect one dictator to replace another. These are free and fair elections, was there a choice in there somewhere I missed?
People in this country need to step back and look at what goes on out there in the rest of the world. We are one of the few countries that give the people the choice and as I stated before it isn’t perfect, but look at the alternatives, how do those look to you?
God bless America
I hope the rest of this great nation looks at the way countries like Iran, Russia, Egypt, and any number of other countries that try to claim that they hold fair and free elections and then look at what they have here. We have a system that may not be perfect, but it allows it’s people to really choose who they want to represent them, not some sham election where all the opponents of the ruling class are declared ineligible for shady reasons ala Russia and Iran. Russia claimed that their elections were free and fair. If they were free and fair why were foreign monitors restricted so much that they quit because they couldn’t do their jobs properly. What about the majority of opposition opponents’? They were forced to drop from the race or were blocked from placing ad’s on the state run television stations. The president – elect wouldn’t even debate the remaining opponents.
When and incumbent dictator hand picks his successor and all opposition is crushed, where is the “free and transparency” part of the election. Not only had all that happened consider all of the arm twisting that gone on before Russia’s election. Bosses are going to the people that worked for them and basically blackmailed them into voting for the ruling party just as they were probably blackmailed with loss of jobs or promotions and such. And on top of all that, to maintain his power Putin has “volunteered” to be the next Prime Minister of Russia, hmmmp, who’s in power here?
Just one more example of sham elections. Remember the little island approximately ninety miles off the U.S. shore, Cuba. Here is one of the worse offenders in the world! Let me get this straight, Had one President for forty nine years (because there was no one to run against him). One party rule, great opportunity for change huh? Now they held elections and what do they do, elect one dictator to replace another. These are free and fair elections, was there a choice in there somewhere I missed?
People in this country need to step back and look at what goes on out there in the rest of the world. We are one of the few countries that give the people the choice and as I stated before it isn’t perfect, but look at the alternatives, how do those look to you?
God bless America
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Taking the blame
As I watch and read the latest news coming out of today's troubled world I keep seeing one line that catches my eyes.
The line I am talking about is "America is to blame". I read this concerning Columbia going into Ecuador to kill terrorist. I also read it where the USA is responsible for the high oil price's, and I quote "What's happening in the oil market is due to the mismanagement of the U.S. economy".
I would like to know how we are the cause of the worlds troubles. I know the current administration has done everything in their power to destroy America's credability, but lets be honest anyone who is calling us the "root of all evil" is and will continue to be enemies of the US or people who have no clue about world politics.
For instance the United States buddy in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. He was in power, a coup took him out (blamed the US for that). Now with Columbia going into Ecuador and killing one of his terrorist buddies he is again accusing the US of meddling in Latin America's affairs.
I agree that the US has major interest in Latin America, but lets be real, we do not have a hand in everything that goes on there.
As has been reported and printed in news papers Hugo Chavez has been funding FARC, and of course, like his buddy in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are calling all the evidence fabricated.
There is another one of those people who think that the US is at the root of all that ill's the middle east suffers, and not only that he is so deluded that he along with other members of that warped community that have called the holocaust a lie and continue to insist it never happed.
How do people like this come to power? They lie, have what they call democratic elections and hold onto power by bullying voters and the opposition or outlawing the opposition in the name of peace and stability (Sound like China to anyone?).
The United States being the only so called "Super Power" left has a role in the world and it isn't being the worlds whipping boy.
George Bush and his cronies have put this country in such a horrid position at this time that it may take several administrations to bring us back to the forfront of world leadership where we are respected and not ridiculed and called war mongers and capitalist just looking to make a buck off of third world and developing nations resources.
I love my country and I hate hearing what others say about us. But our leadership has put us in this position and they will have to get us out of it.
I challenge America to stand up to these idiots and show the world what we are made of and what these tyrants really are.
The line I am talking about is "America is to blame". I read this concerning Columbia going into Ecuador to kill terrorist. I also read it where the USA is responsible for the high oil price's, and I quote "What's happening in the oil market is due to the mismanagement of the U.S. economy".
I would like to know how we are the cause of the worlds troubles. I know the current administration has done everything in their power to destroy America's credability, but lets be honest anyone who is calling us the "root of all evil" is and will continue to be enemies of the US or people who have no clue about world politics.
For instance the United States buddy in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. He was in power, a coup took him out (blamed the US for that). Now with Columbia going into Ecuador and killing one of his terrorist buddies he is again accusing the US of meddling in Latin America's affairs.
I agree that the US has major interest in Latin America, but lets be real, we do not have a hand in everything that goes on there.
As has been reported and printed in news papers Hugo Chavez has been funding FARC, and of course, like his buddy in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are calling all the evidence fabricated.
There is another one of those people who think that the US is at the root of all that ill's the middle east suffers, and not only that he is so deluded that he along with other members of that warped community that have called the holocaust a lie and continue to insist it never happed.
How do people like this come to power? They lie, have what they call democratic elections and hold onto power by bullying voters and the opposition or outlawing the opposition in the name of peace and stability (Sound like China to anyone?).
The United States being the only so called "Super Power" left has a role in the world and it isn't being the worlds whipping boy.
George Bush and his cronies have put this country in such a horrid position at this time that it may take several administrations to bring us back to the forfront of world leadership where we are respected and not ridiculed and called war mongers and capitalist just looking to make a buck off of third world and developing nations resources.
I love my country and I hate hearing what others say about us. But our leadership has put us in this position and they will have to get us out of it.
I challenge America to stand up to these idiots and show the world what we are made of and what these tyrants really are.
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