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| Post Number: 31
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Wareagle11B 
Group: Members
Posts: 1457
Joined: Mar. 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 30 2009,6:07 pm |
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At last someone worthy to debate. 
I didn't say that the government shouldn't do something I.E. but the government is the last one who should be left in complete control of it. It will inevitably lead to more bureaucracy and the inevitable Secretary of the Whatever with the Undersecretary to the Undersecretary to the Undersecretary to the...well you get the idea here. Bureaucracy inevitable leads to delays which inevitably lead to stupid chit occurring. Let the government begin the reform and legislate the laws by which the Insurance companies, Pharmeceutical companies and others will follow. Once the legislation is in place let it work it's course without the need for any new agencies to be formed. Granted it's not a perfect thought for a fix but more governmental agencies is not the answer either.
The clinic at Hy-Vee is not designed to handle the types of things you cannot post a price list for Irish. Blood Pressure checks, minor aches and pains and the like are not hard to put a fixed price on because they do not require anything more serious than a brief exam and temp taken etc. If it more serious than that they send them to ALMC. BTW I have had mechanics try to pull fast ones on me for repairs and they get told no thanks just do what needs to be done. You can't necessarily do that in a hospital because it is your life that could be at stake and the last I checked that was not replaceable like a car or truck.
That one was merely an example whether good or bad nothing more. We all know of someone who should have gone in to the clinic/hospital sooner than they did and if they had then they would have been better off for it.
As for tort reform well I did say PERHAPS it would have an effect. Maybe not as much as I would like to think but any impact at all would be better than none. Just because we do not hear of the lawsuits does not mean they are not there. I wonder how many are settled before they get to a court of law? This society is more sue happy than any of us would care to believe. No matter how often it happens it is still a major point with any number of companies not just hospitals. Just ask McDonalds. Furthermore if it was not an issue to be concerned with then many hospitals would not need the legions of lawyers to protect them. Granted they would still need legal counsel but for other reasons.
Prostate problems and others are not quite what I meant to refer to and I used the wrong example Irish but good point and touche'. Ok so yes prostate problems are a real issue that should be brought to your doctor's attention but when you are bringing your child or yourself in for every little malady then what? We are becoming a bubble society who's resistances to the simple ailments is being broken down due to our lack of allowing our bodies to develop a resistance to the simple things.
I hope I gave you some fodder for your reply Irish
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I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!
Teddy Roosevelt
www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org
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| Post Number: 32
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| Post Number: 33
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Wareagle11B
Group: Members
Posts: 1457
Joined: Mar. 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 30 2009,6:58 pm |
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Political Control in D.C.
Your post while it brings some valid points that I will agree with neglects to mention that the party in control of Congress for the majority of the last 60+ years has been the Democratic party.
That same agenda to which the author of that piece expounds upon has been hindered more often than not by the same party which espouses the very Liberal ideals mentioned by the author.
Even going back 40 years as stated in the article it has still been the Democratic party that controlled congress far more than the Republican party.
Congress is that body which actually legislates and passes that legislation on to the President for his signature thus making it law. This seems to be a point that the author of that piece fails to recognize.
QUOTE How in the hell did we get here? And more to the point: How do we get back out
One need only look in the mirror and realize that we the average citizen are as much to blame for this situation as those we have elected. We are to blame for allowing ourselves to see the supposed "good" in those who are running for elected office and then when they turn against the general populace and work for the big money corporations we still continue to re-elect them. Term limits are not the fix to this because that is why we have elections. That is a term limit. If we do not like what our elected officials are doing we can choose to elect somebody new in their place. We do not do that however and we continue to elect the same jacka$$es who then become even more entrenched in the D.C. system and thus they become harder to remove from elected office.
QUOTE Second: We need to re-establish the rule of law. You cannot have a credible democracy as long as there's so obviously one standard of economic and civil justice for the rich and well-connected, and a very different one that's designed to make victims out of everybody else.
This applies to those who would lean to the Left as well as the Right. It is not the place for our judicial system to legislate from the bench but rather to uphold the standards of law and make sound judgments accordingly.
QUOTE It's quite possible that if the conservatives hadn't undermined universal civics education, the right-wing talking heads would have never found an audience. Instead, what we have is a country where most people are getting their basic political education from Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.
Article
Considering that our education system is what it is I will call BS on this one.
QUOTE Fourth: No democracy in history has ever survived with our current levels of inequality. There's no reason for the middle and working classes to trust anything about a system that's so clearly rigged to suck money straight out of their pockets into the tax-free offshore bank accounts of the wealthy -- who, of course, turn right around and use that money to buy off our government, so they can suck up even more of our economy for themselves.
Then hold both sides of the political spectrum accountable to this ideal and not just cherry pick at the Right wing side.
QUOTE The emergence of corporate-backed brownshirts is a clear warning sign of that the system that keeps America progressive and free is now hitting its point of fatal breakdown.
Would this also apply to the SEIU and it's purple shirt brigade that show up at town hall meetings and use their Union muscle to quell dissent?
Again that article does raise some valid points and while this is true it is also true that the author is blinded by the biases of the Left wing rhetoric to which the author has apparently subscribed and for that reason it is an article that should be cherry picked for it's valid points and the rest tossed into the trash for it's obvious bias.
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I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!
Teddy Roosevelt
www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org
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| Post Number: 34
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| Post Number: 35
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Liberal
Group: Moderator
Posts: 11451
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Aug. 30 2009,7:32 pm |
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Right, you want to piss and moan about other people and then you're taking your kid in for a headache from bumping his head? 
You must have good insurance.
BTW They recommended Motrin which is a brand name for Ibuprofen, that's common knowledge, don't blame them for your wife lacking it.
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The people are masters of both Congress and courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it!
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| Post Number: 36
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irisheyes
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 3040
Joined: Oct. 2003
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Posted on: Aug. 30 2009,8:40 pm |
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(Wareagle11B @ Aug. 30 2009,6:07 pm)
QUOTE I didn't say that the government shouldn't do something I.E. but the government is the last one who should be left in complete control of it.
I don't think the federal government should have complete control of it, either. But I don't have a problem with a MinnesotaCare type program for uninsured (whether it be college students, people who work someplace that doesn't offer coverage, unemployed, etc.). My biggest thing with reform is that they should have more regulation of prices and profits of HMO's, pharmaceuticals, and even health care equipment if necessary. And I'm sorry to say to some of you, but this regulation I'm in favor of would include limiting executive compensation. We don't need guys making 30 mil a year while they raise the insurance premiums and then refuse to cover things cause it gets in the way of their profit margin. I know some believe that capitalism unregulated freely never fails, but I believe it does in some rare cases. My car is a 98 with a V8 engine and 250 horsepower. I doubt I'd get near the MPG I do unless the EPA stepped in many times and pushed the automakers to increase their fuel economy. Time and time again, they don't work to improve it unless they're pressured to do so. Just an example, but sometimes regulation works well for us.
Another thing is, I think we should stop most, if not all, of the current ads that we're bombarded with on TV, magazines, and radio. Big drug companies spend more in marketing than they do in research and development, which they pass on to the consumer. If your doc or relative suggests something for your ailment, fine, but we don't need Billions of dollars spent telling us what we should take. If you want to research on your own, there's plenty of free, and much more reliable info on WebMD, books at the library, or many other places to find a new prescription to help with this or that.
QUOTE The clinic at Hy-Vee is not designed to handle the types of things you cannot post a price list for Irish. Blood Pressure checks, minor aches and pains and the like are not hard to put a fixed price on because they do not require anything more serious than a brief exam and temp taken etc.
I mentioned they only do the easier things there, but that's just an example. A lot of the reform talk has been to push making prices more public and comparisons easier. And they definitely can give you a quote on many more things, they just choose not to unless you really call around and ask. I mentioned in another thread that I called around for a price on a simple surgical procedure years ago. They can usually give you a price, but they choose not to unless you really nag them about getting you a quote.
QUOTE I wonder how many are settled before they get to a court of law? This society is more sue happy than any of us would care to believe. No matter how often it happens it is still a major point with any number of companies not just hospitals. Just ask McDonalds. Furthermore if it was not an issue to be concerned with then many hospitals would not need the legions of lawyers to protect them. Granted they would still need legal counsel but for other reasons.
I've known a few people who sued someone. I won't go into specifics, but I've learned a lot of things about lawsuits that I would have never expected. The way people talk, you would think you just sue for whatever and wait for a settlement. Granted, I've known a couple scumbags who would get in an accident and try to milk the insurance company for 20 or 30 grand for a fender bender. Trouble is, there are people out there with legitimate grivences against their physician, hospital, drug companies, or whatever else. For people that are permanently handicapped or killed because of someone elses negligence, I don't have much sympathy if someone sues their pants off.
And they have those legions of lawyers to bury people in paperwork and appeals. I don't think corporate lawyers have any more integrity than the personal injury lawyers you see on TV.
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You know it's going to be a bad day when you cross thread the cap on the toothpaste.
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| Post Number: 37
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Wareagle11B
Group: Members
Posts: 1457
Joined: Mar. 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 30 2009,9:24 pm |
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I think you and I would agree more so than disagree about this subject Irish.
I feel the same way that you do about such things as MNCare. It should be available as a last recourse for those who cannot afford other insurance due to whatever reason it may be. It should not be a primary means of insurance for those who have it available and can afford it through work or some other means. I also think that we should look at ways to allow for cheaper insurance through employers and one that will help the employers as well as the employees when it comes to the expense of insurance. To often the higher costs get passed onto the employee who can ill afford it.
I think that banning the mass marketing by Pharmaceutical companies is a great idea. I agree they should be developing more and advertising less.
The bad thing about regulating costs and such of HMO's is how do you set the guidelines for the various procedures? Do you set them based on a median cost for a particular region? What may cost $10k in Los Angeles may cost 1/2 that somewhere else in the country. (This is an example only) As for Insurance companies that is a mess that is in need of serious review. The medical equipment manufacturers may go along the same lines as the first part of this in that it may cost more in one part of the country for a particular item and not as much in another.
You are right that the fed can act to make life better sometimes but within the existing framework currently in place. The EPA and the guidelines it mandates for automobiles is one way. However if the EPA were serious about such things they would have worked even harder to enact better MPG economy after the oil crisis of the 70's. Yes they did enact better MPG regulation but IMO they could have pressed even harder for better MPG. I do not believe that we have a need for another government agency that will eventually inundate us with more bureaucracy and paperwork.
I also agree that executive compensation should be regulated but I think it should be done by the shareholders of the company and not so much by the government. Let the government set the guidelines and then allow for the shareholders to work within those guidelines for compensation. Oft times I think the shareholders are left out of the decision making process where CEO's and other executives are concerned. If they had more of a say in this process perhaps the CEO's and other executives would actually do what is best for the company rather than what is best for the bottom line and their wallet.
Where Lawyers are concerned I agree with the statement by Shakespeare that the lawyers should be the first killed. Well most lawyers anyway.
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I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!
Teddy Roosevelt
www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org
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| Post Number: 38
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| Post Number: 39
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nphilbro
Group: Members
Posts: 1586
Joined: Jul. 2005
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Posted on: Aug. 31 2009,8:56 pm |
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W.E.- I appreciate your email on my facebook and I want to reengage. Looks like I might be heading out of town for a week due to death of a friend. I'll try to keep up on Blackberry.
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Merely to try is to prepare for failure.
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| Post Number: 40
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did I fail to mention that Chad? Didn't think it was any of your concern that he may have had a concussion. 
