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Comments: Good news - I finally got the rest of the pics posted! It seems Brunson is an " up-in-your-face" photographer! But he got some good pics. Go to the pg titled "Get-Togethers 2009" & it's the 1st album on the pg. Enjoy!
Comments: JD-- we agree on so much here.Yes, you are absolutely right-- the non-profit hospitals do let people pay it off --or the hospitals lose the money completely. Some hospitals find themselves in trouble because of this and file for bankruptcy. Others close in poor neighborhoods A quick search found this in NYC and in Terrel TX http://terrelltribune.com/articles/2008/08/23/news/doc48aef55091991919192324.txt http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/07/25/bisb0725.htm Hospitals are in trouble also. And, yes, technology and the expense of using it is definitely contributing to the mess. There needs to be an overhaul. And JD, the insertion of Mao Hitler and Stalin does not make your argument stronger. So, I think we all agree that it is a mess. I have no problem with paying for insurance. I can afford it. Some cannot--some choose not to and this is bad also--for us all. Others want to buy it and it is taken away for capricious --yes, legal in many states- reasons that, in my opinion, should not be allowed. This is much to complicated for the GB. But the country needs help. BTW, the longhorns won as far as I can tell. My daughter and I were on the bus getting play by play over her phone ( no, NOT an I phone). Oh, and more news--my nephew who was born and raised in DC ( my sister once said she would never live in TX because of the football--don't quote me here) is a Freshman at UT--keeping up the family tradition. Now there are 6 counting the nephews who have attended-- I have one sister (younger) who was the renegade and went to A&M. We shall see what her daughter who is still in HS in Galveston does. Wish us luck! Anyway, aggie jokes and blonde jokes go over well in our family.
Comments: *Are the same people that made the decision on the Delta Smelt ,that transformed one of the worlds bread basket in to a desert putting thousands of farm workers on the food line and jacking up the price of foreign food as it comes to the US now *Are the same people that made the decision that the US should not use clean Nuclear energy, not to drill at home for oil, or even drill off shore as other countries plug holes in our shores and sell us our oil back. *Are the same people that made the decision to back-door continue funding for Acorn as we speak. You never know where you may need these Corn people the most. The last was in Mn with over 43,000 Corn registered votes the push Al Frankin to Washington. THIS IS SCARY *Until we vote the American Taliban or modern day Al Capon Chicago style politics out (and that is the big ? at the ballet box as Acorn Chameleon Lizards into a new names registering Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck) No sir ! No way ! this corruption has no place making any decisions in my families Health Care Plan PAL.
Comments: Good mrng Sally & all who are up. On this we can agree Sally . . . I'm not mad. I too am very sad that many people, who through no fault of their own, are in bad situations. If I'm mad at anyone it is our Govt! I don't get mad very often, but if you want to know what makes me mad . . . just ask Jack or JD!!!   Regarding Brunson's pics - I tried numerous times to copy the pics from the CD to my PC . . . Failure!! It seems many of the photos are corrupt!! I called Don in & ask his opinion, he too tried w/o success. But I don't give up easy. I sat down last night & took one photo at a time & was able to find 10 or so good ones. I'll gng to work on posting them now. Ya'll have a good day & remember, we're all still friends but with different points of view which can be influenced by our surroundings & what we have personally experienced. Later guys!
Comments: Sally: My wife works in health care at the hospital level and we have a cousin who lives in Manhattan who does the same...all non-profit hospitals will allow patients to pay a per month fee to cover bills...and if they can't pay...these hospitals write it off as a loss...last year Kathy's hospital wrote off 15 million. Now lets get to the crux of the cost of health care...TECHNOLOGY...this country invents it...it is better than the last machine and it helps physicians to diagnose better. Health care is not an exact science...it is a matter of being able to evaluate and eliminate to come up with the correct diagnosis. The cost also has to do with those who cannot pay and the bad debt. This is a great discussion, but let's keep it on facts...not opinions. However, Sally you are correct, we need to alter the way insurance companies allow or don't allow coverage. But we also have to deal with tort reform...stop the outrageous claims and stop the frivolous law suits, and allow insurance companies to compete across state lines.. Physicians are practicing defensive medicine...another add on to the cost. Our current system is not perfect and there are things that need to be corrected...but not the way our government views making the change...this is outright stupid and the completion of socialism...as when the government controls your health care and can deny care as they will with seniors...who we are quickly becoming a part of...they can do almost anything they want. Hitler, Stalin, Linen and Mao are smiling in their graves. Also, RN, I apologize...a 2500 sq ft house in California cost about 1 million...not $700,000. I forgot that in 1970 a friend lived in Santee outside San Diego. He owned a 1200 sq ft house on a postage size lot and the house was priced at $157,000 and he sold it in one day. I'm sure that house is probably more today than my 2500 sq ft house in Kenosha, WI on a 1/3 acre lot. My point is that the cost of living in California and the northeast far out strips the rest of the country. Hope all are well...as I love all of you guys...even if we disagree. Happy Halloween.
Comments: How do we feel about people born with conditions that will never allow them to have health insurance? How does he pay for it all? Is that a moral thing for this rich country to allow? It may be legal but is it moral. It is a personal opinion. Your friend is lucky, Sandy, that she can pay off the hospital, doctors etc for $40 a month. That is a caring system. Not all are. Look at this _oh, and the name on the article has nothing to do with me. http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/cgi/content/full/12/7/816 and this http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20071220/no-health-insurance-dims-cancer-fate http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2006/02/01/features/feat137.txt Here is another article for NY magazine http://nymag.com/news/features/29723/ I don't think any of these have a political slant here. It is a sad situation. Here is some good news (two lines for the url) http://www.emaxhealth.com/1275/72/34070/college-students-keep-health-insurance-while-leave.html Sandy, I am really sorry to make you mad. The whole situation makes me really sad, not mad at all but sad. What worries me more is that we won't get anything good out of what is happening in Washington. It could have been great but I am not sure it will be anything now. As Richard ( I think) said, it will happen in increments. I just hope it happens before too many people suffer.
Comments: Sandy Mc, just read up on the GB and I will be adding your niece and family to my prayer list. Linda P. and others whom I may have missed happy belated birthday. I love the fact that shortly I will be filing and receiving SS also. Take it while we can!!! As for health coverage, if anyone cares to research "other" countries close by you will find doctors (educated in the US) still making house calls, some not even charging...Medicare soon to be allowed in Mexico, etc., etc., prescription drugs at 1/2 the cost or less and on and on and on. Not to mention a slower much more enjoyable pace of life, and of course SS is paid anywhere in the world. Biggest drawback...pulling the plug leaving our friends and families, but hey they would have a great place to vacation!! What we are dealing with unfortunately didn't happen overnight and won't be fixed overnight. NOW...aren't you glad you got me started??? HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!
Comments: Wow - most traffic I have seen on a Saturday in a loooong time
Comments: Boy, it's Saturday afternoon and we're typing away. We gotta get lives. Speaking for myself, Mary Ann is in Scottsdale for my daughters bachelorette weekend (...who invites their mother to that...but, Mary Ann's cool). So, I have no one to play with and thought I might as well aggravate JD & Jack for a while.
Comments: Wow, ya'll have certainly been vocal this mrng!  I'm not gng to go off the deep end, but I will answer a few of Sally's questions. First, to set the record straight, ALL Ins has LIMITS. If you don't believe me, read the very small print in your booklet of about 200-300 pgs & it is hidden in there somewhere. Most of us with ins are safe unless we have a catastrophic illness (like a non curable cancer or a long term incurable disease) & then you'll hit the "Maximum Life Payable Amt". There are also deductibles & Copays. Most of us have savings & are fortunate enough to handle the day-to-day illness & life's little bumps. But sometimes life throws us a curve . . . our illness has left us unable to return to work!! With out work our ins will end, except for 18 mo of COBRA, then we're out of luck! Also it causes a working member of the family to have to quit work to take care of the person full time. This is what causes hardships!! The other scenario is you were diagnosed with a disease that has no cure & you are lucky enough to live with it for many yrs, BUT ins companies will not give you ins. And yes, right now that is legal!! The two times I asked our GB friends & other classmates for donations were for these exact scenarios. One ended up dieing of brain cancer but it put a lot of hardship on her family & husband who was much older. The other was for someone who has never been able to get ins because of an incurable disease he was born with. These are the two things I believe should be changed in the ins business. 1. allowing everyone the ability to pay for ins. Note I said PAY FOR IT. 2. IF you have ins & are paying the premiums they can't cancel you or cut off your benefits when you get sick! I personally know a lady who does not have ins. She is divorced & works as a receptionist at my beauty shop. She got throat cancer. Asocial worker helped her get treatment & she had 25 radiation trtments & had 5 chemo trtmts. They killed the cancer & she is in good health tda. She pays $40 a month to the hosp to repay for her care. As several others have said & I agree, the Govt can't run SS or Medicare without loosing money & hve all but Bankrupt both entities. I was hoping to get at least a little of the money I've paid into it all my life! I have a lot of experience dealing w/SS & Medicare as I handled all my Dad's affairs for 15 yrs. They are paper oriented & set in their ways. You can't t/w any one without waiting 30 to 50 mins on hold & then they tell you you need to come down in person! If the Govt gets a hold of our ins we will all see just how good our old ins was!! They will have control over who we see, how often we can see a Dr & what care, based on age, we are allowed to get. Don't be mislead into thinking the Govt can solve all our problems . . . they will only give you more problems & forbid you from getting the care you need.
Comments: Susan, your comments are the most correct. The system needs an overhaul. The issue is how to do it and which proposal will do the trick. I suspect none of them will do it, but will make some progress. It'll takes a number of years to fine tune it and it'll never be perfect. However, none of the proposals include life/death choices...I've read at least one and it's just not there. The reason Congress is having such a tough time with it, is the insurance industry's lobbying efforts; they're quite rich you know and fund lots of politicians. They certainly don't want change, so they put a label on it. Anytime a lobbying group's income is in danger it's tagged "socialist" and anti-American...utter nonsense. As far as Jack's "free" medical services; he's talking about tax supported hospitals and medical care. I think he once said Parkland was supported by the people. Well that is a socialist program...you just don't like the name. In a very few years this group is going to see clearly why our health care needed a fix today.
Comments: Thank you Susan, it is about people. I don't have anything nice to say right now and since I don't, I'm going by what my mom told me and I've told my kids. "If you can't say any thing nice, don't say anything at all"  "I'll never grow up, I'll never grow up"!!! Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz
Comments: I don't think anyone is saying our current healthcare/insurance system is perfect. They cost too much money and yes, it needs some overhaul. But the plans that are on the table are not the right way to address the problems. I don't want some government official deciding whether I live or die. This is about more than money ... it's about people. And if the plans Congress is making for us are so great, why don't they want it?
Comments: Yes, it is a shame that health insurance companies take people off their books when the people get sick. Only a few North Eastern states have laws that do not allow this. Others just cannot get insurance because they have pre-existing conditions. So, next time I hear about such a person, I am telling every good Texan here to write a check. By the way, if you could not get health insurance now, would you want charity from this group, kind as it is? Or would you rather be eligible for insurance that covers your catastrophic illness. Not only this but as has been said the price of medical services has gone so high even health insurance companies don't want many people. So, Sandy, what are you suggesting? Pool JDs money and have him pay for all the sick hardworking people we hear about here who cannot afford the high cost of medical services or just send them to the emergency room and see what happens next? What does happen next to a person who needs help beyond lipitor and blood pressure medication? I would like to know what happens in TX--honestly, I am interested. What happens to a person who cannot get a job that provides insurance and gets cancer ? Who helps? I am interested. So far no answers. And, please don't change the subject to government interference-- this IS the subject. BUT tx is losing so I have to go! UGH!
Comments: God Bless America! 2 Chronicles 7:14 |
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