Tag: Medical Care

Medicine Vs Religion

Closing Thought–07May19

I admit it….there is not much about the Trump presidency that I find tolerable….but a recent ruling is just beyond the pail in my book….

Doctors, nurses and other health workers can opt out of procedures such as abortions and sterilizations which violate their personal or religious beliefs, under a rule issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

The rule, proposed more than a year ago, reinforces a set of 25 laws passed by Congress that protect “conscience rights” in healthcare, HHS said. Those laws allow health providers and entities to opt out of providing, participating in, paying for or referring for healthcare services that they have personal or religious objections to, HHS said.

Trump chose the National Day of Prayer to announce the new regulation.

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/02/trump-administration-rules-health-staff-can-refuse-care-for-religious-reasons
 
Okay my problem here is the oath doctors take to do no harm….if this contradicts their religious convictions then maybe they should have picked a profession that would not interfere with the religious beliefs….like hermit, monk or dog walker.
 
This is just stupid!  If they cannot tolerate doing certain procedure then get out of medicine and open a soda shop (do they still have such things?).
 
I realize that this is all about some thing about abortion…but how long will it take before circumcision or a blood transfusion will be opposed based on religious objections?
 
I do not really care about their religion when it comes to medical procedures….and if the person I love suffers because these people have a religious objection I will gladly give them the name of my lawyer for they will be talking with her.
 
We need Medicare For All and soon…….and the president needs to stay out of religion……when can we expect the forced religious beliefs end?
 
That is my posting day…….I must call my attorney and check in with her…..she may be needed and soon.
 
 
 

Health Is Expensive

In the last decade as I grow older my health has come into question…..first a badly broken leg that needed screw to repair…..then loss of 4 toes because I was a heavy smoker for 50 years….then a diagnosis that I have diabetes and high blood pressure…..all that has been costly…..meds out my butt….the insulin alone is $450…..

My hospital stays are not completely covered by Medicare so I have been hit with bills on top of bills and then there are those “drug plans” that pay NOTHING hardly so drugs are expensive.

I pay monthly on my bill but if I cannot pay $200 a month I am turned over as a deadbeat and sent to a collection agency….the best health care in the world MY FUCKING ASS!

I am fortunate I have a pretty good retirement pension and I have some savings without that then I would probably be sleeping on the street with my honey and my dogs in a discarded packing crate under bridge somewhere……

I bring all this personal stuff up because of something the Dems are favoring…..Medicare for All…..

The concept of expanding Medicare coverage to not only seniors and disabled people but just about everyone, has recently shot up in popularity among Democrats and party activists at the national level.

Among proponents of so-called Medicare for All, there are varying ideas for how such a government-paid and government-administered health insurance system would work and how exactly it would affect patients, doctors, hospitals and insurance companies.

Still, there are key similarities in the proposals put out so far for either a national or one-state-only Medicare for All system:

They would all entail expanding insurance coverage — and raising taxes a lot.

Yet they also could result in lower total health care spending across the private sector that could make up for all the new taxes. For instance, businesses and families could end up paying less for health care overall, even considering the additional health care taxes.

Some of the overall savings, however, could require cutting the pay of highly skilled doctors.

Or read a better explanation from Vox.com……

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/2/17468448/medicare-for-all-single-payer-health-care-2018-elections

The main reason I got onto this rant was from an article I read while laid up in the hospital……

Medical problems contributed to 66.5% of all bankruptcies, a figure that is virtually unchanged since before the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a study published yesterday as an editorial in the American Journal of Public Health. The findings indicate that 530,000 families suffer bankruptcies each year that are linked to illness or medical bills.

The study, carried out by a team of two doctors, two lawyers, and a sociologist from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project (CBP), surveyed a random sample of 910 Americans who filed for personal bankruptcy between 2013 and 2016, and abstracted the court records of their bankruptcy filings. The study, which is one component of the CBP’s ongoing bankruptcy research, provides the only national data on medical contributors to bankruptcy since the 2010 passage of the ACA. Bankruptcy debtors reported that medical bills contributed to 58.5% of bankruptcies, while illness-related income loss contributed to 44.3%; many debtors cited both of these medical issues.

http://pnhp.org/news/new-medical-bankruptcy-study-two-thirds-of-filers-cite-illness-and-medical-bills-as-contributors-to-financial-ruin/

This is an embarrassment….this country supposedly the “BEST” country in the world and most Americans cannot afford to get sick.

Time for a change and most freshman Congresspeople, the Dems, are on-board with Medicare For All…..I like the idea as long as Big Pharma is put into check….but I am afraid that the old guard Dems will do what they always do….turn coward and water down any health plans…..

A Medicare buy-in. A Medicaid buy-in. Medicare for retiring police officers and firefighters under the age of 65. Defend and strengthen Obamacare.

With Medicare for All polling at an unprecedented 70 percent support among the American public and headed toward its first-ever congressional hearing, Politico on Tuesday reported that there is a growing effort among congressional Democrats—including some 2020 presidential hopefuls—to “water down” the grassroots push for a transformative single-payer program by offering up more incremental approaches to solving America’s for-profit healthcare crisis.

The proposals listed above, which Politico encapsulated with the term “Medicare for More,” are just a handful of ideas Democratic lawmakers have put forth as ostensibly more “pragmatic” paths to achieving a humane healthcare system.

But grassroots Medicare for All advocates and campaigners—whose voices were absent from Politico‘s report—strongly objected to any plan that leaves intact central elements of a status quo that has produced enormous profits for the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, while leaving millions of Americans with soaring costs or entirely uninsured.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/01/22/progressives-warn-against-democrats-pushing-diluted-half-measures-alternative

I stand with the Progressives……do not let the industry write the bill like they did for Obamacare….the people of this country deserves adquate health care.

Screw Those Veterans Again!

Closing Thought–23Jan19

Everybody knows that the federal deficit is outrageous…..and everybody has a party that has a plan to control the deficit…..the only problem it is seldom that important until election time and then it is paramount and will destroy the nation if not brought under control.

All that is pure rancid manure spread by small minded idiots in the Right.

As usual the way to control the deficit is by screw someone in society…..the poor, the aging and the veterans…..well the CBO has a good plan to screw the veterans again……

Some vets use the VA but more have access to Tricare…….and this is where the CBO said changes needed to be made……

With the federal deficit expected to top $1 trillion this year, the Congressional Budget Office in December published a list of options for reducing the imbalance over the next 10 years, including three suggestions on Tricare and six that address veterans benefits.

In its Options for Reducing the Deficit: 2019 to 2028, the CBO laid out 121 opportunities for curtailing spending and raising revenue. These include raising Tricare enrollment fees for military retirees, instituting enrollment fees for Tricare for Life and reducing veterans benefits.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/01/14/cbo-suggests-raising-tricare-fees-cutting-veteran-benefits-slash-deficit.html

Here’s a better idea….since the problem is a lack of income thanks to all the mindless tax cuts for decades….approve the higher tax on the uber-rich and increase the income….will not solve all the problems but will help the loss of income.

History proves that taxing the rich is beneficial…..

Do high taxes really hurt the economy as much as they believe, and will lowering them have much of an impact on stimulating it? The economic literature is clear — tax breaks to encourage economic relocation or investment decisions are inefficient and wasteful. Hundreds of studies reach this conclusion. When businesses are surveyed regarding factors important to their investment decisions, taxes often come in behind proximity to markets, suppliers, and the quality of the labor force. These other factors occupy a larger percentage of a business’s budget than do taxes, and all of them are far more critical to long-term success than are taxes. Businesses occasionally admit this. Nearly 62 percent of those interviewed in a California study on hiring tax credits indicated that they had never or rarely affected their decision to employ individuals.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/01/09/tax-the-rich-history-proves-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-may-be-correct/

Please stop believing the LIE that tax cuts are beneficial!  They help very few and raise the deficit….time to consider the alternatives to GOP bullsh*t.

Doctors Without Borders

Or as they are known by most of the world, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)……..that great charity where medical types go around the world helping people that need their help and the rest of the world ignores…..places like Mali, South Sudan, etc.

But first I need to report that my medical procedure was a success…at least for now will know more next week when I go in for a follow-up….as long as I am writing about doctors……

Disturbing news has come to light about this charity……

Aid workers at charity Medecins Sans Frontieres used local prostitutes while working in Africa, whistleblowers have told the Victoria Derbyshire programme.

Female former employees said the behaviour was widespread.

One said a senior colleague said it was possible to barter medication in exchange for sex.

The charity said it does not tolerate “abuse, harassment or exploitation”. The use of prostitutes is banned by MSF under its strict code of conduct.

The women spoke anonymously for fear of being blacklisted by foreign aid agencies, among which there can be a large crossover of staff.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44523086

This is sad news……the UN has been plagued with similar problems……just sad that those there to help eventually take advantage of the people they are there to help.

 

Closing Thought–12Feb18

My recent stay in the hospital showed me how serious the flu season is this year….all their employees that did not get a flu shot must wear a face mask when dealing with patients.

A lot of bloggers have written or posted about the flu season this year……I guess I will join the band.

This flu season is a beast, and the CDC warned Friday that we aren’t done yet. Another 10 children have died from the flu, bringing the total this season to 63, NBC News reports. That’s still fewer than the 110 who died last flu season. But USA Today reports the US is seeing the highest rates of flu-related hospitalizations since the CDC started keeping track of that stat in 2010. And 7.7% of all doctor visits are related to the flu—the highest rate since 2009.

It could still get worse. “We don’t know if we have hit the peak yet,” says acting CDC director Anne Schuchat. We’re in week 11 of this flu season; flu season typically lasts for 16 weeks but can run as long as 20 weeks. “We could potentially see several more weeks of increased flu activity,” Schuchat says. It’s as yet unclear exactly why this flu season is so bad.

Many people like to self-medicate and save the cash that most doctors get without using a gun…it is robbery…..

Here are 10 herbs that some swear will help you beat a cold this season…..

If you feel a cold coming on, consider the benefits of herbal medicine.  The following herbs have been shown to be effective at battling the common cold.

  1. Echinacea:  Echinacea is known for its ability to enhance the immune system.  It stimulates white blood cells, increases production of interferon and increases immune cells ability to destroy invading microbes.  Six studies show that echinacea significantly reduces the risk of respiratory infection.  A separate six studies show that echinacea shortens the duration of colds and flus.(3)
  2. Astragalus:  Astragalus is a tonic and adaptogen.  Studies show that it boosts immune system and fights viruses, bacteria, and inflammation.(3)
  3. Elderberry:  Elderberry can inhibit the enzyme that the flu virus uses to penetrate cell membranes.  In one study, elderberry juice mixed with raspberry extract, glucose, citric acid and honey inhibited both type A and type B influenza virus.(3)
  4. Garlic:  Garlic boosts immune function and kills a broad range of microbes.  Studies show that garlic is active against cold and flu viruses.  Garlic also functions as an expectorate to help remove mucus from the body.(3)
  5. Licorice root:  Licorice root contains glycyrrhizin, which has been shown in studies to inactivate and inhibit a wide range of viruses.  It also contains a polysaccharide ingredient that increases the bodies production of interferon and activates while blood cells. (3)
  6. St. John’s wort:  St. John’s wort can inhibit influenze A and parainfluenza viruses.
  7. Lomatium:  Lomatium has been used by Native Americans for bacteria and viral infections.  Studies show that it is potent against viruses and bacteria.(3)
  8. Stinging Nettle:  Studies show that this herb inhibits influenza A virus and is also packed with nutrients.  Nettle contains high amounts of carotenoids and flavonoids that help ease allergies. (3)
  9. Lemon Balm:  Test tube studies show that lemon balm or Melissa oil has antiviral effects against parainfluenza and other bacterial infections. (3)
  10. Peppermint:  Peppermint oil helps relax the airways and open congested sinuses and nasal passages.  One study shows that inhaling peppermint relieves respiratory discomfort.(3)

Instead of purchasing over the counter medicines that often leave you feeling groggy and run down, consider herbs that will help boost your immune system, shorten your time of sickness and allow you to return back to your daily routine.

Take care of yourself….be well……chuq

Will Dems Feel The Pain?

The Dems have been on a vision quest to find a message for the upcoming mid-terms…….right now they have nothing but slogans….maybe they think because one person can win with mindless slogans that it will work them as well.

Appears the health care is the proving ground for the next election……the progressive wing of the DNC is pushing for all to recognize and get behind a Medicare for all provision.

House and Senate Democrats have wondered for months whether Bernie Sanders’ supporters might choose to focus their energy on launching primary challenges to party moderates in 2018. They’re about to get an answer.

Sanders has decided the moment is right to launch his proposal for the single-payer health insurance system that helped form the backbone of his presidential message. And Democrats who don’t get behind it could find themselves on the wrong side of the most energetic wing of the party — as well as the once and possibly future presidential candidate who serves as its figurehead.

Source: Sanders ‘litmus test’ alarms Democrats – POLITICO

I see that the normally liberal media is jumping on the DNC to try and prevent it from moving more Left than they are now….

Thirty Democrats disillusioned with their party’s struggles in Middle America have unveiled a new group aimed at expanding its base beyond just the two coasts. The initiative, which comprises current and former mayors, governors, cabinet members and lawmakers, comes complete with a catchy new title, “New Democracy.”

If that name sounds familiar, it’s because it was the same as that given by Mao Zedong to his theory of democracy in communist China.  (of course it does not sound familiar because no one remembers that far back….but it makes for a great political attack)

“In a word, new-democratic culture is the proletarian-led, anti-imperialist and anti-feudal culture of the broad masses,” Mao wrote on New Democracy in 1940, nine years before coming to power in China.

Source: Democrats new slogan borrows from communist China

A shame when even a liberal media would use such yellow tactics against the Dems…..but their efforts may be a moot point….for you see the DSA is making headway against these cowards in the DNC……

The Democratic Socialists of America are meeting there this week as part of the group’s biannual convention. In the wake of a surge of new interest over the past year, the organization announced earlier this week that it now has 25,000 dues-paying members — a historic peak for the group that makes it the largest socialist organization in the country since World War II.

David Duhalde, DSA’s Deputy Director, was brought on by the organization in 2015. He told The Intercept that shortly before the November election, the organization had between 7,000 to 8,000 members. On November 9, they started seeing supporters of Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential run and others flooding into DSA.

Source: Democratic Socialists of America Celebrate Record Membership in Chicago. Now What?

I for one think that this turn is for the best…..time for the DNC to return to being where it belongs….with the working class.

So the question is….will the Dems return to being the party of working America or will they stay in the lane with big money?

What say you?

Closing Thought–09May17

Please use other means.

Veterans are always at the heart of every campaign and Trump was no different…….as usual lots of promises were made and now the vets are waiting for their delivery……

Trump’s new Sec of VA, Shulkin has a brand new idea on the best care for the nation’s veterans……close some of the facilities down……

WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin says his department is seeking to close perhaps more than 1,100 VA facilities nationwide as it develops plans to allow more veterans to receive medical care in the private sector.
At a House hearing Wednesday, Shulkin said the VA had identified more than 430 vacant buildings and 735 that he described as underutilized, costing the federal government $25 million a year. He said the VA would work with Congress in prioritizing buildings for closure and was considering whether to follow a process the Pentagon had used in recent decades to decide which of its underused military bases to shutter, known as Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC.
I am all in favor of saving the taxpayers money but not at the expense of the country’s many veterans.
We could say fight few conflicts and divert that savings to the VA….there are other places that we could cut and still not make the vets pay for the downsizing.
Time for me to go out and dance in the rain…..back tomorrow…be well, be safe….chuq

Can “Trumpcare” Be Saved?

The big story for the week is that of the news “Repeal and Replace” con…..although the wire tapping is the big deal on alt-Right blogs…..which is just a silly waste of ink.

The GOP trotted out their version of a health care plan and in typical form it does not cover the most people…but it will help make insurance companies and lobbyists rich.

The push back on this plan has come from many sides….even moderates and Republicans…..conservatives think it is a waste of time and effort….Us old farts have AARP watching our backs (and making money doing so)….and they are not on-board with the new plan….

Provisions in the House Republicans’ Obamacare replacement bill that would raise insurance costs for older Americans are drawing resistance from the influential seniors’ lobby.

The American Health Care Act, as Republicans are calling it, would allow insurers to make premiums for older Americans five times what they charge younger workers ― provided that a state’s regulations allow for it. Obamacare had capped this ratio, known as an “age rating,” at 3 to 1.

The measure was chief among the reasons AARP, the nation’s largest organization for older Americans, cited in explaining its opposition to the House bill on Tuesday evening

Source: Republicans’ Obamacare Replacement Just Got A Powerful Enemy | The Huffington Post

I am sure someone will say….”At least they have a plan”….which will be one of the dumbest statements of the year so far.

But why is this roll out going so badly for the GOP?

The outlook for the GOP leaderships’ ‘repeal and replace’ bill looks bleak. That said, I would not underestimate the ability of GOP leaders to get their members to vote for basically anything in the crunch. Also remember that House Republicans have a 20+ vote cushion. But it’s worth reviewing what I believe are three key reasons why the current legislation looks to be on life support just a day after it was released.

Source: Why Repeal and Replace Is Going So Badly

With all this bad press and downer news around the new AHCA does not mean that it is dead on arrival.  All the push back means nothing.

The GOP leadership will calling in all the guns to get it passed no matter how vocal some members want to be….the donors and the lobbyists will go to the members and call in all the favors they have done in the past.

For you see these people are spineless and will do as they are told.

But let’s say these toads keep on with the hatred for Trumpcare and it fails……what could be the repercussions?

House Republicans have laid out their alternative for ObamaCare, and it continues to take heat from both moderates and conservatives. A look at the latest coverage:

  • How many might lose coverage under the new plan? The Congressional Budget Office has not weighed in yet, but Standard & Poor’s estimates up to 10 million people. Of those, 2 million to 4 million would drop from the ObamaCare individual markets, while the rest are currently covered by Medicaid, per CNBC.
  • People in their 50s and 60s are particularly vulnerable because the age-related tax credits aren’t as generous for them as the subsidies they’d replace, explains the New York Times.
  • President Trump said he is “proud to support the replacement plan,” and he warned GOP lawmakers behind closed doors that they face an electoral “bloodbath” if they fail to come through, reports CNN.
  • Vox thinks this tweet is telling: “Biggest obstacle to House health bill: 7 GOP senators on fence—4 who said didn’t adequately protect Medicaid, 3 who say bill too generous.” Its assessment of the criticism from both sides is here.
  • Paul Ryan makes his case in a USA Today op-ed that this is the smartest approach. He cites rising premiums under the “collapsing” current law.
  • Ryan’s problem, though, is that virtually all conservative health care experts hate the plan. Politico has details. (Another prominent voice on the right, Ann Coulter, wants to know who wrote this “piece of crap,” per Mediaite.)
  • Bustle lays out the next steps for the legislation here, while Jonathan Chait at New York can’t understand why Mitch McConnell is rushing a bill “everybody hates.

With all this ink about the plan….do you actually know what it states?  Educate yourself so you do not look and sound foolish……

Here is the plan itself.

One bright spot in all this chaos…..

Bernie Sanders didn’t win the 2016 presidential race. He didn’t even win the Democratic presidential nomination. Yet the United States may have just taken a bigger step toward the left-wing dream of single-payer health care than if the Vermont socialist had indeed become America’s 45th president.

And who can Democrats and progressives thank for this surprise gift? House Republicans.

Source: How GOP bumbling just made single-payer health care more likely

Now that is the simplest plan…..and is that not what all are looking for?

A Look At Medicine

The weekend and a few days of mental clarity away from the drumming one dimensional toads and their writings…..

It is common knowledge that I adore history and all the stuff that goes with it.  When I was studying at university I had to take a Middle East history course and it included Egypt and their empires…..

It has come to light that there is a possibility that doctors should take a oath to Imhotep (the real architect not the mummy) instead of Hippocrates…..why you ask?

I seems that most of the procedures credited to Hippo we in use back in the days of Pharaoh D’joser….and that is few century before old Hippo showed up.

Medical practice in ancient Egypt was so advanced that many of their observations, policies, and commonplace procedures would not be surpassed in the west for centuries after the fall of Rome and their practices would inform both Greek and Roman medicine. They understood that disease could be treated by pharmaceuticals, recognized the healing potential in massage and aromas, had male and female doctors who specialized in certain specific areas, and understood the importance of cleanliness in treating patients.

In the modern day it is recognized that disease and infection can be caused by germs and one might think people have always believed so but this is a relatively late innovation in human understanding. It was not until the 19th century CE that the germ theory of disease was confirmed by Louis Pasteur and proven by the work of British surgeon Joseph Lister.

Source: Egyptian Medicine – Ancient History Encyclopedia

There you have your history lesson for the week.

Be well, Be safe

Class Dismissed.

Where To Die?

My God!  What shall we do?  It is winter and it is snowing in NYC……The HORROR!

Flash!  If it is winter it will snow north of the Mason-Dixon.  This is news to no one but someone that has to navigate in NYC…..so since it is snowing in NYC I will not work today…..because it is just that important to the world and the situations we are ignoring.

Now that I have pointed out the ignorance of the American people…..I shall move on to REAL news…..

My regulars know that I spend a lot of time on the Middle East and war and basic economics with a little history thrown in for good measures……but from time to time I do depart from my norm and post on things that I would like to share with my readers and get their opinions……..this post is one of those times………

There has been a PR blitz when the Obamacare thing was brewing and one of the issues that was used to try and defeat it was the treatment of the elderly……some said that it was a death notice to seniors……basically it was counseling that was at odds…..

I recent read a piece about a new “treatment” for lack of a better word at this hour that is being proposed…….

Seniors had better brace themselves: Some US hospitals are now administering the “death test,” which estimates their chance of dying over the next 30 days. Invented in Australia, the test weighs 29 different criteria—including blood pressure, respiratory rate, and medical history—to determine whether hospitalization is worthwhile or the patient should return home or go to a hospice, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The idea is to prevent needless and expensive procedures while allowing patients to spend their last days with loved ones. “Most terminally ill people want to die at home, but in fact three quarters end up dying in acute hospitals, often after intrusive, expensive and ultimately pointless medical procedures,” says study author Magnolia Cardona-Morrell, the Independent reports.

The test also aims to take pressure off doctors and nurses to prolong patients’ lives “at all costs,” the Telegraph reports. “I had lots of nurses and doctors standing there saying, ‘We have been waiting for a tool like this for years, when can we start using it?'” says Cardona-Morrell, whose work was presented recently at a US medical conference. “To me that is an indication there is a need out there.” She says the test takes just five or ten minutes, and helps doctors have a more “transparent” conversation with patients. Called CriSTAL, it’s now being tested to see if it would have predicted the future of patients who have since died. Then it may be used in more hospitals.

If you have read this then please let me hear your opinions…..may make for a lively dialogue……