August Arrives Early and Saves the Day

Atrium Medical Center.

It's the second-largest hospital in Georgia, with Grady Hospital in Atlanta being the largest.

It's in Macon, Georgia. You know...the small town of 157,000 that Jason Aldean grew up in. In fact, near the hospital, there is a small road or path or crosswalk that is called Jason Aldean Way. Seriously. The number of people employed by the hospital alone is 4,600 - more than the total population of REAL small towns.

With a hospital that large, you're going to have some bureaucracy. Not everyone is going to be speaking from the same page at the same time. We had to run through some contradictions even just to see Benjamin (read the blog story Benjamin Takes A Break). He's here...he's not here...you can't see him - he's in observation...whoops...he is here...and you can see him. Different people, different answers.

This is not to be overly critical of the hospital. People can be well-meaning and kind and still not have the best information or the means and speed to help.

But I will credit Atrum for this...both the emergency room and his recovery room had one nurse who seemed to be as much a patient advocate, much more than just somebody to take vitals and bring bedpans.

I didn't catch the name of the guy in the ER, but he was kind and funny and helped address the needs of Benjamin and his confused and worried parental units. He kept us informed and helped bring the right people to tell us what was going on.

Then, we were moved to the main part of the hospital, where he would be taken for surgery and brought back to recover.

It was July 29th. And that's when the miracle occurred. She came in and signed her name on a whiteboard in the room. She wrote her name, August, and her contact number.

Never in my life have I seen a nurse as kind and as attentive. She explained everything that was going on. She brought Benjamin whatever he needed, and even Alison and myself.  

Most importantly, as Alison and I would hear different things from different people, she would cut through the red tape and get us the needed answers. 

The hospital was a labyrinth to get around. We asked how to get to a nearby Dominos, and she walked us through the hospital maze to the street where Dominos was at. 

I don't know if Atrium has really structured their staff to include an ally/advocate, but if they have, my hats off to them - it's the best thing I've ever seen a hospital do.

If they haven't - then you need to do so. August arrived early and saved the day.

Our healthcare system is a mess - expensive and inefficient, terribly hard on anyone not swimming in money and/or superior health insurance. Having caring human beings advocating for patients would at least mitigate some of the rough edges.

Let August lead the way.

 

KIssing Health Care Goodbye In the Middle of a Pandemic: Saturday Political Soap Box 253

 

We're going to lose the Affordable Health Care Act.

Yes, this is just one of many things that will be lost under a 6-3 far-right court.  The most discussed is the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which I have addressed in other blog posts.  Suffice to say here that I believe the elimination of Roe v. Wade will NOT accomplish what either side thinks it will, and the result will be a RISING number of abortions in this country.

But the Affordable Care Act?  You can kiss that goodbye.  And the effect will be devastating, especially in a pandemic.

This is ironic* at a time when the Act is growing increasingly popular.  The Republicans initially insisted on calling it Obamacare.  What started out as derision is now a badge of honor.  

Why do Republicans insist on this act of political suicide?  They're not flexible enough to change, especially operating under a racist President who despises everything the black President did and wants to erase all his achievements from history.

Insurance companies could no longer discriminate based on pre-conditions.  You could keep your children on your insurance until they were 26.  People who couldn't rely on employer-based insurance had access to an insurance market, and it was subsidized based on income.  It opened up more to qualify for Medicare. That's just a few of its benefits.

Yes, Obamacare has its flaws.  So what?  All legislation does.  The President and his supporters thought that over time, like Social Security and Medicare and other programs, Obamacare would be corrected and improved in subsequent years.

That didn't happen.  That's because we had a Republican party that had decided it was more important to tear down Democratic achievements than solve problems either on their own or in conjunction with Democrats.  Having no solution was better than having a Democratic solution.

Usually, when legislation like this passes, that benefits so many, it gets accepted as a standard part of life, and it becomes tough to remove. And Obamacare was well on its way to doing this.  That is why there is going to be a huge political cost to Republicans for removing it.  It is why Supreme Court Justice John Roberts switched sides in the last Obamacare health care case and put a stop to its wanton destruction. With the addition of Amy "Aunt Lydia" Barrett, he won't be able to check the far-right justices' worst instincts.

Some things could have passed with the original Affordable Health Care Act that would have made it be accepted faster and thereby harder to remove. The most significant of these would have been a public option, allowing people to buy into a government plan in state marketplaces. Instead of a squirming and squallering private insurer, you could have a competitive public plan to choose from.  Another that almost passed was making an option where people 55 and older could buy into Medicare. Joe Lieberman single-handedly stopped that, even though that proposal was part of his 2004 Presidential-run platform.  People like Joe Lieberman and Joe Manchin are why we can't have nice things, even when Democrats control things.

Speaking of controlling things, when the election is over, and we have Biden as President, and a Senate Democratic majority, they will need to repair what they can of the Affordable Care Act.  They will have to vote through something that addresses whatever challenges the Supreme Court leaves in the wake of its destruction of the Act.  My fondest wish is that they just chuck it and go to Medicare For All (universal health care, single-payer - I don't care what you call it as long as it happens).  Failing that, you absolutely have to have a public option and/or greater buy-in capacity to Medicare. A redo will be worthless without that.  

Unfortunately, we couldn't get a public option or Medicare buy-in when the Democrats had a 60-vote technically veto-proof majority. My most optimistic predictions would be for a Democratic caucus of about 54. Sadly, Joe Manchin and a handful of conservative/corporate Democrats will have more power than ever.  We also will have a President who has stated that he opposes Medicare For All.

So, if we don't want to leave millions without health insurance, if we don't want to see millions excluded from coverage for pre-existing conditions (I'm sorry, Sir, your heart condition was caused by your bout with COVID, so, too bad so sad - here's your bill for $350,000 to cover your heart attack), if you don't want to see uncontrolled insurance costs skyrocket**, then it will be up to us to organize and protest as loudly as we can.  We need to let wavering Democrats know that our support for them depends on their willingness to restore our right to decent, affordable health care.

This is only one of the things we will lose when Aunt Lydia steps onto the Supreme Court.  It's a biggie, though.

Millions will lose health care.  Hundreds of thousands will go bankrupt or be forced to its edge.  Tens of thousands will die.

As Biden told Obama when the passing of the Affordable Care Act was announced, "This is a big f--ing deal."

This time, however, it won't be in a good way.

*am I using ironic in the right way?  I don't know.  Language and its use change all the time. Deal. 

**think Trump's political ploy of an executive order about pre-existing conditions means anything at all?  No, it's unenforceable trash.  Even if private insurers cover pre-existing conditions, it will be without limits on how much they can charge.  "You have diabetes, Sir?  Sure we'll cover it!  That'll be an extra 40 Grand a year, please."

Dimming Prospects of Avoiding a Second Wave: Saturday Political Soap Box 243

Greatly discouraged today. I spent a good deal of time carefully selecting pictures to go with this post, photos of the stay-at-home protest in Michigan, and of the beaches opening of the Jacksonville Beaches.  I've learned the hard way that posts without pictures are viewed much less than those with pictures.

But that's only a tiny reason I am discouraged.  I am discouraged because the evidence is mounting that we will not be able to sustain social distancing and that the second wave in this country is going to be horrendous.

It's not just the lunatics in Michigan, protesting at the capital and temporarily blocking the entrance to Sparrow hospital, one of Michigan's largest and most important medical facilities.  It's not just the lemmings that insist on going back to the beach.

And it's not just the Trumpeteers.  Yes, Trump is responsible for the depth and severity of our crisis.  He has done all the wrong things and shown himself to be soulless while doing it.

No, I see reactions from more than just Trumpeteers.  Non-political people and even some left-leaning people seem to be itching for this to be over with.

Why?

Reasons vary.

Some people's personalities are such that social isolation is more than they can take.  They're extroverts whose lives are built on constant social contact.  It's not a big problem for me, BUT, in all fairness, Alison and I have had a continuing work schedule, and we have each other and Benjamin.  So we really haven't experienced total house confinement.

Some have had their work effected to such a degree where the economic stresses, potential and actual, are beginning to accumulate.

Some feel like the economy is more important than human lives.  This is a group that upsets me greatly, and no, I do not have sympathy for or any understanding of their position.  It infuriates me so much that I don't want to say any more about it in this post.  Maybe later, when I'm in a calmer frame of mind.

It's not helpful that the President keeps talking like we do this soon, backed up by FOX News, OAN, and fake reality-TV show doctors.


Do I want social distancing to last the 12 to 24 months until a vaccine is in place?

It's not a matter of what I want, but it is a matter of what has to be done.

If we are to leave or reduce social distancing, we have to do the right way.

We have to have massive testing.  We have to have contact tracing.  We have to be prepared, in some cases, to shut back down as quickly as we opened.

Rural counties think they should be given a pass?  Sorry.  Where I live and work, Ware and Pierce Counties, the current numbers show us in a statistical hotspot.  It's here, folks.  It's not academic.

So, the federal government needs to facilitate massive testing, contract tracing, PPE, ventilators, other medical equipment, and increase hospital bed capacity, both regular and ICU.

That does not help with financial concerns.  The COVID bill should have been flipped, with virtually no money going to large corporations, and tons more going to individuals and small business.  We are only stressed about keeping the economy going because so many of us live from paycheck to paycheck.  Many other countries have giving individuals thousands per month, or guaranteeing up to 80% of an individual's regular salary.

I can't go into a long economic dissertation here (I've already probably lost over three-quarters of my readership - that would just about eliminate everybody else).  But please try to grasp this -

THE GOVERNMENT BUDGET IS NOT LIKE A HOUSEHOLD BUDGET.

The government can print and print money.  There is no gold standard anymore.  They can do it, and right now, they should do it.  The national debt seems scary, but it is a false issue.  That is not a problem.  The problem with printing money is potential inflation.  That problem exists when the economy is already revved up, and you just flood it with more money.  That is not the case here.  You can't put enough money in the system right now to create inflation.

I know this isn't easy.  Whether psychological, economic, or god help us, ideological, it's tough to do this.

So, I'm just asking one thing.

Don't squaller at the Governors for trying to do the right thing, the smart thing.

Save your wrath for those who are not helping us get out of this - for those who are fighting mass testing and contacting tracing, for those who fight Medicare For All and other improvements to the social safety net, fro those who oppose help to small business, for those who insist on defying our best medical experts.

Sorry, Governor DeSantis.  Professional wrestling is not essential.

I hate to be so pessimistic.

It makes me aware of how rare the Greatest Generation was, the one that got us through the Depression and World War II.  Because we are behaving the opposite of that.

The Greediest Generation, the most self-centered generation.

And our poster child?

President Donald J Trump.

I pray that I am wrong.

The Power of We: Saturday Political Soap Box 242

It's times like this that often brings out the best of humanity.

Yes, there is bad behavior as well -

     - a President who has been slow to respond, inconsistent in his rhetoric, dismissive and self-centered, and one who seems to be determined to bring back the Articles of Confederation

     - a handful of Governors who hold out in protecting their state, or it has only occurred to them in the last 48 hours that asymptomatic people could spread the disease

    - idiots who party on like they're immortal, and disregard the spread and harm they could do to others

    - preachers who stubbornly hold services, even in the face of reports of how this has helped spread the virus

    - and worst of all, we have the profiteers and gougers who are inflating prices and getting states and other entities who direly need medical supplies to bid against each other.

But we have many more stories of goodness and caring and sacrifice.

    - medical staff who are taking considerable risks in caring for those the rest of us can't even go near

   - police and firefighters who are putting themselves on the line to protect our communities.  In my hometown, the police are delivering meals to the needy and elderly.

   - grocery store clerks and retail workers that expose themselves to make sure our supply of essential supplies is interrupted as little as possible.  There are also fast-food workers staffing drive-thru and curbside service, delivery people, and postal workers bringing what we need to our door, people who work at banks or CPA offices to keep out financial accounts moving.

    -social networking done on the internet or through e-mails, phones, or other outreach.  We show we care by reaching out to others in the ways that are left available to us.

    -the people who are trying to provide us with news, the officials and bureaucrats that are struggling to keep us safe and informed.

Even as we are kept apart from each other, we are re-discovering our greatest power - the power of we.

We, the people.  We, a society that works to take care of each other.

All the things that have been dissed by some in this country have been proven to be absolutely vital.

We need a stronger social safety net.

Healthcare should be a right, tied to our birthright as citizens, not to who our employer is, or our ability to pay.  It is has shown the utter irresponsibility of having a healthcare system tied to who our employer is.  Because when you lose your job in a crisis like this...you have no healthcare coverage at all.

We are networked globally, like it or not.  You can't build walls large enough to keep out everyone, and you shouldn't want to.  We are one people.  One human race.  Self-isolation is a global concept, not an "each nation to themselves" concept.

Our politics have for too long centered on greed and selfishness.  It's too long promoted wealth and power concentrated in fewer and fewer hands.

It's not about buzzwords: capitalism, socialism, Ayn Randian style libertarianism, oligarchy, fascism* ...

It's about the power of we.

It's about building a society that maximizes the good we can do for each other - as individuals, as community members, as participants in our churches and synagogues and temples and mosques, as citizens of a state and a nation, and as part of an increasingly intertwined global network.


I pray we come out of this finally done with Reagan Era politics of greed.  I hope we turn our backs on the narcissism and self-centeredness of the Trump Period. 

It's the disease of ME FIRST versus the power of WE.

Someday, hopefully sooner rather than later, COVID-19 will be defeated, and our social distancing can end.  And with it vanquished, I pray we set permanently aside our ME FIRST politics and move to the power of WE.

I fear that if we don't, then the eventual destruction caused by keeping that kind of politics will be more devastating than even the horrible COVID-19.

Much, much more devastating.

Essential Personnel: Keeping Your Distance 2

My old stapler broke, and they were kind enough to give me a new, state of the art stapler to use at my workplace - the one that I am still going to.

Even in a crisis such as this, where social distancing has become crucial to our mitigating the effects of the spread of COVID-19, we have essential personnel who must continue to function as best they can.

There are people we cannot do without - medical personnel, police, firefighters - all the brave first responders that have to stay at the forefront of this dangerous epidemic.  We respect their service and encourage their employers to use whatever safety measures and equipment that can be deployed to protect them.

Others serve roles that are less prominent but also important.  Those who help staff the grocery stores and other establishments that provide the goods and services we need.  This includes those who are manning restaurants and fast food places, even as they turn into carryout only places.

Many others are no longer going into work.  Some of those are still being compensated, at least for now.  Others may have limited sick leave.  But another large group have no sick leave and nothing to fall back on.

Some may be working from home. If they are fortunate enough to have a position that allows them to work that way.  That is probably more common in the large urban areas than it is where I live.

Benjamin is one that will be adopting to online work.  His college is now closed for the semester.  It is a shame because he was really getting to love college life, getting excellent grades, and socializing, participating in more extra-curriculars than he did in high school.

The school system that Alison works for is out for the next few weeks (minimum), and that includes teachers and most school board personnel.  But not Alison.  She will be helping with the feeding program (her job is in school nutrition).  Many students only get the meals they need because the school provides them.  And that has to continue.  So she is part of a plan to keep these children fed.

Some she worked with were skeptical that they would get the help they need to do this, because right now, many will be paid whether they come to work or not.

They were wrong.

As of yesterday, they already had 42 volunteers.

My own work?

It marches on.  People are still turning in tax and accounting work, and it must be done.  We are a small firm, and not set up for work from home.  Although I suspect, if this continues, that may be coming.

The important lesson of this?

We may or not be working right now, but we all need to help each other through this dark time, as best we can.

There are no exceptions.

We are all essential.

 

Keeping Your Distance

Welcome to the new age of social isolation.

Is it justified?  Yes, I'm sorry.  I'm afraid it is.  Have their been other diseases more deadly?  Sure, but not as widely and easily spread. At least in the last 100 years.

Its insidious nature is that for many young people, the symptoms and virulence of COVID-19 are relatively mild. But even though it is mild with them, it is highly contagious, and they are inadvertently spreading it to more at-risk populations, like the elderly and those with disabling conditions.

Let's take a look at the most recent numbers, as I write this.  There are 166,000 cases globally, and a death toll in excess of 6,400.  That in and of itself represents a death rate of 3.8%.

But that might not be the fairest contrast, because many of those are cases where the people are currently sick, and the outcome is not yet known.  The reported numbers on the estimated 83,400 resolved cases are, 77,000 recovered and 6,400 fatalities. That represents a resolved case death rate of  7.7%.

Contrast this with the devastating Spanish Influenza outbreak of 1918, where estimated deaths range from upwards to 50 million.  And the death rate was roughly 2%.

2%.

So, stop it with the over-reaction talk.

South Korea and China have shown that isolation measures do work to mitigate the spread of the disease.  So, yes, we have to adopt the same measures.

All that being said, I still don't understand the run on toilet paper.  Not everything makes sense, I guess.

I'm not an intensely social person.  I participate in community theatre and church, and occasionally some other groups, but for the most part, I'm happiest at home with my family, books, TV, and my writing endeavors.  Growing up in Michigan, I loved snow because it sometimes meant that I could stay at home - not have to go to school or work,

Even though I have those proclivities, this feels different.  This is going to last significantly longer than being snowed in, or hunkering down for an impending hurricane.  I'm not sure people are quite aware of how long this will last.

In the area that I live, there is a 'Capri pants' aspect to it.  By that, I mean, our little rural area is the last to pick up on things, using fashion as an example.  The Capri pants fad started in the bigger cities, filtered down to the suburbs, and then finally hit this area months after other areas had stopped wearing them and had moved on.

So, isolation is slower to occur here.  People are still out and about.  Some of our many Trump fans are reluctant to admit anything is going on at all.  DEMOCRAT HOAX!  That hasn't stopped the hoarding of toilet paper, even here.

In my home county, Pierce, I am not aware of any cases.  Like I said, it'll probably come here last.

Schools are finally reacting here, responding just ahead of a probable state government edict to shut down schools.  This shutdown is going to cause ripple-effect problems, including how it may affect working families and who will watch their youngins' if the parents still need to work. It also will affect those who depend on school for meals.  Sad but true, that poverty is so high in this country that we have become reliant on schools for basic nutrition.  Meanwhile, the Trump administration is scheduled to slash food stamps for many on April 1st.

If my work allows (my CPA day job), I am going to do the utmost to keep up my blog during this difficult time.  Writing and reading are some of the best ways we can stay socially connected right now, and I will do my best to keep it up.

Your fvorite quasi-hermit,

T. M. Strait

Raising the Universe: Saturday Political Soap Box 225

Whether you support him or not, whether you're ok with people left out of our healthcare system or not, Bernie has to be acknowledged as our Moses leading the way out of our broken healthcare system.

I am for universal healthcare.  It is my most rock bed central position.  It is the closest I come to being a single-issue voter.

The system that has been most talked about is Medicare For All.   I like the name.  Medicare is a popular program, and it makes the idea instantly recognizable to almost every American.

But I am not wedded to the name.  I am wedded to the concept.  Everyone must be covered.  Everyone must have access.  People should not go broke trying to get the healthcare and medical procedures they need for the well-being of themselves and their families.  Access should not be determined by wealth or whether your employer has (FOR NOW, EXISTING ONLY AT THE COMPANY'S WHIM) a gold-plated deluxe healthcare policy.

I posted this recently:

Imagine if I pay rent of $800 a month. I pay for my utilities. I pay for any repairs or maintenance. I pay the property tax and insurance. This costs me, on average, another $800 a month. That's a total of $1600, maybe more if things go badly. Now I have an offer to pay rent of $1000 a month, BUT my utilities are included, and the landlord covers repairs, property tax, and insurance. Should I change to the $1.000 a month rent plan?

Note that I am comparing one rental plan to another.  This is not a commentary on homeownership vs. renting.

Given the facts presented, a rational person would select the slightly higher rent that covers more of the other costs. 

Unfortunately, when it comes to healthcare, the American people have shown little rationality.  It's not all their fault.  There are significant forces in the country (private insurance, pharmaceuticals, hospitals, etc.) that have a vested interest in ginning you up to hate universal healthcare.  So they spend beaucoups of time and money (often filling the campaign coffers of politicians) to get you to stress more about taxes than total cost.

The bonus of a universal system is that not only is it morally right, it is also the most cost-effective system.  Administration costs shrink considerably (no multi-million dollar CEOs to keep afloat).  Private insurance is not trying to increase profits by denying care or setting up bureaucratic roadblocks.  Hospitals and doctors don't have to deal with tons of paperwork by multiple insurance companies.

We now have the most expensive per person medical system in the world, almost twice as much as our closest rivals.  Going to Medicare For All is going to close that gap, not increase it.

People have been fussing at Elizabeth Warren for not giving a more decisive answer on how she would fund Medicare For All.  She talks about total costs when the media and other candidates want her to say something about increasing taxes so they can go GOTCHA!

Yesterday, she came out with a plan that structures it so that the Medicare For All program is funded without raising middle-class taxes. I have not read the details, but she is a very meticulous, well-thought person, so I am sure there is a method and rationale behind how she wants to fund it.

Me?  I'm not running, so I don't know why we can't do the common sense thing- if it's Medicare For All, why not increase the payroll tax percentage that comes out for Medicare?  Don't cap it, and extend it to unearned income as well.  Worried about the effect on middle-class taxpayers?  Reduce the amount of income tax they pay - maybe even extend a tax credit to taxpayers with low to moderate-income.

With no premiums, no deductibles, no co-pays, most Americans will come out way, way, ahead.

Some want to stay gripped to the plan that comes from their employer.  You know - the plan you will lose if you are fired, laid off, or just try to get another job.  The plan that the employer can change form year to year.  The plan that leaves most of us fighting to get our bills covered, having to be lawyers/advocates/accountants/Type A personalities just to get things covered.  How exhausting.

I try not to say too much about the Democratic candidates that is negative.  The truth is all of them, even the most conservative and cautious, will be light years ahead of the Republicans.

Nevertheless, I am sick of the moderate Democrats trashing the progressive Democrats over healthcare issues, handing the Republicans talking points on a silver platter.  If they want to say universal healthcare is difficult, fine.  To say that it is impossible and a pipedream, angers me and breaks my heart.

I am an Independent Progressive who votes Democratic because I believe that is the quickest route to covering everybody.  I will always vote in the primaries for the candidate that will most quickly bring us to that.

Do I want to beat Trump or whomever the Republicans nominate?  Hell, yes.  Do I want to abandon my healthcare position to do that?

No, I won't do that.  And I believe it has the extra bonus of being the strategically correct thing to do.  The working class has to once again see the Democrats fighting for them, and things that benefit them, and not as Republican Lite, just as beholden to their high dollar donors as the Republicans.

Unless we become an authoritarian, fascist country (a path many have undeniably started on), we will one day have universal healthcare.  It is inevitable.  Like other great social movements in our country, it looks impossible until it isn't.

It's just a matter of whether it happens slowly or quickly, incrementally or all at once.

I vote for quick.

No more canisters in convenience stores.

No more Go Fund Me healthcare.

No more medical bankruptcies.

No more people dying for lack of access to decent healthcare.

Please join me in supporting candidates who will move our healthcare system into the 21st century, and bring us into the rest of the civilized world that already has universal healthcare.

The Age of Getting It

We just had to get it.

There was nothing yet to prevent us from going through it.  So we just had to buck up and take it.  Every kid was going to get them.  Every kid would have to go through the gauntlet of childhood diseases.

We had the mumps.  We got the measles (sometimes both hard and soft).  Chickenpox was common.

Yes, it's true.  We live in an age of overprotection.  It's sometimes better just to go through things and build up your immune system. 

But it also was a scary time.  I weathered the mumps and chickenpox like a trooper.  The measles, however, were not as easy.  I was sick with them for a very long time, missing a large chunk of my Kindergarten year, to the point that some in the school system felt I should be held back to repeat Kindergarten.  My parents and the doctor were very concerned, enough that they were not sure I was going to survive it.

The measles, as intense as they were for me,  was not my only childhood health scares.  I also got pneumonia twice, and mononucleosis (known as the kissing disease, which I got in fifth grade from kissing drinking fountains).

My immunity as an adult has been strong.  I rarely get the flu, and only started taking flu shots in the last two years.  I am not now nor have I ever been a germaphobe (obviously, if I was willing to "kiss" public drinking fountains).

But I also understand the value of vaccinations. They also help build up immunity, but in a different way.  Some of the diseases may seem more nuisances rather than grave dangers.  But I know personally, that is not true.   I survived measles, but it was touch and go.  I could easily not have.

We now live in an age where these diseases should be eradicated, and for a while, it looked they would be.  That has changed with the anti-vaxxer movement.  Now we have outbreaks of dangerous diseases like measles because some choose not to vaccinate their children. 

They are not all people on the fringes.  The Governor of Kentucky decided to expose his kids to chickenpox rather than get them vaccinated.  Some have claimed a connection between vaccines and the rise in autism, but no real linkage has been established. 

Everything has a risk, including vaccinations.  You can not watch TV without drug commercials that spend over half their time listing potential side effects of the prescription medicine they are trying to get you to tell a doctor that you need.  The overuse of antibiotics, both in our foods and reaching out to get over any mild condition, is causing the growth of super-resistant strains and an increasing lack of effectiveness.  Nevertheless, the benefits from childhood vaccinations far outweigh their minuscule risk.

One disease that I did not have to suffer through because a vaccine was already available, was Polio.  This was a terrible disease that took lives and left many crippled, including a President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Perhaps our history books do not do a good enough job of conveying to our present generation the horror of its effects.  Unfortunately, they may have to find out anew, as Polio related cases are now once again on the rise.

Vaccinations help protect us all and prevent these diseases from spreading again. This shouldn't be the age of getting the diseases, but getting the vaccines to prevent the diseases.

Questions for my Conservative Friends

I am trying to prepare an important statement about health care, and I really need input from my conservative friends.

This is difficult to do.  Many have unfriended or ufollowed me.  Some refuse to talk politics with me, as they feel that all that has been "done with".

Also, other than my blog posts, I gave up, for Lent,  sharing political memes or commentary on Facebook.

I'm skeptical of  receiving any answers, but if any of you struggle through to this point, I would love to hear from you.

Here goes:

1) Do you believe that everyone, from our poorest to our wealthiest, must have health insurance?  That society and health care is too important, and medical costs far too high, to leave anyone out?

2)  Do you believe that no one should die because of lack of finances, and that preventative medicine should be available to all?

3)  Do you believe that insurance should be affordable, and that no individual should go bankrupt due to health care costs?

The above were derived from an article by Dr. Michael F Weinberg, MD.  They are the first two steps of his "12 Steps to Make America's Health Care Great Again".  The other steps are not important unless we can agree on these first two steps.

4)  CBO (Congressional Budget Office) estimates that 24 million will lose health care as the result of the America Health Care Act.  Are you okay with that, or does it bother you?


5)  So you say you hate Obamacare but you're vague on its replacement?  What is it you really want to do?  If Congress is not proposing what you want, what is it you really want?  Don't just complain!  Be specific as to what YOU think repeal and replace Obamacare means, and what it is you really want to see.

I await your response.

Thank you,

T. M. Strait

The Destruction of Obamacare: Tell Me what You Want, What You Really Really Want

Oy, what a mess.

You want to REPEAL Obamacare?

Really?  Do you understand what that means?

First. poof away any notions that the Republicans have anything "terrific" waiting in the wings.  They don't.  Why?

Because this already IS, essentially, the Republican plan.  The bones of this were birthed in conservative think tanks, and fleshed out in Romneycare, a successful reform done in Massachusetts.

What you give up -

1) Keeping your youngin' on your plan until they're 26, if that is what is needed.

2) Protection against being rejected due to pre-existing conditions.

3) 20 million plus people losing access to the health market place.

4) No more subsidies to help purchase insurance on exchanges that will no longer exist.

5) Increasing medical costs as hospitals and doctors cope with an influx of indigent patients.

6) No more control to costs on insurance companies.  They will no linger be limited as to how much overhead they spend, or on the percentage they are required to spend on actual care.

7) No more control on what basic plans must cover.  This means plans that exploit you in to thinking they're going to cover something they have no intention of covering.

8) Medical bankruptcies increase dramatically again.

9)  Every time you lose a job, you risk losing insurance and your family - for good.  If you want to work for yourself - good luck.  Hope you have a big pocketbook, no pre-conditions, and are able to read fine print.


There are flaws with Obamacare, as with any new piece of legislation, especially is intent on destruction rather than repair.

Flaws:

1)  The subsidies that you get for health insurance - if you haven't figured out your income right, you could get bit with large paybacks come income tax time.  People don't have a good idea what their income is, and often leave out elements of it, or underestimate it, and then wind up having to pay all or part of their subsidies.

2) In some areas, not enough private insurers participate in the state exchange.  It would be nicer if there was more competition.

3) Too many people are still going bankrupt due to medical costs.

4) In states that have not extended medicaid, hospitals and care facilities are having a hard time staying in business, especially in rural areas.

5)  And TRUMPING everything, it's a system that still leaves private insurers in charge.  The profit motive reigns over health care rights and access.


My solution?

Move to the only thing that makes sense - single payer universal health care.

You repealer squealer's solution?

Beats me.  Can't you tell me what you want?  What you really, really want?

Guess what?  I don't think you know.

And that's bad news for all of us.

Mr. Stein's Off Day: Saturday Political Soap Box 120

Yes, class.  Do you see?  Isn't that terrifying?  That someone might not be a citizen and still have their basic human health care needs taken care of through the bureaucratic incompetence of a bloated federal government?  Of course, measures could be put in place that could help minimize this, but that's not the point, is it?  The point is to make people as queasy as possible about the dreaded Obamacare and immigration.  Frighten them with fear of the undeserving other, and the possibility that someone may get a benefit that you worked for and they did not.

So, class, can anyone think of a what to replace that pesky Obamacare with, and still provide basic health care coverage to every true citizen of the United States?  Bueller?  Bueller?  Anyone?  Anyone?

No, Bernie, I didn't say you.  When I said "anyone" I didn't mean to include you.

Yes, Bernie, a single payer system like Medicare For All would cover everyone, but that's socialism.  And as an economics professor, I can tell you that socialism is an unworkable system that will lead to our inevitable destruction.

Yes, Bernie.  I know you are talking about "democratic socialism", which works more as a check and modifier of capitalism than a replacement.  But that's never worked anywhere.

Yes, Bernie.  I know about the Scandinavian countries, and their successes with democratic socialism.  But we're Americans!  We don't want to eat strange fish dishes with eyeballs in them, and drive small cars, and pay exorbitant prices for gasoline. We don't want to pay higher taxes to insure medical care and free college. It is so much better to let the poor flood emergency rooms and for the middle class college students to take out student loans at high interest loans and be saddled with debt for the rest of their lives.

Yes, Bernie. I understand that in most other countries that have universal health care....what?  Don't interrupt me, Bernie!  I realize that virtually all other industrialized countries on Earth have universal health care and we don't.  And I realize that we spend two to three times more per person on health care here than in those other countries.  You have to think of all the jobs created by the layer of private insurance and hospital/doctor healthcare insurance facilitators, not to mention the lawyers and accountants we have to manipulate and game the system.  We take pride in our healthcare con men and profiteers!  After all, Florida elected Rick Scott governor of Florida, didn't they?  He oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in our history while CEO of Columbia/HCA.  Now if that bothered Floridians, why would they have elected him twice?

No, Bernie.  There is a difference between government bureaucrats and private bureaucrats.  Don't you see? We love the private ones - we honor their cleverness.  But we hate government bureaucrats, whose malfeasance would actually be easier to catch if we used the proper oversight instead of letting our Congressman be bought out by the largest corporate and super-rich bidders.

I tell you what, Bernie.  You like government bureaucracy so much?  I want you take this form to the central office, and please, take your time.

Ok, now we can back to the real discussion.  Can anyone think of  ways, not including Bernie's ridiculous idea of Medicare For All, that we can repeal Obamacare and improve our health care system?

Bueller?  Bueller?

Anyone?

The Great Unanswered Question of the American 2010s: Saturday Political Soap Box 104

So, Tom, you have my curiosity up.  What is the great unanswered question of the American 2010s?

Why, interesting you should ask that.

It is a question that I have been asking since the decade started, and have not gotten one coherent answer.

It is this:

ATTENTION CONSERVATIVES AND OBAMA DERIDERS!

What plan do you have to replace Obamacare that will insure as many or more people?

Do you understand?  I don't care that you want to repeal Obamacare.  I don't care how much you foam at the mouth at it, or our President.  I want to know what you're going to replace it with.

I don't care when you say you're not a politician and you don't have to come up with an alternative.  You just know by God what you hate, and you want it gone.  Well, too bad so sad.  If you're going to strip MILLIONS from access to decent health care, you're not going to leave those people vulnerable.  You've got to demonstrate how your plan takes care of those people and MORE.

I mean, surely, you don't intend for things to go back to the way they were.  Do you want more bankruptcies?  Do you want more people denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions?  Do you want people to be solely dependent on the whims of their employer for decent health care?  Do you want young people to be kicked off their parent's plan too soon and not be able to get coverage on their own?  Do you not like that the arc of cost for health care and insurance has finally started to slow?  Do you not like the fact that Obamacare is reducing the deficit and not increasing it?

It's true that Obamacare has added a layer of complication to an already complicated income tax process.  As a CPA, I can tell you it has been a real pain in the posterior region.  Add it to the list of the strange, quirky things our tax code does.

It's anecdotally  true that some people's health insurance costs have gone up, a few dramatically.  Some had plans that were inadequate, offering little protection, and had to replace them with more comprehensive plans - surprise! - they cost more!  Some private insurance companies steered their insurers to more expensive plans, blamed it on Obamacare, without the insured checking out the exchanges or other options to find if there was a better deal.  Some were hurt by regional price variations in the exchanges - which I feel is the very worst part of Obamacare.

The flaw in Obamacare isn't the government (although far from perfect, it technically can be controlled by a vigilant press and an active, informed, voting citizenry), it's the private insurers and medical providers.  They're in it to maximize profits, even if it's at your expense.

So, for me, the alternative is easy.  Join the rest of the civilized world with a comprehensive universal health care system.  NO ONE SHOULD BE LEFT OUT!  As a CPA and numbers person, I know this is the most fiscally sound way to do it - spread the costs over everyone and minimize the vulturous middlemen.  As a Christian person with a moral conscience, I see it as the only way,

So for me, the alternative to Obamacare is easy.  We already have the system in place.  We just need to expand it - Medicare for All!  Yes, this may mean the contribution rate may have to increase but realize this - NO OTHER INSURANCE COSTS!

But, of course, my conservative friends, if you thought the overly privatized, Republican inspired version of Romneycare, the Affordable Care Act referred to as Obamacare, if you thought that was socialized medicine, I can't imagine what you think of Medicare for All.

So, again, I've been asking this question for FOUR YEARS with zero coherent response....


What plan do you have to replace Obamacare that will insure as many or more people?

Allowing across state competition will only gravitate plans to those states with the least amount of regulation and the worst coverage.  Eliminating medical malpractice will only diminish your rights and worsen medical standards -  I do not believe that studies show that eliminating malpractice suits reduces cost or expands coverage.

And let me blunt about this.  If your philosophy is that you just DON'T CARE who is insured or uninsured, and is only centered on your PERSONAL costs, then I am not interested in your opinion.  If civic and religious reasons are not enough to compel you to care about other people, than you fall outside the realm of this discussion.  You're not a conservative or a Republican.  You are a heartless, Ayn Randian self-centered monster, and I hate to think that it is your type of opinion that is driving the health care debate.


So one more time, my conservative friends....


What plan do you have to replace Obamacare that will insure as many or more people?

I will keep the light on for you.

Anti Antiboitics?

Antibiotics have been a blessing.

A true blue miracle.  Their use has helped save countless lives.

And their overuse is putting countless more at risk.

Bacteria and infectious microbes have been with us for millions of years.  They may be the oldest organisms on Earth.  And they didn't survive all that time without the ability to change, mutate and adapt.

Superbugs are becoming resistant to our antibiotic efforts.  They are becoming more of a menace to our general health.

CRE is just one of the superbugs that are becoming an increasingly more virulent threat.  There was a story just this morning about an outbreak at an L.A.  hospital that has already killed two and exposed 200.  And stories like this are occurring more and more frequently.


We must start using antibiotics more judiciously, and keep them a powerful and targeted tool in waging our war against disease.  Their continued overuse keeps us all at grave risk.

We can do things on two fronts.

First, PLEASE don't resort to antibiotics every time you get the sniffles.   If you are resorting to antibiotics several times a year for routine illnesses (and you do not have a seriously debilitated immune system), you may to rethink your strategy.  If you go to the doctor and YOU'RE the one who brings up the Z-pack, you may need to think again.

Just one example are sinus infections.  Acceding to medical opinion found on Health.com, only 2% of sinus infections are bacterial infections and warrant the use of antibiotics.  And yet, I constantly hear about people who have resorted to it.

Those individuals who habitually use antibiotics, I believe find them less and less effective over time.  It's not helping them prevent sickness, and it's not helping them get well any faster.

The second thing we can do is buy less meat that has been obtained from animals that receive high levels of antibiotics and steroids.  This use of antibiotics simply for making the animal more of a "meat machine" is causing a great deal to develop resistance in both the animals and in us.

Grass fed beef, and antibiotic/steroid free chicken, pork, turkey and other meats are available if you look.  They may cost slightly more, but some costs are worth bearing, particularly when the costs of the alternative is far greater.


Antibiotics serve a vital, life-saving purpose, and have helped transform the last one hundred years into a brighter, safer place.  But their misuse is threatening all that.

Choose antibiotics, but choose them carefully and wisely.  Choose them when they will do the most good.

We need them to help us for generations to come.