Well you see when it is free, everyone is treated without any paperwork for payment!

Right! I know you have been around the block a few times so have you ever known the Guv to operate without forms.

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Caution - The Surgeon General has determined that constant blogging is an addiction that can cause a sedentary life style.

I always thought that "the right to life" was about the same as "the right to health care!"
Who wants to live if they are sick all of the time?

What are rights anyway?
Justice; right of discovery of something new; right to elect politicians (whew); religion (what is that?); bare arms--long-johns not required; no soldiers in house; to a warrant; grand jury, speedy trial; and the good old 9TH: Anything, right, one ought to have!

Also one doesn't have to be a slave; you can vote if 18, female, or colored without paying a fee. (but you can't be President if born in Hawaii!)

But doctors and hospital have a right not to treat you for health problems, it seems wothout charging you an arm and a leg! Or, you beg and plead as a poor person.\

SPQR,

You better watch your spelling, because the spelling Gestapo otherwise known as "Hack", "Diva", "Kevin King", and "Jaggoff" is out and will pin you down for it. Watch out!!

Can someone open a window? The fetid odor of Hope and Change is really starting to stink up the joint.

Thanks for the comment.
In my opinion when a trivial typo is pointed out with the childish tone of "ah ha spelling error so your whole statement must be disregarded" it indicates an unwillingness or an inability to broach the topic in an honest manner.

"Health care not a "right." You say?
If not then I must assume that anything that one now must "pay" for is not a right?

If a guy is beating me over the head with a club, I would assume that I have no "right" to stop it? Oh wait, there is a law that says he can't do that, isn't there?

OK, so now I have it. All we need is a law that says that I have a right to health care.

We even found that we could do without "slaves" when a law was passed saying we couldn't own any---darn it!!!

Of course you have a right to provide for your own health care. You just don't have a right to make me pay for it.

Tell me something----Do all people have a right to drive on Interstate Highways that you helped pay for?

Does everyone have a right to be defended by our miliotary that you help pay for?

I could go on all day---but I don't think you would understand!

Human suffering is more important than a highway!

I think I see your line of thought.

Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you

Am I close?

Glad to see that you find tht there is a need for government intervention into this mess. The Insurance companies did a very poor job running private insurance. They deserve to die.

There you are without a job and having to continue your insurance coverage (maybe 12-15,000 per year) out of no income except maybe unemployment insurance (another government insurance).

Whatever savings you may have had should not have to be frittered away to stay alive.

I find it difficult to understand why so many do not want everyone to have health insurance under any circumstances! If people are going to the doctor under false pretenses (aren't sick) then put them in the caboose!

It is wrong to not want all to have the same rights to have needed operatioons and even hospital stays if they are ill.
Looks as if even Walmart has seen that decent light.

The thought that Einsteins will not work as hard to get ahead if they get stuff like this anyway is baloney! That sort of thing is caused by ignorance and prejudice.

"If people are going to the doctor under false pretenses (aren't sick) then put them in the caboose!"

A couple of years ago we had to take my sister to the Emory emergency room around midnight. The place was packed. As I have mentioned here before, that is a great opportunity to watch what really goes on. The initial treatment area is one long hall with open doors, and beds holding people in the hall. While my sister was on a bed in the hall, we were standing by one particular room. In that room was an elderly, black woman who was complaining loudly about her leg aching. They had done exams, tests, and x-rays without finding any problem. I heard the doctor tell the nurse he finally figured out what the woman needed. He wrote on the prescription pad "free food" and laid it on a table outside the door. They had someone go downstairs and bring her some food. She sat right in that room, ate the food and never said another word (like, thank you) to anyone. After inhaling the free morsels, she got up and walked down the hall and out the door without the slightest limp. The doctor and nurses just rolled their eyes and went on to the next patient.

Whatever you might think about her need for a free meal, keep this in mind. She got through the check-in process somehow. Whether it was insurance (nope), Medicare, Medicaid, indigent care, whatever. The point is, she wasted lots of valuable time, resources and money which I would wager we all paid for. I'm guessing it wasn't her first rodeo.....

I am well aware of the heritage of various races. Each race, in general and certainly not 100%, has its own pecularities.

Most of us in all races are sometimes selfish, greedy, schemers, tell small lies--even big ones if necessary. Each race thinks the other's faults are much worse than theirs.
As to the woman wanting food instead of medical treatment that you described at an emergency room, I understand why you might feel that way about her as you said.
I have been to emergency rooms myself lately--several times---some for me, some others. I see people who I'll bet have no insurance--not even a job, but I haven't seen anyone get fed---except I was given some juice once due to a seven hour stay when it was obcious that I needed some sugar.
I would just like to ask you this: if that woman had no insurance, just how many tests and MRIs and x-rays do you think would have been prescribed to find out the problem. Then consider how many tests if the person were an airline or government employee?
I know that I was given more tests than I needed and charged $1600
to check for something determined as simple within five minutes.

I do not doubt that the new insurance coming can be mostly financed by eliminating unneeded wasted service to those who have insurance.
I saw six people at one doctor visit before I got to talk to a NP recently--all well paid, and primarily gatrhering information they already had in the computer. $250 office visit! Never saw an M.D.

The paperwork currently employees hundreds of thousands of people.
More hospitals and clinics are being built and paid for by patients than we will ever need!
It is a job factory--run by incompetent people in general.

The health industry has tried to replace factories as places to work, and they make nothing to sell!

Try not to zero in on race when it is mentioned in a description. There was another part of the description, elderly, that you failed to harp on. It was a full and accurate description of the person being mentioned.

To answer your questions (not sure I can)....as I said, they had already done a number of exams, tests and x-rays. I saw the x-rays sitting on the reader. I heard them checking her leg while asking her numerous questions about pain, swelling, etc. I think they were doing their due diligence to make sure nothing was actually wrong, having probably been sued previously. (You're familiar with that lucrative pasttime, right?) Once they verified they were correct in their diagnosis of freeloading, they gave her what she wanted and moved on. You can bet someone paid for their time and expenses. Us.

As far as what happens to airline employees or gov't employees, I seriously doubt the treatment would have been different, at that same facility.

As for you, a couple of things. If you realized you were getting too many tests, why didn't you stop them or get up and walk out? Especially if it was determined in the first five minutes? Or, if that five minutes was later in the examination how do you know the other tests didn't take them there?

Here is a suggestion for your recent office visit experience....find a new doctor. You might try Piedmont Fayette at the Fayette Medical Center. I go there myself and I have a PCP. When I have an appointment I see one nurse, one doctor. When I have to walk in, I see one nurse and either a NP or a different doctor. Oh yeah, I can't relate to the $250 visit thingy. I don't even have a co-pay. I work my ass off to have good medical coverage for me and my family. It's what I have to do.

I think you were the only one who mentioned race! I talked a little about all races without mentioning even one in particular.

I think you were unconsciously making sure to us that we knew that the patient wasn't white. What difference did color make in this instance? We weren't looking for a criminal!

As to the tests and costs:
I was triaged when I got there and determined to be the least of priority---that is why the seven hours. That took less than five minutes. That is really all I needed to know. They had special technicians on board who weren't busy I think, so they ran the expensive tests to pay for her. Otherwise the owners of the emergency room would have had to pay her salary with no income that day!

(Anyway the person was inexperienced and brand new and did a poor job and took forever. I know, I have had the tests before aeveral times.
If one is not "released" and you leave then you are responsible for their actions--not them.

I can't figure how you know that the woman had no pain! Did you hear and see every event in that room?
As to the "free meal" I suspect she was hungry. I would have eaten something if offered.

She was "loud, fat, and different, wasn't she?

I could care less what you think I was trying to do "unconsciously". I was describing the situation as it was. If it offends your sensibilities, tough. If in your "mind" color made no difference in this situation, then it matters not that I mentioned it.

A far as why you were determined to be the lowest priority that day in the emergency room, makes sense to me. They either read your blogs, they know you, or you were talking incoherently like you do on here. Those would be the obvious guesses. Or maybe you had checked in multiple times, with different names like you do on here and they didn't know who to treat?

Again, your reading comprehension skills are lacking. The doctors and nurses were determining her pain level through tests, examinations, and x-rays. Not me. Got that now? I was listening to the situation and watching the doctors and nurses. They got her food. She ate it. She left the room asking for no further treatment and walked out without a limp. Maybe the food cured her pain? Seems rather simple, maybe even simple enough for you.

"She was "loud, fat, and different, wasn't she?"

Actually she was not loud. She was not fat. But, she was different. She was using medical facilities illegally and improperly to get a free meal. Like I'm sure she had done many times before. They must see that all the time. They do their due diligence to make sure they don't get sued. Then they move them along. Any other stupid questions about this Bonk????

YOU said "she was complaining loudly!"

I give up on you: You mention color and then tell me not to, when I didn't.

Then you say she was complaining loudly, then you say she was not.

Who can get to the bottom of such crap as this?

Just like the Latinos (Cubans and Puerto Ricans), American blacks, Vietnamese, South American blacks, Tais, Chinese, Koreans, Mexicans, Serbs and Croations, Kosovoians, Germans, Italians, Haitians, Red-Neks, Northern Invaders, slave-holders, and Tea Partiers, they all have some queer and strange ways of getting along here.

I see them as "different" but hsve rights as citizens and humans, and really hope that they will all someday adapt to a standard that we can all live with as a nation.

Same with organized religions.

I'm sorry but I do think you are somewhat prejudiced as are all of different races---at least about money.

"I give up on you"

Sounds good to me.

"I'm sorry but I do think you are somewhat prejudiced as are all of different races---at least about money."

Think what you want. Matters not to me.

Aren't you getting tired of beating your head against that brick wall? Your exchange with the Bonk reminds me of that pop up gopher and mallet game at arcades.

I had a little free time and decided to humor myself. It's always interesting, for a minute or two. Then, that's enough. Have a good 4th!

I don't think you can say I was wrong about what he said and then reversed himself!
There is no need for someone to try and cover-up or flourish mistakes when caught.

I'll own up to the mistake of saying she was loud the first time and then saying she wasn't. Not that it had anything to do with the real story, which flew right over your head.

Now, which one of your alter egos will own up to wasting several minutes of my life that I'll never get back?

"It should be obvious that children need health care, and they can’t work! The current connection between employment and health care lacks logic and works very poorly."

Please cite your source where children receive NO HEALTHCARE in America!!

I await your illuminating response... although I know it is not forthcoming..

You come here with your little blurbs, but can't seem to hang around long enough to actually argue the point..

Nice tactic.. When one Lacks the ability to defend ones point the option is to RUN... So keep running Maple keep running..

"When the person who in possession of a government, shall say to a nation, I hold this power in 'contempt' of you, it signifies not on what authority he pretends to say it is..but an aggravation to a person in slavery"..Thomas Paine

"People’s health is not a product that needs to be left to the whims of money motivated CEO’s and stockholders."

So we ABROGATE our right to make decisions about our individual healthcare to GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS.. YEP MAKES A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE TO ME..

"When the person who in possession of a government, shall say to a nation, I hold this power in 'contempt' of you, it signifies not on what authority he pretends to say it is..but an aggravation to a person in slavery"..Thomas Paine

the whole bottom line about this gov healthcare is that people like you want a very expensive service for free or a very deep discout. you want to advocate the gov so the gov forces others to give you a service you don't deserve for free or at a deep discount. your argument is crying tears that you are sick and dying. you are like a child crying to his mother to get a toy you want badly by forcing your mother to steal it for you. you are crying to the government to make it steal a service from others to give it to you!

the whole bottom line about this gov healthcare is that people like this writer and you want a very expensive service for free or a very deep discount. you want to advocate the gov so the gov forces others to give you a service you don't deserve for free or at a deep discount. your argument is crying tears that you are sick and dying. you are like a child crying to his mother to get a toy you want badly by forcing your mother to steal it for you. you are crying to the government to make it steal a service from others to give it to you!

You are obviously not a compassionate person. That said, a couple thoughts on healthcare. First, if the Dems didn't push this then nothing would get done. Happened in 1992 and is happening again. Clinton threatened health reform and, miracle of miracles, the Repubs. and the AMA came up with a plan. Now, the same is happening.
Other than the standard Repub. cry of "I don't want to give any of my money to anyone" is "Do you want the govt. making your health decisions?" Well, not really. But right now we have a multi-million dollar corporations making health decisions. So let's consider, the CEO of United Health's compensation package last year was $128 MILLION!!!! Do you think he was interested in making "good health decisions" or MAKING A HUGE PROFIT?
But here is another problem (this is happening to our family). If you are diagnosed with a lifelong disease, and you leave your job, you lose your health care. You become uninsurable for life! My daughter-in-law is in such a position. She is 29. Now, my son, no matter the opportunity offered, will most likely be tied to his current job for life. Her treatment is expensive and will be lifelong. The insurance company doesn't cover it all, only a portion. But to lose coverage would be bankrupting. So my son now ties his entire future to one company. Hope it stays in business, hope it offers raises, hope it offers promotions. If a better offer comes along, and it will, he will most likely have to turn it down. Won't be a small business in his future. Think there might be some economic impact in people not being able to start small businesses or move to higher paying jobs because they have become uninsurable or losing health coverage and declaring bankruptcy, or having to spend every investment dollar on treatments instead of investing for the future?
So, yeah there are problems with national health. But the easy ability to become uninsurable is deadly.
So instead of your unthinking and uncompassionate diatribe, how about offering some sort of alternative to at least stop this "pre-existing" condition thing. And gee, if the CEO of United Health got $128 MILLION for 1 year, then maybe a few too many claims were denied.
But wait, I err. Republicans don't "offer alternatives," they simply whine "Nooooooo!"

1. There is no reason that we can't legislate and regulate insurace companies (we already do). By requiring coverage for all who can afford insurance, the insuarance company will have to increase rates for all to cover new liabilites, causing more to be unable to purchase.(Somehow, the current federal government believes that they can do it better because there is no profit concern, but removing so much capital from the market will have long lasting and severe impacts).

2. If you have a family member who needs but cannot afford insurance or a procedure, help them if you can...contact friends to help...other family members. Maybe fly that person to India or Israel for cut-rate procedures (this is called compassion + action with some competition thrown in for good measure).

3. Start your own non-profit charity and network all of your concerned friends and strangers to donate to a fund to support purchase of insurance or procedures for less fortunate citizens with limited family support. I'll bet you could do it better that the goverment, with more money going to the patient and no political requirements to use only US doctors and hospitals (there's that dirty competition thing again).

Competition drives evolution and is not always compassionate. Why is that concept so easily accepted by the left when discussing live organisms, e.g. monkey to man, but not so when discussing society? Innovation comes when there is a reward potential for risks taken,and not only monetary reward.

Heading home tonight from a week in Israel...can't wait to come home to the USA. We truely are a fortunate people. Unabashedly American!

Thank you for presenting the other side of the problem so succinctly. There are just too many young Americans in your son's position. I wish there was a show of intense negotiation to come up with the best health plan for the American people. . .rather than this 'SICK' positioning of political parties!!!

diabetic-health-insurance #1

diabetic-health-insurance #2

diabetic-health-insurance #3

"I want to pay but I have no one to sell me something, and there are thousands like me in this country"
Sort of blows that argument right out of the water.. You have a Computer obviously.. You have access to the internet.. also obviously.. Like a good Conservative.. I did the work for you.. Need me to fill out the forms as well..?

"Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege"
Feel free to cite in the Constitution you would find such a RIGHT...

Typical PROGRESSIVE Liberal... Look for solutions NOT HAND OUTS..Just why do you think I have to pay for YOUR healthcare??
I am as compassionate as the next person and I know there are those in real need.. I have no problem helping them, BUT I WILL NOT PAY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS and THOSE THAT REFUSE TO MAKE GOOD DECESIONS about their own health.. You guys want us to pay for drug addicts, Alcoholics, The insanely obese, Chronic Smokers, etc... Again I ask.. WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE POOR CHOICE OF OTHERS

"When the person who in possession of a government, shall say to a nation, I hold this power in 'contempt' of you, it signifies not on what authority he pretends to say it is..but an aggravation to a person in slavery"..Thomas Paine

Maybe some of these knuckleheads with the "I have it, what's your problem" mentality will read your article and realize the world doesn't revolve just around them!

What about those who don't have it? I guess the world revolves around them? A situation where those who already pay for their own are also going to pay for others too?

Everyone is in favor of good health care at an affordable price. The problem is that no one has figured out to do that yet. The idea that the US government is going to be able to do that is really funny, though some aren't in on the joke and actually in all seriousness believe that the government is the answer.

Those who take care of themselves through diet and excercise should not be responsible for providing the medical care for people who don't.

If people want others to pay for their medical care through higher taxes, then those that are taxed should have the right to control the diet of the people receiving taxpayer provided care.

The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the
other. -- Ronald Reagan

I'm not Dr. Tincan, but I do think that diet and exercise have little to do with Type I diabetes. Also think there is an insurance problem, just not one the government needs to get too involved in.