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DejaVu
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« Reply #15 on: August 30, 2009, 09:10:56 pm »

I think GA is posting what reflects her opinion....besides I don't know how to move threads and I don't want to know how to either.

Ohhhhh...no you don't...once you're able to post....you're all on your own.

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« Reply #16 on: August 30, 2009, 10:20:22 pm »

I know one thing regarding my own 'Health.'  I've gotta find a better way to review posts other than clicking on 'show unread posts since last visit.'  Heck I've gained ten pounds since joining just by seeing all of the recipe posts by GA.  Jeez......

Hey, GA!  You on some kind of 'mission' or what? 
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« Reply #17 on: August 30, 2009, 11:02:21 pm »

Or what......................................... Grin
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« Reply #18 on: September 01, 2009, 10:36:00 pm »

Coverage may have saved patient

In the debate about a health-care overhaul, there are countless stories of families saddled with hospital bills and unemployed workers who have lost their insurance.

But the story of Eric De La Cruz, of Las Vegas, stands out as a striking example of both the best and the worst that the American health-care system has to offer -- extraordinary medical prowess that is too often out of reach for all but the luckiest and best insured.

In his early 20s, De La Cruz was told he had a disorder called severe dilated cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle becomes enlarged and weak. The symptoms include breathlessness, exhaustion and fluid buildup in the arms, legs and abdomen.

He was a student who had worked part time as a graphic designer and a disc jockey, but none of his employers offered health insurance. Once he got a diagnosis, his family says, he was unable to buy private insurance because he had a pre-existing condition.

He twice applied for Social Security disability benefits, which would have entitled him to health coverage under Medicare. The applications were denied. He did eventually qualify for Nevada's Medicaid program, which bases eligibility on financial need rather than age or disability.

As his condition got worse, it became clear he would need a heart transplant. In some states and the District of Columbia, the transplant would be covered by Medicaid -- but not in Nevada, where the program covers heart transplants only up to age 20.

Ben Kieckhefer, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, defended that policy. "All insurance plans decide what things they are going to cover and what things they are not going to cover," he said.

This spring, De La Cruz's sister, Veronica De La Cruz, a former anchor for CNN, began a two-pronged effort to save her brother. Her first hope was to win disability benefits so he could qualify for Medicare, which would cover a heart transplant. A hearing had been scheduled for spring 2010, far too late to save him. She appealed to state legislators to pressure a federal panel to expedite the disability hearing.

"How can a sick person navigate the system?" she said in an interview. "I am healthy and can barely do it on my own. The system is designed for people to get frustrated and give up."

Veronica De La Cruz also began contacting heart-transplant centers to determine whether she could pay for the operation with donated money. Because Nevada has no heart-transplant center, she contacted several medical centers in California and was told that without insurance, her brother would need to post a deposit of at least $150,000 to be evaluated and placed on a waiting list. The total cost for the transplant and subsequent hospital care, as well as anti-rejection drugs, would be nearly $1 million, payable in advance.

To exert public pressure and raise money, Veronica De La Cruz began sending out messages on Twitter, with daily tweets about her brother's health, his dog, Chance, and the red tape she was trying to cut. She gained a following of more than 6,300 people, whom she began calling Eric's Twitter Army.

The troops included Trent Reznor of the band Nine Inch Nails, which said it would award donors backstage passes and time with the band; the famous Tony Hawk auctioned autographed skateboards. Supporters bombarded Nevada legislators with calls, faxes and e-mail. The Medicare hearing was rescheduled, and by June, Eric De La Cruz had won his long-awaited coverage, opening the door to a heart-transplant center.

Elated, Veronica De La Cruz contacted UCLA Medical Center's heart-transplant program, but now the hospital insisted that her brother get a secondary insurance policy -- even though Reznor said that the band raised nearly $1 million in less than two weeks. A hospital spokeswoman declined to comment on the case, citing patient privacy, but said that the hospital "had been working with" the family.

Eventually, Veronica De La Cruz arranged for her brother to be seen by doctors at the University of Southern California Medical Center. There, he spent a week on the "high-priority transplant" list.

But his condition had deteriorated so much that he soon became too sick for the procedure. On July 4, Eric De La Cruz died, at age 31.

Veronica De La Cruz says a surgeon told her that he could have helped her brother, but he arrived "two years too late." If not for all the delays and denials, she says, her brother would be alive today.

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/sep/01/coverage-may-have-saved-patient/
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« Reply #19 on: September 02, 2009, 10:38:24 am »

Maybe someone can help me understand more about the proposed health care plan.  Where are all the doctors going to come from to take care of all these new customers ?  Seems like there is already a shortage of doctors and nurses.
Why do the politicians say that there are 47 million uninsured ?  I'm led to understand that there are 12 million illegals included in that number.  Will they qualify for the plan as well ?
Why isn't any politician able to explain what is actually being proposed ?  Haven't they read the proposed bills ?  Don't they understand what they've read ?  If they have read the proposed bills, why can't they simply tell us and defend thier positions ? 
What is the economic impact of imposing an 8% payroll tax on small businesses who do not provide health insurance ?  How does that affect you and I ?
What is the economic impact if a public plan is adopted and private insurance companies go under, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs ?
Why don't our politicians want the same plan that they are trying to push on us ?  Seems to me that if it's good enough for us, it should be good enough for them.
What are the details involve in trimming hundreds of millions from Medicare which is part of the proposed bills ?  Are they getting ready to give the shaft to the older generation ?
I think that we all need a lot more information before we can decide what's best for us and unless, and until, I get more answers, I'm flat out against any change.  So folks, help me out.
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« Reply #20 on: September 02, 2009, 10:59:48 am »

Simply put:

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010373.html
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« Reply #21 on: September 02, 2009, 11:11:02 am »

Good questions, no good answers, good animation though, GA.  Smiley

But IMHO, the cruel inequities and pure greed behind current health "care" in this country need relentless exposure.  So thanks for keeping up with it, GA and DejaVu.  If I started ranting on the injustices of the "system," I'd probably explode and land in Carle  ICU for a year ... which, gosh, I really don't want because, without insurance, that'd cost out-of-pocket, say,... FOUR and a HALF MILLION BUCKS!!  Shocked
($12,108.80 max. ICU per day x 365 days = $4,419,712.)  (And yes, for some evil odd reason, those without insurance are charged MORE!)  Huh

Even a semi-private room for a MONTH there could cost $99,630.70 (a year = $1,195,568.45).

Sort of puts mortgage or rent payments in perspective, yes?   Tongue

(I'll repeat these current costs below on the "FACTS about health issues" thread because TRUTH IS UGLY BUT NECESSARY.)

CARLE HOSPITAL (Urbana, IL) ROOM RATES per day (effective July 1, 2009)

Semi-private........$1,713 - 3,275.53, rates vary due to acuity and care
Private..................$1,812 - 3,463.65     "      "       "          "               " 
Intensive Care....$4,710 - 12,108.80  "      "       "          "               "
Emergency Rm...$184.90 - 2,274.70  (most common rate is $465)
These are for room only;  doctor services are billed separately.
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« Reply #22 on: September 02, 2009, 11:31:57 am »

Nice post, GA.  Now, why don't you spend some of your energy and answer my questions ?  You didn't address one issue from my questions.
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« Reply #23 on: September 02, 2009, 11:35:19 am »

I am sorry if you understood that post to be an answer to yours.  It wasn't.........it was merely put out there because I thought it was good enough to share. 
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« Reply #24 on: September 02, 2009, 01:39:52 pm »

Maybe someone can help me understand more about the proposed health care plan.  Where are all the doctors going to come from to take care of all these new customers ?  Seems like there is already a shortage of doctors and nurses.
Why do the politicians say that there are 47 million uninsured ?  I'm led to understand that there are 12 million illegals included in that number.  Will they qualify for the plan as well ?
Why isn't any politician able to explain what is actually being proposed ?  Haven't they read the proposed bills ?  Don't they understand what they've read ?  If they have read the proposed bills, why can't they simply tell us and defend thier positions ? 
What is the economic impact of imposing an 8% payroll tax on small businesses who do not provide health insurance ?  How does that affect you and I ?
What is the economic impact if a public plan is adopted and private insurance companies go under, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs ?
Why don't our politicians want the same plan that they are trying to push on us ?  Seems to me that if it's good enough for us, it should be good enough for them.
What are the details involve in trimming hundreds of millions from Medicare which is part of the proposed bills ?  Are they getting ready to give the shaft to the older generation ?
I think that we all need a lot more information before we can decide what's best for us and unless, and until, I get more answers, I'm flat out against any change.  So folks, help me out.

Here's my thought on where we will get more doctors. Why don't we just allow Physician Assistants to treat people and prescribe certain drugs in clinics? I've personally had physician assistants that I liked way better than the doctor. Walk-in clinics where you can get a quick x-ray and a broken bone set...stitched up from a cut or be given a prescription for a infection would bring the cost way down. People wouldn't need to use hospital emergency services like they do now.

As for what's in the bill...who knows! There are actually about 7 bills/proposals being floated around (only one is actually online) nothing is set in stone yet. Obama has stated many times what he wants included and has told the congress to give him a bill he can sign.
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« Reply #25 on: September 02, 2009, 01:56:32 pm »

We have clinic's here that use Nurse practioners.    They work under the direction of a doctor and you are right.  It keeps the cost down and relieves the doctors for more intense care.
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« Reply #26 on: September 06, 2009, 12:55:27 pm »

Bill Moyers on Healthcare

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8IeZHZRwC4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2F2009%2F09%2F05%2Fbill-moyers-we-should-be_n_278226.html&feature=player_embedded
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« Reply #27 on: September 07, 2009, 08:29:53 am »

Maybe someone can help me understand more about the proposed health care plan.  Where are all the doctors going to come from to take care of all these new customers ?  Seems like there is already a shortage of doctors and nurses.
Why do the politicians say that there are 47 million uninsured ?  I'm led to understand that there are 12 million illegals included in that number.  Will they qualify for the plan as well ?
Why isn't any politician able to explain what is actually being proposed ?  Haven't they read the proposed bills ?  Don't they understand what they've read ?  If they have read the proposed bills, why can't they simply tell us and defend thier positions ? 
What is the economic impact of imposing an 8% payroll tax on small businesses who do not provide health insurance ?  How does that affect you and I ?
What is the economic impact if a public plan is adopted and private insurance companies go under, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs ?
Why don't our politicians want the same plan that they are trying to push on us ?  Seems to me that if it's good enough for us, it should be good enough for them.
What are the details involve in trimming hundreds of millions from Medicare which is part of the proposed bills ?  Are they getting ready to give the shaft to the older generation ?
I think that we all need a lot more information before we can decide what's best for us and unless, and until, I get more answers, I'm flat out against any change.  So folks, help me out.
Since no one has been able to address any of my questions, I have concluded that those in favor of Obama's health care program don't have a clue what it's all about.  That is exactly what I thought when I made the orginal post.
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« Reply #28 on: September 07, 2009, 10:49:36 am »

Those are all rhetorical questions that have been answered in dozens of post on the AAD forum and now you want us to start all over here.   There are dozens of sites on the internet that can answer your questions (if you are really interested in answers) and you can pick the one you want without any argument or name calling.  All you have to do is type your question in your search engine and click GO..... Grin
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« Reply #29 on: September 07, 2009, 11:10:30 am »

Those are all rhetorical questions that have been answered in dozens of post on the AAD forum and now you want us to start all over here.   There are dozens of sites on the internet that can answer your questions (if you are really interested in answers) and you can pick the one you want without any argument or name calling.  All you have to do is type your question in your search engine and click GO..... Grin
Back to your same old tricks, GA.  If you can't answer the questions, then you're not very well informed.  Nice dodge.
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