Some of you may have been following my ongoing struggle get the hospital to charge me, an uninsured person, a reasonable charge for my recent emergency room visit. The visit is not so recent anymore; it's been about three months. I have collected the links in this comment, actually a link within a link.
Now I hear on the news the hospital is being praised for a $2000 donation to a local charity. How dare they!
How dare they overcharge me and give it away!
How dare they take credit for my donation to the charity!
How dare they complain about their lack of profit while giving away money!
How dare they!
I realize $2000 is but a drop in their corporate bucket. It's a widow's mite to them. It's a month's salary for some people.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion" (the Establishment Clause) or that prohibit free exercise of religion (the Free Exercise Clause), laws that infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of the press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Before I tell you about the crushing healthcare burdens destroying Americans of every socioeconomic level, I hope those of you too young to remember, will take a look at this video about how my generation changed the course of a nation.
THURSDAY NIGHT IS HEALTH CARE CHANGE NIGHT, a weekly Daily Kos Health Care Series
I've been asked to write a "patriotic July 4th" healthcare diary by the organizers of the Thursday night healthcare series.
What follows is how I see our nation on the eve of July 4th, 2008.
Patriotism is not picnics, fireworks, or a long weekend.
Patriotism is not simply showing up to vote. You don't change a nation at the ballot box alone.
Patriots fight for the voiceless. And in 2008 in the United States, the voiceless has become just about the entire population.
Scenes from an American horror movie:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
By Donna Smith, American SiCKO, communications specialist for CNA/NNOC
Well, well... It’s America’s birthday. I love the 4th of July and the fireworks and the hot dogs and the summer sun.
And it is my hubby’s birthday on July 7, so this is a great time of the year for us. But imagine my surprise and disgust when I opened an early birthday card he received just yesterday from, guess who? Humana. The health insurance giant that currently holds Larry’s Medicare "advantage" plan and is helping dismantle Medicare one private policy at a time.
The company wants Larry to have a happy and healthy birthday. You bet they do. And they send those pretty, glossy cards to one helluva lot of Medicare folks.
The New York Times reported in April 2008, "Two companies, UnitedHealth Group and Humana, have captured nearly half of the vast new market for prescription drug insurance under Medicare, according to new data issued Friday by the Bush administration." That’s 2.4 million Humana held Medicare drug plans and another 792,500 in Humana-Medicare "advantage" policies.
My personal life has been yin and yang lately. The part of my anatomy to which I refer above is (appropriately for a Kossack) my right knee. In April I felt a pop in that knee, followed by excruciating pain. Several weeks later I had the knee x-rayed, and the doctor told me there are mild osteo-arthritic changes in that knee. And since then the knee has either not hurt, or has hurt to varying degrees. But to play it safe I always carry a cane along because when my knee hurts it'll really hurt and I need the cane for support. It seems I've discovered the sure-fire way to make the knee really start hurting--leave the cane at home!
In a disturbing report on Wednesday, CBS News offered Americans a glimpse of their health care future under President Bush, John McCain and their Republican allies. Detailing two cases of patients dying untreated and unnoticed in New York and Los Angeles emergency rooms, the story shows the exceptions that may increasingly become the rule. Call it the Republicans' "Emergency Room" health care plan.
I was going to post it in an open thread but the drift of the current open thread is frivolous and this is too serious to put there (and I want it to be seen.) Nyceve's posts have been eye-opening and shocking. This is absolutely horrifying. The fact that this has happened before is just beyond
words.
Remember idiot Bush's infamous statement that people, "...could always go to the emergency room"?
I have seen excellent diaries on the need for universal health care. Although I am not a specialist in the field of medical insurance, my background in the group insurance industry has led me to do a lot of thinking about how we pay for medical care, and what we get for it. I have come to believe that a single-payer system is our best option.
This option is not without risks, however. In this diary, (My first), I want to highlight some things that I think are good in the American health-care system, which we need to be careful not to loose.
I am not in the health insurance business. I own a small company that started up this year. It is a 100% telecommuting company, which works well for the type of business I am in and it provides incredible flexibility for my employees. It is very important to me that my employees receive quality health care, and as a business owner I am happy to pay for their health insurance coverage.
One thing I've been big on is efforts to shut down the "kiddie gulag" industry by requiring federal standards for facilities of this type (many of these facilities are entirely unregulated due to operating as "faith-based" dominionist "parallel economy" alternatives to legit social work and mental health services. And it turns out that just such a model law--originally entered this Congressional session as HR 5876 (with a new bill number, HR 6358)--has passed its first big hurdle in that the House version is approved.
Earlier this month the Atlas Project at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice released a report documenting the state of health inequalities in the United States. The report (which was previously mentioned in a post on The State of Opportunity blog) titled "Disparities in Health and Health Care among Medicare Beneficiaries" can be accessed here.
Our friends at the Washington Post are reporting that there has been a surge in whistleblower complaints filed with the Department of Justice.
More than 900 cases alleging that government contractors and drugmakers have defrauded taxpayers out of billions of dollars are languishing in a backlog that has built up over the past decade because the Justice Department cannot keep pace with the surge in charges brought by re and pharmaceutical industries and often involve Medicare and Medicaid funds. whistle-blowers, according to lawyers involved in the disputes.
I opened up the newspaper from my hometown this morning and came across this headline. Bobby Peterson, a graduate of my high school, suffered a stroke at age 21, and his mom can't find any nursing facilities that will take Medi-Cal. What kind of cruel, heartless society do we live in? Does anyone have any ideas for him?
Growing up in Massachussettes, you can not help but to admire the Kennedy's and there tireless work to help the needy. They have tradition, charm and money working for them. Arguably, Teddy is the most talented and gifted Politician.
Teddy Kennedy has started his work for a new Healthcare Bill. He decided on this when he was at Mass General undergoing tx for an aggressive brain tumor.
The work the Clinton's did on Healthcare in the early 90s helped pave the way for Kennedy's ambitous plan. And if elected, President Obama is sure to name the Bill, The Kennedy Healthcare Bill.
Join me over the jump for some discussion on Teddy's arduous Health care plan.
In a previous diary I recounted my amazing experience with the bill after a recent trip to the Emergency Room. But the epic sage is still in progress. I have so far reduced my ER bill by about 71%, but I am still working on the charges for crutches and x-rays.
On June 16, I called the credit card company. They had told me about 40 days ago that the hospital would be given 45 days to answer the dispute, and then I would be given an opportunity to rebut. I asked how long I would be given for my rebuttal. The customer rep said she did not know for sure, but it would be plenty of time. "Sometimes these disputes go on for a year or more," she reassured me.
My apologies if this has been diaried, but a search came up blank. I feel ill. I'm shaking. This is what health care has come to in our country? Dear god...
Esmin Green, 49, had been waiting in the emergency room for nearly 24 hours when she toppled from her seat at 5:32 a.m. on June 19, falling face down on the floor...
With all the recent distress over a couple of not-completely-progressive stances -- and the requisite not-more-more-dime comments, it's probably a good idea to step back for a moment for some perspective:
Barack Obama will be the most progressive president in the history of our great nations.
I'm not here to get into historical disputes about why, given the times, FDR or JFK or whoever may prove more progressive. My point is that, on issue after issue, Obama will be the most progressive than any President before him. By a long shot.
We know he's going to end the war in Iraq, restore habeas, reduce the influence of lobbyists, close Gitmo, engage in tough diplomacy with our enemies, appoint progressive judges, etc. But this just scratches the surface. Just a quick trip through some of Obama's issues pages reveals the breadth of progressive change that he wants to bring to American
