A description of my day today

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Todrael
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Re: A description of my day today

Postby Todrael » Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:54 pm

Tasan wrote:I was using the study as a generality to bolster my point. We are wasting money on malpractice insurance. Insurance rates have continued to climb steadily in the past few years as the actual number and severity of cases brought against doctors has been steadily falling. Again, insurance companies are cash cows who are very good at hiding the fact that their premiums aren't well regulated and more or less don't coincide with actual costs. I realize that wasn't clearly stated anywhere before.

Do you have any information as to how much money this actually represents? I agree that it could certainly have an impact on our policy decisions, should we know how it fits into the picture.

Tasan wrote:Yes, I agree 20 dollars doesn't seem like a lot per capita, but numbers spread out like that never look good. You may want to consider politics with a mindset like that.

I also stated it in absolute terms ($3.6 billion, raised to $5.5 billion after adding in administrative costs). On the contrary, I find it very instructive to reduce to per capita. The U.S. national debt is currently $38,200 per person, rising at a rate of $13 per person per day. Yikes!

Tasan wrote:Also, I don't get the "hard working, intelligent" people jab. I made no effort to "take sides" in any debate. I pointed out something that I didn't want people to forget about.

I was mainly sniping at all the people who have a 'they don't deserve it' mindset around health care. If you don't hold such an opinion, I apologize for using it in reply to your posts specifically.

Tasan wrote:And yes, you proved your point. The study doesn't make a great foundation for an argument. I wasn't about to devote hours to finding information I know most people here won't give a crap about anyhow.

I agree, and hardly think it's worth spending any time on. My facts are pretty much pulled from hitting 'I'm feeling lucky' on Google. On the other hand, facts are really the only thing that (should) sway people's opinions, so they're pretty important. The only reason I'm really posting is because I think proper rationality is a goal that people should cultivate rather than the magical thinking that seems all too rampant here.
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Ragorn
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Re: A description of my day today

Postby Ragorn » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:44 pm

Anecdotally, I agree with the defensive medicine perspective. We took my daughter in because she was rocking a 104 degree fever. They ran a couple tests, came back with nothing, and theorized that it was either a normal strain of cold/flu or some super-rare lethal superbug. The doctor started scheduling invasive tests (tubes down the throat, MRIs, the whole nine) right away.

Well, her fever dropped from 104 to 100.5 while we were at the hospital, and rather than sign up for a month of uncomfortable and expensive tests, we said we'd take the kid home and see if she spiked again. The attending nurse got a little annoyed, and said that if we wanted to "discharge against medical advice" that we'd need to sign two waivers disavowing the hospital of responsibility if my daughter's condition worsened. They made me sign a form that literally stated that my child COULD DIE if I left the hospital, and that I understood that MY CHILD COULD DIE and the hospital was not responsible if MY CHILD DIED.

I signed it, we left, she was fine.
- Ragorn
Shar: Leave the moaning to the people who have real issues to moan about like rangers or newbies.
Corth: Go ask out a chick that doesn't wiggle her poon in people's faces for a living.
Llaaldara
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Re: A description of my day today

Postby Llaaldara » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:25 pm

Ragorn wrote:This morning, I woke up to my alarm clock, which is powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I took a shower in clean water, supplied to me by the local municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC-regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration was predicting for the weather, based on information provided by satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of US Department of Agriculture-inspected food. I took my medication, carefully regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, before leaving for work.

I had time to eat my breakfast thanks to the national labor standards regulated by the US Congress. I knew what time it was thanks to the accurate timekeeping of the US Naval Observatory. Anyway, I got into my automobile (approved and inspected by the National Traffic Safety Administration) and set out to work, using the roads built by my local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation. Along the way, I stopped to fill my car with fuel whose octane and safety ratings were approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door, I deposited my rent check into a mailbox provided by the United States Postal Service before dropping my kids off at public school.

After work, I drove my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to the house which has not burned down in my absence because of state and local building codes, along with the fire marshall's inspection. Thankfully, my house had not been plundered of all its valuables, due in part to the local police department.

After a long day of work, I logged onto the TorilMUD BBS so I could bitch about how badly Obama is fucking up the country with Socialism and how the US Government can never do anything right.



Hehe.. I thought you were funny! Nice read, made me laugh =)
Tasan
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Re: A description of my day today

Postby Tasan » Mon Aug 24, 2009 11:25 pm

Todrael wrote:Do you have any information as to how much money this actually represents? I agree that it could certainly have an impact on our policy decisions, should we know how it fits into the picture.


I'm not sure actual figures are all that important, but there are some studies that put the figure at 108% to 131% rise in premiums over a 5 year period vs. a -1.6% to 8% rise in actual payouts.

Gouging is gouging and someone is getting fat off of the American teat. I also highly doubt this is a problem only in this country. I can't imagine how bad it must be in developing countries.

Consider this my last tidbit.
Danahg tells you 'yeah, luckily i kept most of it in my mouth and nasal membranes, ugh'

Dlur group-says 'I have a dead horse that I'm dragging down the shaft with my 4 corpses. Anyone want to help me beat it?'

Calladuran: There are other games to play if you want to play with yourself.
kiryan
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Re: A description of my day today

Postby kiryan » Fri Feb 05, 2010 5:47 pm

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/fire-dep ... 696&page=1

apparently more municipalities are starting to charge for "services" from crash response to houses burning down.

apparently some kids lit their neighbors bush on fire, he put it out with a hose and the fire department charged him $400. When he complained that they had basically done nothing, they called him disgruntled, dropped it to 195 and complained that it wasn't worth it for him to fight.
teflor the ranger
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Re: A description of my day today

Postby teflor the ranger » Sat Feb 06, 2010 7:13 am

Ragorn wrote:the US Government can never do anything right.

We seem to be getting it right in Iraq.
Corth
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Re: A description of my day today

Postby Corth » Sat Feb 06, 2010 3:56 pm

teflor the ranger wrote:
Ragorn wrote:the US Government can never do anything right.

We seem to be getting it right in Iraq.


I'm confused in so many different ways...
teflor the ranger
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Re: A description of my day today

Postby teflor the ranger » Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:36 pm

Well, Corth, that was more or less the intention of my response. It can be taken at least 3 different ways and is meant to be.

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