Insurance Thoughts

I was wondering what to blog on since I've not been stimulated these last few days to jot anything down on topics I do not find interesting.... blah. blah. blah... And here I though August was the 'dog days'.

But then I clicked on the link for a commenter at one of my 'daily fares' , my so called blog. Lachlan's been having a spot of bad karma lately, but she's showing her true Midwest spirit by either kickin' ass or taking names. Any way, the commenter, Mark, has a site called Tangent to Reality . So, being the kind and courteous type, I thought I'd check it out and found an interesting topic; one that stimulated that little kernel of a brain... Healthcare Insurance Rant.

Awrighty then...Now this is something that piques my interest. As mentioned previously, I've worked in the Healthcare industry for about 20 yrs. Now while I may not be on the front line of HC (doctor, nurse, MT, MLT, et al) , I am closely tied to them by both marriage (the better half is a MedTech at a local hospital) and career ( PM for Electonic Medical Records division) so I live this shit every day. So when folks have a hard time with Insurance Carriers, I totally understand. I, too, feel they are the parasites of society. After all, while they may profess not to take 'pre-existing' conditions, they will do nothing to prevent illness and disease. In my lab, we just run the tests. We have no control over what is ordered nor why. Yet, most of the time we are the ones required to 'collect' payment. This saves the provider the trouble of having to bill the patient. While propagating the fallacy of the abusive Healthcare Industry... After all, who likes to get a notice from the Lab or Hospital saying their Insurance Carrier has denied 20% of their bill, but since it's been requested by the physician, we are required to perform the requested tests if the required ICD-9 (diagnosis codes).

See our problem? It's the lab who is caught in the middle. . . but the patient suffers if they have to pay a bill they were not expecting and will be more than happy to blame the lab and not the physician who ordered the test!!!

Now a word from our Libertarian sponsor. . . Can any of you tell me just when it became the responsibility of the employer to provide health insurance ? ? ? Anyone??? Well, it came about during FDR's grand scheme of a greater society. But let's think about this...What or who decides the employer is responsible for their employee's healthcare? Shouldn't it be your responsibility? But until the dreaded Insurance Carriers adjust their costs for the self-insured, nothing will happen and all will suffer. Believe it or not we do have the best health care in the world, we just have to pay or supplement the Insurance Carriers to provide it.

Insurance = Legalized Loan Sharking

What Age do You Act? ? ?

Man, do I feel old . . .

You Are 34 Years Old

34 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

The Gannon Problem

Has anyone kept up with The Gannon Problem for the White House? AMERICAblog has posted a couple of entries on it with one going into detail of his 'night job'.

I really haven't paid much attention to it, but after checking it out some I find it a little troubling. How did he get access? Who authorized it? Someone is going to take the fall on this, rightly so. I don't care about the sexuality spin on this. I'm more troubled with the fact he was able to have indepth access to the White House using a nom de guerre.

The Right is getting a taste of a pajama party from the Left. I think this shows the power of the blogs, no one is safe anymore. Good!

Who Owns What?!?!?!?

How often have you wondered in this day and age of mega-corporations, who really owns what? What power is concentrated into whose hands? Remember the power of the people when it came to the dissolution of apartheid? It was through the power of divestment.... Just imagine the power... Hummmmmmm.

Oh, sorry. I was just day dreaming of the power.

Anyway, I was checking out the Daou Report when I came across a rather innocuous direct to Will Pitt's site . It was titled Buying Back the Media, One Billionare at a Time . The nugget in the article is the link to Columbia Journalism Review's article on what Corporations own what. Now the limitation with this article is that it is only for Media Corporations, not all Corporations.

Pity...

But it's still a powerful list.

Rafsanjani's Interview with USA Today

As I mentioned before, I spent a couple of years during the late `70s in LA. This was during the Iranian crisis. Many of my friends were Iranian children of ex-pats who barely escaped with their lives. Some were even attacked here by some dubious characters.... So I just happen to have a certain affinity for them.

So, I was more than a little interested in what Rafsanjani had to say last week during an interview with Barbara Slavin (bold added by Docter Zin):

Slavin: Would you be prepared to reopen a dialogue with the United States?

Rafsanjani: The first step has to be from the U.S. part. They have to show positive signs for us so we can believe they are sincere. The main thing would be our assets. That would be the best positive sign. This is a very wrong action that they have betrayed our trust. When I talk about the assets, that was at the beginning of the talks. I was president then. I'm not president now. When I said it, this would be a sign of goodwill to begin the talks.

Slavin: Should Iran show goodwill by using its influence over the Palestinian groups to stop violence against the Israelis?

Rafsanjani: The Palestinian groups do not listen to us. We only help them in a humanitarian aspect like other countries, but they have no obligations towards us.

[...]

Slavin: Isn't your real problem with the United States? You know the Europeans are never going to attack Iran.

Rafsanjani: We say they (the United States) wouldn't dare to attack us and they have tested it once (the failed hostage rescue in 1980). Before the U.S. was in Iran, they had all the means here and we threw them out with our bare hands.

[...]

Slavin: What about Iran's connection with al-Qaeda? There have been persistent reports that Iran has several high-level al-Qaeda people under house arrest in Tehran and won't turn them over.

Rafsanjani: Who created al-Qaeda? In fact they (the United States) were the ones who provoked al-Qaeda to come and give us trouble. These are all rumors (about high level al-Qaeda people here). When al-Qaeda was on the run from Afghanistan crossing through Iran, some were arrested and they are imprisoned. Some of them are charged with some actions in Iran.

These folks are a good people, there's not doubt. Unfortunately, the US did mess with them during the Shah's regime as we are want to do some times... But until their radical Shia form of government stops oppressing their folks, we will always be at odds.

Alan Keyes' Daughter

I stumbled on to something the other day at The Daou Report (and BTW, looks like he sold out to Salon... ugh) which I found intriguing.

I find certain folks reprehensible in their actions and deeds and Mr. Alan Keyes is truly reprehensible. The Daou Report pointed to an Oliver Willis site which brought to my attention something I didn't know (surprise!!!) but just floors me.

Seems the Alan Keyes, the rightwingnut, has a daughter who just happens to be a lesbian... This is the man who slams Mary Cheney as a 'selfish hedonist'. My god, the gall this 'man' has!!!

But wait, there's more!!! And this is enough to just piss off a 'normal' person. Seems, and I could be wrong, but from what I've been able to discern from her post, Maya was working for her father after moving from Maryland to Illinois. Well, she was fired from her job and now has been kicked out of her apartment. By her family unit....

So much for Compassionate Conservatives, eh? Now, I can see how a parent would not support a child for such things murder and other hard crimes, but to use a child and then discard them is unbelievable.

For the life of me, I can't understand the phobia some folks have over the gay/lesbian issue. The whole issue of marriage is beyond me. How can anyone think it's wrong for folks to love and support one another? Or deny access to a partner in a hospital? Or divide assets properly? Or, even better. go through the agony of divorce or child custody, which I've seen personally and it's no easier come hetero or homosexual.

Why does it seem these pompous asses have the ultimate 'shame' thrust upon them??? Let's see, we've got Dick Cheney (Mary), Phyllis Schlafly (John), Charles Socarides, National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (Richard), and Randall Terry (Jamiel) are just some to name a few. Good for them!!!

Eason Jordan

Sisypean Musings has been keeping tabs on the outrageous comments by Eason Jordan which has been ignored by the MSM....of course. I look forward to the video to refute the 'I never said that...'

The Fight Back

This is the moment we've been waiting for.

Ali has reported a town in the 'Sunni Triangle' has done then unspeakable! They fought back against the Islamofacists!!

Could this be the first sprout of Freedom?