Messages

271

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 06, 2019, 09:23:36 AM »

I could schedule a cataract procedure for next week, while somone under the NHS would be bumping into the furniture for 3 months or possibly more.

Here is a serious question for you A-10.  Hypothetically, if one of your lawmakers needed a hip replacement would they be subject to the waiting list?  Would they simply go private?

My US anecdata for both of your examples - I know or have known a number of people with cataracts; some had surgery and some didn't. They learned about them before they were in the bumping into furniture stage and those that had surgery usually scheduled it weeks or months away because of the downtime. The ones that didn't have surgery had slow developing cataracts. Only a few people I've known with hip replacements and one was treated as something of an emergency because of a break that would not have set properly. I think that would also be an emergency in the UK, but don't know that for certain

A little Googling indicates the average wait time for cataract surgery in the UK is 37 days. There are wide variances in various countries independent of type of health care.

I wonder what the average wait time for surgery is for destitute patients in the US. Both surgeries are considered elective unless deemed medically necessary. That would be due to size and/or growth rate of a cataract or if you have a hip break like my great uncle where there was no chance of recovery.

272

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 06, 2019, 04:52:03 AM »

One note to make in the universal coverage debate - single payer does not require government run healthcare. I get so tire of opponents of universal coverage steering the conversation there and then arguing against government run healthcare instead of single payer. PACs and politicians conflate them all the time because government run healthcare scares people.

273

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 05, 2019, 07:14:50 PM »

Imagine never having to worry about healthcare costs ever again, and paying LESS than you currently do in order to have that privilege.

A-10, that’s part of the disconnect.  US families that have even the most mediocre medical insurance pay about $15,000 + annually and might also incur upwards to $5,000 in out of pocket deductibles.  Approximately 10% of the population is uninsured, so who would be making up the difference?  That average family will not be “paying less”.

Two big problems - how health care is paid for, filling the coffers of insurance companies and how much it costs, filling the coffers of big pharma, labs, for profit hospitals, insurance again because of litigation, etc. Too many fingers in too many pies between people and the medication and services they need. One of the biggest disconnects of all is ignoring that. Shuffling around who pays how much is only part of the solution and if you evaluate it alone then of course it doesn't solve the problem. That's not a valid reason to discard it instead of considering it as part of the overall solution.

274

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 05, 2019, 05:23:53 PM »

i operated a business in toronto for a few years--staffed with bank trading executives--when i asked re benefits, they looked puzzled--they all, incl the guy who got prostate cancer during my time there, had no beef with the canadian health care system---and these were pretty well-educated, well-off folk--they could have afforded to supplement canadian "universal health care"---so there's my anecdotal

somehow canada, uk, and most other developed countries can afford to provide universal care for all, rich and poor---but here the repubs call it a laughable far-left liberal fantasy that we can never afford

oh wait college is free in the uk too--somehow they can afford that liberal moron fantasy too--where we saddle our kids with debt before they even enter the workforce

somehow these wacko liberal fantasies get paid for elsewhere-and in most cases data says the health care in these places is superior too!--and most of these countries do it without the massive deficits weve arranged with tax cuts for the wealthy and a moronic war in iraq--but deficits dont matter (unless repubs are trying to cut stuff we cant afford--like food stamps--UE insurance--free health care for poor lazy children--tax and spend liberal stuff like that).

I get accused of over simplifying when I make that same argument. Most of the industrialized world makes these things work. Are they really that much smarter than us? Lots of hand waving about how it can't work here, running numbers that still include exorbitant fees and ridiculous prescription mark ups. It is hard to fix our broken system if we only make adjustments out at the edges.

275

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 05, 2019, 11:38:40 AM »

ha!

that's funny

so high US healthcare costs are because of obamacare--link me something credible

repubs gutted obamacare before it even got out of the starting blox

Healthcare costs have been on a pretty steady rise since the 90s and the compromised version ACA didn't have much impact on the trajectory.

276

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 05, 2019, 11:36:27 AM »

Let’s just focus on the US vs  Norway for a second.  Ok, thanks.

I think we could learn more from the vast majority that do it better than us than from the two that do it worse.

277

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 05, 2019, 09:23:17 AM »

I will defend one of my points, just to illustrate that I do actually put some thought into it. I don't support universal health care only out of concern for those less fortunate. That is a primary reason for my support but I will set it aside as I know that not everyone wants to look out for everyone else.

I will surprise a few of you by agreeing that is possible for free market health insurance to be more affordable than universal care.

Take a look at this chart:


I got it from a conservative blog post that seem to be pretty well informed, but I think there is a fatal flaw in their conclusion.
https://itdoesnotaddup.com/2014/10/16/how-do-we-establish-a-free-market-healthcare-system-in-the-u-s/

In that chart, blue is universal care and red is free market. As you can see, most of the major industrialized countries have gone to a universal model. But the other 2 countries that still have free market health insurance are 2 of the lowest 3 by cost. They let private companies participate but use exchanges with subsidies and regulate the crap out of insurance and health providers. IMO, it isn't realistic for us to get there fighting the private insurance companies, their lobbyists and the congress members they buy tooth and nail all the way. If we don't cut the cancer out in one operation, we won't get rid of it. This is the fatal flaw I referred to earlier. What's being proposed might work but you can't get there from here. A solution isn't practical if implementation isn't practical.

278

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 04, 2019, 06:17:35 PM »

RTG.... It’s time to put on your big boy pants and fight for what you believe in. I suggest you dedicate the next year going for your dreams in every way possible.. Quit your job, sell your house, delete your bank accounts, whatever it takes. Trump must go. “Morally Bankrupt”  Trump is Trash..... I am actually starting my 2020 Trump Victory Party list. We thought last time was fun but this time ......

That seems more like a knee jerk response. What is it about his positions or person that wins your support? Are you against everything on the list of positions that are important to me? What is it that is important to you? If you want to be taken seriously be serious. If you want to reinforce a common perception of Trump supporters, carry on.

279

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 04, 2019, 05:52:14 PM »

Wow! RideTheGlide. One of the best summaries I’ve seen on why someone is opposed to Trump. Well said.

Thanks. My dislike for Trump and loss of respect for his supporters isn't just a knee jerk reaction. That wasn't even the whole list, just some of the more objectionable points. His bromances with brutal dictators turns my stomach also, but that's not really a policy position. He is completely out of his depth when it comes to the actual work of governing, which is an opinion and also not a policy position. If I lead with those, I am just another Trump basher. I am a Trump basher, but my distaste for his brand of politics is not baseless.

280

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 04, 2019, 02:05:33 PM »

Hmmm....assuming you were for Hillary, what policies of hers did you like?
(or Bernie's?)

I am closer to Bernie on policy, especially with respect to taxing corporations and high earners. I also support the idea of Medicare for All the way he first proposed it - lowering the qualifying age in steps while filling in the gaps in coverage.

I don't think people should have to start their careers deep in debt to get an education.

I support keeping the planet habitable for future generations. I support a woman's right to choice. I think the military budget is ridiculous and needs to be trimmed back. I think that serving in the military should be open to all. I think that racism, xenophobia, homophobia and misogyny have no place in government.

I think that the senate controlling the judiciary by withholding appointment power from one administration to provide it to another is violating the spirit of the constitution's checks and balances; a President abusing executive powers to work around both other branches is also trampling on the constitution.

I am strongly against gerrymandering. I live in a state where the GOP won 10 of 13 seats with 50.3% of the vote. That's not democracy as the forefathers intended.

I am against policies that purport to protect us from an insignificant risk at the polls by means that have been proven to reduce the number of minority voters that turn out. I am against limiting voting locations and days/hours (early voting) to blatantly reduce the number of working poor who are able to vote.

I want big money out of politics. I think Citizens United should be overturned.

If you support Trump, you are supporting someone in opposition to me on every single point. I see that as an immoral choice not because you disagree with me but because some of these are basic values. Trump is morally bankrupt. That's why I have a hard time accepting it when family and others I know well support Trump.

281

Random / Re: 2020 Vision

« on: March 04, 2019, 09:43:34 AM »

Well, here I am, back to this thread, you ask for something real, I could make a list for you, it would be very easy, but I'm sure it would be met with "pfffft", you seem to be very dug in, so I will do something different.
Here is a link for you or anyone else who is willing, and brave enough, to poke their head outside of the liberal mainstream media bubble, long enough to have a look around. 
https://www.walkawaycampaign.com/testimonials
So at the request of this straight, libertarian/conservative, click on some of these testimonials, and read them, it will give you a better understanding of the thought processes behind people like myself.

A list would have substance; the testimonials I read have little or none. Some Hillary hate and some surprise at how seriously some of us take what is happening to our country under Trump. I didn't see anyone explaining what policies of Trump's attracted them.

282

Random / Re: The Threat

« on: March 03, 2019, 05:59:21 PM »

Print media is not inherently more accurate than other forms. One nice thing about getting news on the net is it is easier to cross check sources. I often search things I see posted to see if they are or were widely reported by news outlets. There is some bias, sensationalizing headlines to get eyeballs and breaking news is often short on relevant details or even wrong when rushed. But I still feel like I am much more likely to root out a more complete and accurate understanding online than using printed material. Online doesn't mean I believe every FB post or inflammatory blog post; people that do give the internet a bad rep.

283

Random / Re: LIDAR - in a way I can relate to

« on: March 03, 2019, 12:25:41 PM »

With the laser I am not getting anything more impressive than the prior graph, but it occurs to me that the numbers I am using need a lot of hard math thrown at them. I need to de-skew; a flat wall would appear to curve away because the distance to the outer edges is further. Worse and harder is that I have been feeding in angles as X and Y instead of coordinates. Z is in millimeters, so X and Y also need to be. The reported distance and the corrected distance are two sides of a right triangle and I need to do the Pythagorean theorem match to get the distance away the point is in the XY plane. I will then have to use the pan and tilt angles to determine the direction that the point is away from center and then I can compute the X and Y. My head Hz...

284

Random / Re: The Threat

« on: March 03, 2019, 06:01:33 AM »

Here is why the rest of the world find Trump’s attitudes to his allies (and US’s previous foes) so worrying. There are two videos in this series and you need to watch both. I hope that you can view them in the US.

https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/the-blueprint-for-world-domination-that-spooked-am/p07087xd?playlist=ideas-that-shaped-the-world

Basically, to foreigners it feels as if Trump is tipping the balance of the world order towards Russia-China, and dismantling the checks and balances that have existed to prevent a single dominant non-democratic superpower from emerging since WWII. His acceptance of Putin’s versions of events over those of his own intelligence staff, alluded to earlier in this thread, is just one example of several.

I just watched those two videos.  I don’t expect the order to never change over the course of geological time,  but I fear that 45 is embracing the values of dictators (and mob bosses) over the long-held values of the west.  I can only imagine what Europeans think of trump, but I can tell you that I am appalled by him and his sycophants.  He embodies the worst of America.

That site cost me a lot more time than it took to watch those two videos and I am not sorry. I learned a lot about economics, some science and even found the history of animation intriguing. This was one of my favorites - the history of the universe:

https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/the-history-of-the-universe-in-4-minutes/p067jl92?playlist=amazing-animations

It does go a little political at the end, but I strongly agree with the direction.

EDIT - Another link to BBC that has some indication of what Europe thinks of Trump. It is not an opinion piece; in fact it seems remarkably dry and even reporting things that I feel pretty certain the majority of their readers find objectionable, but it gives you an idea of what stands out:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47430996

285

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Re: 'Yer' gonna want stem cells...'

« on: March 02, 2019, 11:21:57 AM »

I wonder if Medicare will approve a CPAP machine for inhaling Tumeric during REM sleep ...everybody knows that is the optimal time.

Jim

My CPAP blow more air out than I breathe in, but vents in a downward direction. So if I slept naked without covers, I would get a body mist simultaneously. That would likely send me on an interesting spiritual journey.