Early bedtime?
 

On 3/24/17 1:02 PM, justan wrote:
Keyser Soze Wrote in message:
On 3/23/17 2:23 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 10:42:59 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

11:39 AMKeyser Soze
- show quoted text -
I'm sure Fretwell will be delighted to serve as your medical advisor,
and at no co$t either, except perhaps your life.
....
Can't be much worse than the people who get payed well to perform unnecessary procedures.

In just about any other context, Harry would be complaining about the
"pay for service" model of American health care.


Yet another figment of your imagination. Why would I object to fee for
service? The PPO I use is based upon that model, and I pay for those
services via my health insurance premiums and a reasonable co-pay. It is
a little humorous that virtually every time you claim you know what I am
thinking, you are wrong. It isn't my fault that you posted a personal
experience of yours in which the original care and recommendations
weren't what you needed. Perhaps you should spend more time picking the
right physicians. A couple of years ago, I went to see my doc because I
felt awful, with a fever and a cough and as soon as I got into the exam
room and she came in, she said, "you're going down to the ER right now
for immediate tests because I think you have pneumonia and the hospital
will give me test results in less than an hour, and our lab here in the
office takes at least a half a day."

Well, she was right...pneumonia...so I was given the right meds and put
on an IV.

It's your responsibility to pick the right doctors and other medical
providers. Obviously, you didn't.



You can avoid pneumonia with a healthy lifestyle including regular
exercise. Anout the only exercise you get is climbing the stairs
to clean the wifes pets litter boxes.


Both your points are moronic. As for the second point, I go to a local
gym three times a week and spend 90 minutes on the treadmill, rowing
machine, arm machine and stairmaster.

Early bedtime?
 

On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 12:31:20 -0400, Keyser Söze
wrote:


Medicare is single payer and there is plenty of choice.

How is medicare single payer when you need at least 2 more private
carrier policies? Then there are the Advantage programs (privatized
MC)

Early bedtime?
 

On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 13:17:00 -0400, Keyser Soze
wrote:

On 3/24/17 12:58 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 10:55:40 -0400, Keyser Söze
wrote:

I had a routine stress test done a few years ago and the
hospital charged the insurance company $14,000. Made me start thinking
about it.

My nuclear
stress test a few years ago was $4700.

I guess this was a more involved test than what I got.
They just had me hooked up to an EKG and had me go up and down a
little step box, right there in the office with the little blonde girl
who works for doc running the machine. It was just part of a wellness
physical.
It was essentially the same as the one I did at Georgetown in 1961-2
when they thought I had a heart murmur. (I was in a study)
I wish I had the tape from my test at 13 to compare to me at 70.


Mine was a colossal pain in the ass. First, I was injected with isotopes
and sat on a torture chair while some sort of radiation reading camera
whirled slowly around me. Then I was up on a treadmill until I was ready
to pass out, died, or completed the test. Then I rested for 30 minutes
and was back up on the chair with the whirling camera. To increase my
anxiety during the treadmill portion, the doc told me ( I was looking
out the window) that he was sure my mother in law was walking down the
medical campus.

I guess they think you have more heart problems than me. Mine was just
an expansion of the normal Medicare wellness exam. I end up getting 2
every year. My doc does a better exam than the minimal "house call"
UHC requires. That is some woman who is really incompetent.

Early bedtime?
 

On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 13:20:32 -0400, Keyser Soze
wrote:

I go to a local
gym three times a week and spend 90 minutes on the treadmill, rowing
machine, arm machine and stairmaster.

I just build another tiki bar ;-)
Mixing and placing 1000 pounds of concrete like I did the other day is
a little bit of a workout.

Early bedtime?
 

On 3/24/2017 1:17 PM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 3/24/17 12:58 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 10:55:40 -0400, Keyser Söze
wrote:

I had a routine stress test done a few years ago and the
hospital charged the insurance company $14,000. Made me start thinking
about it.

My nuclear
stress test a few years ago was $4700.

I guess this was a more involved test than what I got.
They just had me hooked up to an EKG and had me go up and down a
little step box, right there in the office with the little blonde girl
who works for doc running the machine. It was just part of a wellness
physical.
It was essentially the same as the one I did at Georgetown in 1961-2
when they thought I had a heart murmur. (I was in a study)
I wish I had the tape from my test at 13 to compare to me at 70.


Mine was a colossal pain in the ass. First, I was injected with isotopes
and sat on a torture chair while some sort of radiation reading camera
whirled slowly around me. Then I was up on a treadmill until I was ready
to pass out, died, or completed the test. Then I rested for 30 minutes
and was back up on the chair with the whirling camera. To increase my
anxiety during the treadmill portion, the doc told me ( I was looking
out the window) that he was sure my mother in law was walking down the
medical campus.



Mine was similar except I laid on a table that transported the patient
into the Xray machine, similar to a MRI machine. Was told to lay
perfectly still while the x-ray thing moved all around taking pictures
from every possible angle. Took about 15 minutes to take all the pictures.

Then, they rolled me down to a room where a cardiologist was waiting.
I noticed a treadmill in the room but the doc said he was going to
inject something in my arm that would allow him to control my heart
rate. I looked again over at the treadmill and it's emergency off knob
about knee high and told him I'd rather do the treadmill. I didn't like
the idea of a doc artificially controlling how fast or burdened my heart
rate was because a guy I knew *died* in the middle of a stress test due
to a massive heart attack. I wanted to be in control, not the doc. He
agreed but warned me that if I didn't get my heart rate up to a certain
level the test results would not be as accurate. No problem. I huffed
and puffed and made sure I exceeded the heart rate he required. (I
think it was something like 160 BPM). Then, the injection of the
isotopes again and back into the machine for another 15 minute x-ray
session. Good news was that they found no blockages or obstructions.
Bad news was I had to give up high test coffee.

Early bedtime?
 

On 3/24/2017 1:56 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 13:17:00 -0400, Keyser Soze
wrote:

On 3/24/17 12:58 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 10:55:40 -0400, Keyser Söze
wrote:

I had a routine stress test done a few years ago and the
hospital charged the insurance company $14,000. Made me start thinking
about it.

My nuclear
stress test a few years ago was $4700.

I guess this was a more involved test than what I got.
They just had me hooked up to an EKG and had me go up and down a
little step box, right there in the office with the little blonde girl
who works for doc running the machine. It was just part of a wellness
physical.
It was essentially the same as the one I did at Georgetown in 1961-2
when they thought I had a heart murmur. (I was in a study)
I wish I had the tape from my test at 13 to compare to me at 70.


Mine was a colossal pain in the ass. First, I was injected with isotopes
and sat on a torture chair while some sort of radiation reading camera
whirled slowly around me. Then I was up on a treadmill until I was ready
to pass out, died, or completed the test. Then I rested for 30 minutes
and was back up on the chair with the whirling camera. To increase my
anxiety during the treadmill portion, the doc told me ( I was looking
out the window) that he was sure my mother in law was walking down the
medical campus.

I guess they think you have more heart problems than me. Mine was just
an expansion of the normal Medicare wellness exam. I end up getting 2
every year. My doc does a better exam than the minimal "house call"
UHC requires. That is some woman who is really incompetent.



The nuclear stress test that Harry and I described identifies blockages
or the beginning of blockages that can cause a sudden and silent heart
attack. You are also connected to an EKG during the test to see how the
old ticker is firing under a heavy (stress) load. The treadmill speed
and incline is slowing increased until you are forced to call it quits.
The test you described really says your heart is firing normally under
a minor load but doesn't tell you anything about potential blockages.

Early bedtime?
 

Keyser Soze wrote:
On 3/24/17 10:03 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 3/24/2017 9:44 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 3/24/17 7:51 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 3/23/2017 2:23 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 10:42:59 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

11:39 AMKeyser Soze
- show quoted text -
I'm sure Fretwell will be delighted to serve as your medical
advisor,
and at no co$t either, except perhaps your life.
....
Can't be much worse than the people who get payed well to perform
unnecessary procedures.

In just about any other context, Harry would be complaining about the
"pay for service" model of American health care. It is amazing how he
can work both sides of the table so well but I guess it is natural
for
a person who pimps government unions.



A few months ago (at the recommendation of a couple of veteran
friends)
I applied for health care services through the VA. I haven't had a
primary care physician for a while (he unfortunately died at a
young age
of leukemia) so I was basically starting from scratch.

Turns out *all* vets are eligible for health care through the VA as
long
as they served at least 24 months and have an honorable discharge.
There is a means test of sorts but some forms of income are not
considered, nor are your bank accounts and your income only
contributes
to the determination of what priority classification you are eligible
for. There are 8 classifications, 1 being the highest, 8 the lowest.
You could be a multi billionaire but if you are an honorably
discharged
vet, you will still qualify, although probably in the lowest (8)
priority classification.

So, the VA sent me a letter welcoming me and sent a booklet that is
personalized for what types of services, hospitalization, checkups,
tests, etc. that I am eligible for. In total, I have better
coverage by
far than I had under the Blue Cross policy that we used to pay
$1,400 a
month for. I even have coverage for nursing home expenses and/or full
time home nursing services if the day ever comes that I need them.

The VA assigned a primary care physician in a VA clinic that is
about 5
miles from my house. I've had three appointments so far, including
full
blood work, colon-rectal cancer tests and other tests to establish a
baseline. The doc spent over an hour with me at the first appointment
getting background data, etc. BTW ... related to a recent thread here
... one of the questions was if I had guns in the house and, if so,
are
they secure.

Anyway, the only thing wrong with me is slightly elevated blood
pressure. Doc said it's not "horrible" but prescribed some meds to
get
it a bit lower. I don't like taking meds and I know that once I get
more physically active once the cold and snow stops my BP will drop
but
in the meantime I'll take the meds.

My only out of pocket cost is an $8 co-payment for a 90 day supply of
the pills. If I need to be hospitalized for some reason there is a
$97
per day co-payment for the first 21 days. After that, there is no
payments by me. No co-payments for doc visits, checkups, tests, etc.

The VA is totally independent from Medicare and the VA does not charge
Medicare for services. I am seriously thinking about dropping Part B
and it's cost and dropping the gap insurance policy I have for Part B
through Tufts. I don't need them if I use the VA for health care
which
will save me about $350 a month.

Bottom line is: The VA isn't a health insurance program. It's a
health
care program. The Boston area VA (which governs the facilities I use)
is the highest rated VA health car are in the nation. So far, I have
been very impressed.



So, shifting the burden is ok for a Republican, even a wealthy one.
Figures.

Using benefits that the government says I earned is "shifting the
burden" in your eyes? I figured this would **** you off.





No, it just illustrates something else that is wrong with our health
care system. If you suffered a serious battle injury or debilitating
injury while in the service, I see nothing wrong with providing you
with good healthcare at no cost for the recovery, even a lifelong
recovery, for that problem or problems. Why should the VA pay for
treatment of your HBP, especially since any sort of means test would
indicate you can afford to buy private health insurance or pay for a
private doctor without any difficulty.

You are a tax dodger. Your opinion is meaningless.

Early bedtime?
 

Keyser Soze wrote:
On 3/24/17 12:57 PM, justan wrote:
Keyser Soze Wrote in message:
On 3/24/17 10:28 AM, Tim wrote:
On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 8:44:53 AM UTC-5, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 3/24/17 7:51 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 3/23/2017 2:23 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 10:42:59 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

11:39 AMKeyser Soze
- show quoted text -
I'm sure Fretwell will be delighted to serve as your medical
advisor,
and at no co$t either, except perhaps your life.
....
Can't be much worse than the people who get payed well to perform
unnecessary procedures.

In just about any other context, Harry would be complaining
about the
"pay for service" model of American health care. It is amazing
how he
can work both sides of the table so well but I guess it is
natural for
a person who pimps government unions.



A few months ago (at the recommendation of a couple of veteran
friends)
I applied for health care services through the VA. I haven't had a
primary care physician for a while (he unfortunately died at a
young age
of leukemia) so I was basically starting from scratch.

Turns out *all* vets are eligible for health care through the VA
as long
as they served at least 24 months and have an honorable discharge.
There is a means test of sorts but some forms of income are not
considered, nor are your bank accounts and your income only
contributes
to the determination of what priority classification you are
eligible
for. There are 8 classifications, 1 being the highest, 8 the
lowest.
You could be a multi billionaire but if you are an honorably
discharged
vet, you will still qualify, although probably in the lowest (8)
priority classification.

So, the VA sent me a letter welcoming me and sent a booklet that is
personalized for what types of services, hospitalization, checkups,
tests, etc. that I am eligible for. In total, I have better
coverage by
far than I had under the Blue Cross policy that we used to pay
$1,400 a
month for. I even have coverage for nursing home expenses and/or
full
time home nursing services if the day ever comes that I need them.

The VA assigned a primary care physician in a VA clinic that is
about 5
miles from my house. I've had three appointments so far,
including full
blood work, colon-rectal cancer tests and other tests to establish a
baseline. The doc spent over an hour with me at the first
appointment
getting background data, etc. BTW ... related to a recent thread
here
... one of the questions was if I had guns in the house and, if
so, are
they secure.

Anyway, the only thing wrong with me is slightly elevated blood
pressure. Doc said it's not "horrible" but prescribed some meds
to get
it a bit lower. I don't like taking meds and I know that once I
get
more physically active once the cold and snow stops my BP will
drop but
in the meantime I'll take the meds.

My only out of pocket cost is an $8 co-payment for a 90 day
supply of
the pills. If I need to be hospitalized for some reason there is
a $97
per day co-payment for the first 21 days. After that, there is no
payments by me. No co-payments for doc visits, checkups, tests,
etc.

The VA is totally independent from Medicare and the VA does not
charge
Medicare for services. I am seriously thinking about dropping
Part B
and it's cost and dropping the gap insurance policy I have for
Part B
through Tufts. I don't need them if I use the VA for health care
which
will save me about $350 a month.

Bottom line is: The VA isn't a health insurance program. It's a
health
care program. The Boston area VA (which governs the facilities I
use)
is the highest rated VA health car are in the nation. So far, I have
been very impressed.



So, shifting the burden is ok for a Republican, even a wealthy one.
Figures.

Don't be cynical Harry. Nobody shifted anything and you know it.



Apparently you don't know what the term means.


The burden of taking care of veterans is a privlege real
Americans
are happy to bear. Want to talk about draft dodgers and
tax evaders?


I fully support taking care of vets who suffered injuries or illnesses
that were service-related.

What about those who "only" risked their lives your your lying,
deadbeat, ass for little pay, months from home, while not working for an
employer with health benefits. For someone who doesn't like to pay
their income taxes you have a lot to say about other people's money.

Early bedtime?
 

Keyser Soze wrote:
On 3/24/17 12:58 PM, wrote:
On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 10:55:40 -0400, Keyser Söze
wrote:

I had a routine stress test done a few years ago and the
hospital charged the insurance company $14,000. Made me start
thinking
about it.

My nuclear
stress test a few years ago was $4700.

I guess this was a more involved test than what I got.
They just had me hooked up to an EKG and had me go up and down a
little step box, right there in the office with the little blonde girl
who works for doc running the machine. It was just part of a wellness
physical.
It was essentially the same as the one I did at Georgetown in 1961-2
when they thought I had a heart murmur. (I was in a study)
I wish I had the tape from my test at 13 to compare to me at 70.


Mine was a colossal pain in the ass. First, I was injected with
isotopes and sat on a torture chair while some sort of radiation
reading camera whirled slowly around me. Then I was up on a treadmill
until I was ready to pass out, died, or completed the test. Then I
rested for 30 minutes and was back up on the chair with the whirling
camera. To increase my anxiety during the treadmill portion, the doc
told me ( I was looking out the window) that he was sure my mother in
law was walking down the medical campus.


Anxiety? It's nothing. I had one this year. Piece of cake. You must
be in really bad shape if that treadmill was so bad. They only let you
walk/jog until you reach a rather low heart rate.

Early bedtime?
 

Keyser Soze wrote:
On 3/24/17 1:02 PM, justan wrote:
Keyser Soze Wrote in message:
On 3/23/17 2:23 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 10:42:59 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

11:39 AMKeyser Soze
- show quoted text -
I'm sure Fretwell will be delighted to serve as your medical advisor,
and at no co$t either, except perhaps your life.
....
Can't be much worse than the people who get payed well to perform
unnecessary procedures.

In just about any other context, Harry would be complaining about the
"pay for service" model of American health care.


Yet another figment of your imagination. Why would I object to fee for
service? The PPO I use is based upon that model, and I pay for those
services via my health insurance premiums and a reasonable co-pay.
It is
a little humorous that virtually every time you claim you know what
I am
thinking, you are wrong. It isn't my fault that you posted a personal
experience of yours in which the original care and recommendations
weren't what you needed. Perhaps you should spend more time picking the
right physicians. A couple of years ago, I went to see my doc because I
felt awful, with a fever and a cough and as soon as I got into the exam
room and she came in, she said, "you're going down to the ER right now
for immediate tests because I think you have pneumonia and the hospital
will give me test results in less than an hour, and our lab here in the
office takes at least a half a day."

Well, she was right...pneumonia...so I was given the right meds and put
on an IV.

It's your responsibility to pick the right doctors and other medical
providers. Obviously, you didn't.



You can avoid pneumonia with a healthy lifestyle including regular
exercise. Anout the only exercise you get is climbing the stairs
to clean the wifes pets litter boxes.


Both your points are moronic. As for the second point, I go to a local
gym three times a week and spend 90 minutes on the treadmill, rowing
machine, arm machine and stairmaster.


Bull****. You couldn't stand 10 minutes on the treadmill for your
stress test.