On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 04:49:10 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at 11:21:01 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:09:26 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

7:35
On Wed, 22 Mar 2017 13:05:04 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

Drs like to cure, John. Surgeons like to do surgery

When I was in DC I spent a lot of time around doctors, some of the
best in town. (My ex was the senior "lay" person in a big DC hospital
administrative staff) I found the surgeons to be the most skilled.
They have a trade that requires physical ability. They actually fix
things. The rest just throw pills at you and hope the problem goes
away.
.....

Saving details but the surgeon who crammed the defibrillator into my chest couldn't have cared less whether I needed it or not....

I was only referring to the skill involved in shoving that into your
chest without killing you, although that is not a very complicated
procedure. Whether you actually needed it is my main problem with
doctors. They may know everything about the human body but a lot do
not have any real diagnostic ability. It is a unique ability and
pretty much impossible to teach if you do not have that kind of mind.
I will say the doctors in DC are better than they are around here.

This piece of space wizardry Im carrying cost about $50,000 to have done. The installation procedure takes aprox. 20 minutes. Lets say he gets $1000.00 a piece and can do 6 a day. What's he care if you need it or not? Then you have several follow up appointments which I get charged for.

I'll quit there but you get the pic. Im sure...

You can always say no and find another doctor

10:10
On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 04:49:10 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at 11:21:01 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:09:26 -0700 (PDT), Tim
- show quoted text -
You can always say no and find another doctor
.....

Oh I will. I've learned a valuable lesson. When the battery goes out on this thing I won't have it replaced. I'll have it removed. I'm aware of the complications of the lead wire removal too. Only takes 20 min. to install and maybe 4 hrs to pull everything out. They say once you have it you may as well keep it. Nope! I'm 61 and I'm not going to have this thing dictate my life.

On 3/23/17 11:40 AM, Tim wrote:
10:10
On Thu, 23 Mar 2017 04:49:10 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at 11:21:01 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:09:26 -0700 (PDT), Tim
- show quoted text -
You can always say no and find another doctor
....

Oh I will. I've learned a valuable lesson. When the battery goes out on this thing I won't have it replaced. I'll have it removed. I'm aware of the complications of the lead wire removal too. Only takes 20 min. to install and maybe 4 hrs to pull everything out. They say once you have it you may as well keep it. Nope! I'm 61 and I'm not going to have this thing dictate my life.



I'm sure Fretwell will be delighted to serve as your medical advisor,
and at no co$t either, except perhaps your life.

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.

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.

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.

On Fri, 24 Mar 2017 07:51:41 -0400, "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.


===

It's good to know that the VA is delivering quality service for you
and that some parts of the government are working well. The guys that
have been wounded in action deserve nothing but the best.

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.

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.

On Friday, March 24, 2017 at 8:59:02 AM UTC-5, Keyser Soze wrote:
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.

Harry, you really should pick some other subject to argue over. this one isn't working well for you.