Articles tagged as

Healthcare

Honest Talk About Abortion


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Current events Democrats want to you to believe they care for children and they stand for protection of American children. For example, they claim they will protect your children from the evils of trans fats, okay. They claim they would protect your children from gay conversion therapy, okay. But somehow, they don’t care if doctors … Read more

Cleaning up my stack of stuff: Why is it always the Socialists that decry “we are the wealthiest nation in history”?

Forgot I had transcribed this from WMUR’s CLOSE UP show (Aug 12, 2018) where Levi Sanders, running to be the Democrat candidate in NH’s Second Congressional District even as he lived in CD-1, said the magic words:

On Tuesday or Wednesday, there will be one of the most important votes in the modern history of this country. And that vote will be whether or not in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, we throw 22 million Americans off the health insurance they currently have.

Yeah, once again – wrongthink.  Certainly the idea of a successful Medicare-for-All (which his Dad’s bill isn’t really Medicare-for-all that Bernie touts but is structured more like Medicaid-for-all and jams down lower payments to doctors and hospitals in order to say “see, we lowered healthcare costs” and caring not a whit about the restructuring again of 1/6 of our economy).  This is just a sidenote.  My real point is this:

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And more words from a Democrat Socialist, Levi Sanders. Guess what’s missing from his rant?

Levi Sanders and Brother from another mother Barry-O
Levi Sanders and ideological brother from another mother Barry-O

“What you just heard is that Chris Pappas doesn’t believe in a ‘Medicare For All’ single-payer healthcare system,” Sanders said. “So I want to ask Chris and all the other people who don’t believe in it:  How do you plan to deal with the issues of co-payments, deductibles and premiums?”

“I talk to people all over the district and they tell me they have stomach aches and anxiety disorders from worrying about what’s happening with their healthcare,” Sanders said. “We need a health care system that is free for every man, woman and child. That means no co-payments, no deductibles and no premiums.”

Which translates to “no self-responsibility”.  In essence, a complete reversal of the American ideal of

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New Hampshire, Heroin, and Hassan

They say New Hampshire has a heroin problem. They also say Medicaid expansion will help. Kimberly Morin joins us to talk about the details and potential political motivations (on both sides) for hyping a heroin epidemic in New Hampshire.

GrokTALK! February 21st, 2015

This week we talk about mini-dictator Shawn Jasper and the consent calendar; House leaderships approach to legislation they don’t want to defend; some painful facts about civil Asset Forfeiture and the NH House clerks office, and some good things about Industrial Hemp, Beer, the NH House clerk with Kevin Bloom and Kirk McNeil; we talk … Read more

Get “Used” to This – Part 2

Steve just posted about the “Death Panel” deciding that women don’t need as many mammograms as folks have had in the past (and forget PSAs for prostate cancer protection for men).  These expert wondertwits have decided, most likely, that the cost to Government is not worth it (you won’t mind, will you?).  The Left is all about the Imaginary War on Women by Republicans – let’s all remember that it was ONLY Regressive Democrats that voted and passed this pile of crap called Obamacare!  And now they are responsible for the new phrase “Just say NO! to mammograms!”

But wait! – they are turning to that wonder phrase of infomercials everywhere: “But WAIT!  There’s MORE!” (or NO, there is “no more”).  From Instapundit, we see that just having Govt control what Govt spends on healthcare is NOT ENOUGH!  NOW, these control freaks are talking about making illegal for YOU to spend more of your OWN money to keep yourself healthy :

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Revolution Foundation

Obamacare SEIU

The Daily Caller ran a story this weekend about a book set to come out tomorrow, by Mallory Factor, called “Shadowbosses: Government Unions Control America and Rob taxpayers Blind“.

The premise of the book is that Obamacare was just a big ploy to unionize the estimated 16-17 million strong healthcare workforce (12.5% of US workers, 17% of US GDP/economy – projected to reach 20%), and that by proposing an acceptable plan for nationalized/unionized healthcare, the union got behind Obama in the election of 2008, helping him win the Presidency.

But by the looks of this, Obamacare wasn’t just about healthcare, in the same way that “sustainability” isn’t just about the environment…

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GrokTV Event – Rumney home event for Ovide Lamontagne (Candidate, NH Governor) – Question 4: Pricing and access competition in the medical industry.

The questioners at the Rumney home event held for  Ovide Lamontagne  were not done talking about medicine, Obamacare, and how Ovide Lamontagne would try to address their concerns in this time of medical uncertainty here in NH as he runs to be the net NH Governor.  They are scared of Obamacare, having to outsource decisions … Read more

Internet Doodlings – Another taste of Enviros using “We know what is best for you” to mask totalitarianism

Heh!  But again, not so heh!  We laugh, but they mean it.  Over at TreeHugger (they have become such a source of sport!), they were discussing the righteousness of NYC-Nanny-Chieftain Mayor Bloomberg’s (whose own dietary predilections do not match his public policy for the rest of his “citizens”) declaration that he would solve the obesity problem of his haunts be making certain sizes of soda sold by NYC establishments off limits.  In a post entitled “More than Reasonable:

Last week, New York City showed the nation once again what it means to be on the cutting edge of public health policy. The city announced a bold plan to limit the size of sugary beverages sold at restaurants and other food establishments. Predictably, much of the media went crazy, and numerous outlets have already proclaimed that this time, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has just gone too far. Banning trans fats was fine, but don’t take away my right to guzzle a gallon of Coke is the lazy reaction of some pundits.

But let’s take a more rational look at what New York is proposing. From both a policy-making and political strategy standpoint, it makes perfect sense. No one is banning anything or restricting anyone’s freedoms. The city is simply placing a reasonable limit on how much soda (or other sugary beverage) can be served in a single container.

Cutting edge?  Bloomberg already went after salt (which he himself uses with wild abandon in a “fine for me but not for thee fashion”). Now, there is a study out that says cutting salt intake to such a level promulgated by the Feds could actually be dangerous.  There also is no definitive study on soda usage either.

The post also tried to slyly slip in what Goverment is doing is just what private business has done with serving sizes in the past (thus, trying to rationalize Bloomy’s actions):

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College Kids – getting the first bruntal financial slap by Obamacare

Remember, the HHS mandate by Secretary Sebelius was that even the healthcare insurance at Catholic universities (Franciscan University and Ave Maria University) had to offer contraceptives, abortifacients, sterilizations, and abortions – after all, it wasn’t an abridgement of conscience that was being sundered but that if they didn’t, Catholics theology was waging “the war on women”.

However, this is the flip side of Obamacare “war on the young” – the young are going to start bearing the brunt of the costs as all of the “mandates needed for basic healthcare needs” start rearing their spikes (from the Wall Street Journal):

 Some colleges are dropping student health-insurance plans for the coming academic year and others are telling students to expect sharp premium increases because of a provision in the federal health law requiring plans to beef up coverage.

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Internet Doodlings – Once again, back at Treehugger…this time, Mayor Bloomberg soda ban

Ah yes, the Nanniest of them all, Mayor “Do as I say, not as I do” Bloomberg wants to ban large capacity soda servings.  One more thing that “It’s good for you to NOT drink all that” as if sugary water is the worst thing EVAH!   Hey Bloomberg – how about concentrating on stuff that Mayors are supposed to concentrate on that would be more important – like murders and crime?  Potholes?  What about your failing public school system – what was your graduation rate again? Oh yeah, a rate of 65% but not ready for college:

Sixty-one percent of city students who started high school in 2006 graduated on time in 2010, compared with 59 percent of those who started in 2005 and graduated in 2009.

But only 21.4 percent of those students earned high enough scores on their math and English state tests to be deemed prepared for college and well-paying careers.

That’s the [success] ticket!  If 78% of your grads can’t go directly to college, that’s not properly educating your students (a MAJOR part of your responsibility).  Yet, that is of lesser importance than grabbing big cups of soda out of the hands of folks in your city?

Anyways, back to the Treehugger post (which isn’t as bad as some of the pro-ban pandering I’ve read):

When if comes down to it, the ban would only be an inconvenience for the die-hard soda drinkers. If you really want to drink 32 ounces of Coke, no one is going to stop you from ordering two.

Your ability to choose what YOU want?  Not so much.  They don’t see it as individual freedom issue – rather, an infringement on the collective having to pay for the bad habits of all us fat people.  My response:

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Donna Brazile – no healthcare Freedom for ANYONE!

From Cafe Hayek: (emphasis mine)

I just received a lovely email from my old friend, Donna Brazile. OK, we’re not old friends. For some reason she has decided to put me on her email list. She writes:

This week, the Senate votes on a GOP amendment that would let your employer decide what health care you can receive. If they morally object to birth control, it’s gone. If some corporation thinks cancer screening is too expensive, forget it.

This amendment is dangerous, and the people pushing it need to lose their jobs.

It is insane that we get our health care from our employers. That happens because we have given a tax advantage to in-kind compensation such as health care. It’s a horrible idea and it leads people to complain about our employers deciding what health care we can receive. Our employers are just a conduit for government mandates, rent-seeking and inefficiency related to health care. What the government has done is tax-advantage health care via employers and then tell them what has to be covered. So the real outrage is that because of this, the government mandates the mix of my compensation package, biasing it toward a luxury health-care package that is the result of special interest clamoring.

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GrokTV Event: Ron Paul – Q11, Q12 & Q13: Policy on Israel, have to use a charity hospital, dealing with both parties in Congress

And the “Press Gaggle” ( aka “press availability” or it can be called “the time when reporters and MSM Press can ask silly questions to show their Editors they are actually doing something to earn their expense accounts / salaries”) – added after the jump!

LAST OF THE QUESTIONS!

Question 11: What is your policy on Israel?

Question 12: Will my sick child have to stand in line at a charity hospital under your administration?

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So, LRGHealthcare, with an expensive build program, now is crying poor mouth?

In today’s Laconia Sun (P 8) was this paid ad – snippet here and entire ad after the jump:

LRGHealthcare: PUBLIC NOTICE
LRGHealthcare Closes Primary Care Offices to Medicaid Patients

No later than mid November, the following LRGHealthcare primary care offices will be closed to new and existing patients with Medicaid as their primary coverage…The plan, recently approved by the Board of Trustees, responds to unprecedented financial challenges faced by the organization and other hospitals and healthcare institutions across the state.

…LRGHealthcare has sustained several years of reductions in Medicaid payments, which have resulted in an annual reduction of $4 million….

Recent budget actions by the NH State Legislature further compromise the well-being of healthcare organizations in New Hampshire. We are saddened to have to take this action but, regrettably, have no choice. We intend to assist all patients in making a smooth transition of their records.

*****

Now, what they DIDN’T mention, in recent years, was all of the buying of surrounding or affiliated physician practices, buying (ok, "merging" with) Franklin Hospital, buying the Laconia Clinic, and using the CON Board to bring the the fledgling OPA ‘runaways’ to their knees financially (who had fled to Gilford to set up a competing day surgery practice).  And their failure (big time failure) in trying to run an adult day care for dementia patients.  And just spent $2.6 million knocking down and rebuilding a Meredith facility.  Trust me, they have spent big bucks on facilities and non-competitive activities.  Think Borg ("You will be assimilated") only with a stethoscope. While Medicaid does not cover costs (I will give them that), this is seeming to be a "Washington Monument" moment (which might be better be explained by "Budget cuts? Layoff fire, police, and teachers first – that’ll teach’em").

In fact, they’ve spent plenty in making sure that their marketplace is swept clean of any competition,  as I believe this is payback for what happened at a recent Belknap County Republican meeting when (video to follow) NH Rep. Ken Wyler came to speak about the budget.  Of COURSE, I asked about the CON Board, then Nancy LeRoy complained (as she is a member of the LRGH Board) about payments, and Ken (with the question from Elaine Swinford) talked about some of the "money swashing around".

But ask yourself – BRAND spanking new facilities, worthy (as it says in the Laconia Sun picture) of Boston?

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Govt spending taxpayer $$ to advertise giving more $$ away – for the benefit of a private sector Medical Records Czar?

Here’s the ad (Click here to see a bigger version) from InformationWeek:

Consider this a variant of "Cash for Clunkers" – without the messiness of clunkers of which to dispose.  Same deal, to an extent, as part of Obamacare is to "nudge" (there’s that Cass Sunstein reference!) medical professionals to automate their medical records.  In wit, Obama is willing to pay:

  • $44,000 to get a system for Medicare
  • $63,750 for Medicaid
  • $2,000,00 (base) for hospitals to get with it.

And yes, all your info is going to end up in the Feds hands – databases upon databases full of intimate, personal information online (yes, instant reaction should be "er, black hatters?".  Look what the Illinois govt officials did when Joe the Plumber questioned The One as to why HIS wealth should be "spread around"!).  Sure, a lot of docs are still paper based but have been moving, slowly, to more and more automated systems.  The accounting part is easy – storing the actual medical records is much harder.  Providing robust interoperatibility between systems – harder still.

At my last check up, I noticed that my doc had already done so – working from an iPad.  And no option on my part to opt out (yeah, a medical version of Joe the Plumber in waiting?).

And in keeping with the Obama modus operandi, of COURSE, there is a Medical Records Czar!  And of COURSE, there is a tinge (more of a tinge?) of crony capitalism…

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