Tweet
I ran across this interesting article in the NY Times today about how most of the middle class missed out on the last economic boom...
For Many, a Boom That Wasn’t - New York Times
For Many, a Boom That Wasn’t - New York Times
-
-
That's a short article, but it looks to me as if it could be the outline for a whole book. Much to discuss and explore is brought up. For instance, "a serious effort to curtail wasteful medical spending would directly help workers. It would spare them from paying the insurance premiums and taxes that now cover that care."
Wasteful medical spending? I don't think any wasteful medical spending has occurred in/for my family. What's he talking about there?--- Support at end of life? Tremendous surgical intervention to save lives when, without, the person may die in anywhere from an hour to twelve months? Saving babies born before six months gestation? Liver transplants? Cardiac catheterization? Intestinal resection and intensive nutritional support for Chrones disease? Cataract surgery for the non-working elderly? Medicines and respiratory therapy for people with cystic fibrosis? Insulin for diabetics? Physical therapy for people recovering from spinal injuries? Medicines for AIDS? Corrective surgery for club-footed babies? Treatment for children deficient in pituitary hormones?---How much is going too far and imposing too much burden on the rest of us?"There is some ontological doubt as to whether it may even be possible in principle to nail down these things in the universe we're given to study." --text msg from my kid
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." --Frederick Douglass -
One that I see as wasteful is what I experienced today.
Wanting a checkup on my hearing I called the audiology department of my local clinic for an appointment only to be told that I needed a referral.
I can't hear people as well as I used to and I better than anyone know that my hearing is slightly off. Maybe not majorly off, but at least at my tender age of mufffflfemum years it might be good to get a baseline test even if no hearing aids are in my immediate future. I have to make an appointment w/a primary physician in order to get in?? To me that is a waste of everyone's time and money. Now there might be good reasons for it, but I just don't get it.Last edited by LuxLiving; 04-11-2008, 05:09 PM.Comment
-
Who is requiring the referral? The audiologist or your insurance? If the audiologist, perhaps you can make an appointment with a different one instead. Can you simply call the doctor's office to get a referral without actually seeing the MD?...But okay, yeah, that might be a waste."There is some ontological doubt as to whether it may even be possible in principle to nail down these things in the universe we're given to study." --text msg from my kid
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." --Frederick DouglassComment
-
My sister is employed at one of the branches of this clinic...I will be calling her to see if she can get me a referral w/o someone having to actually see me. She may actually be able to give the referral herself.
Edited to add:
No, not the insurance. There was no plan for insurance to be involved. Cash on the barrel head. Is it just assumed in these offices that people will ALL have/use insurance and so no accomodations are made for people who are willing to pay the accepted going rate for services? I'm not being facetious as I am kind of like ImaSaver and rarely ill. I went to the doctor at the beginning of this year for the first time in approximately 15 years. I'm just rarely if ever sick, so am not up on the latest in medical payments.Last edited by LuxLiving; 04-12-2008, 07:42 AM.Comment
Comment