Jim Morin by Jim Morin

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believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

Oh, I think he’s been specific enough, but when the insurance/industrial complex has free rein with 16 to 18 percent of our GNP, they’re not about to let it happen without a big fight … or a tea party.

(typo corrected)
petergrt said, about 1 month ago

Maybe you can enlighten us as to which specific elements of the proposed health care “?????” will cause an improvement of, and/or cost reduction of health care?

And please don’t tell us about ‘paperless medical records’ and such. This akin to Gore’s inventing the internet - it is being done, without the mandate of the almighty 0bama.

Tort reform and allowing interstate commerce in medical insurance products would actually reduce costs, but those seem to be absent from any Democrat bills.

If you are so pissed on the private insurance companies, why not let them go at each other, and compete for our business? That is where the ‘public’ option comes in … We have to bring the Post Office into the play.
Simon_Jester said, about 1 month ago

Name one state that passed Tort reform where Health Insurance costs went down
EnglishTeacher said, about 1 month ago

believecommonsense: The expression is to be given “free rein” as in releasing the reins of a horse.

Did you get it?
Magnaut said, about 1 month ago

BC only simple people name things a complex….its the people not the Insurance industry that are opposing Obamacare….get educated go to a tea party yourself rather than follow the obamedia
NorthCarolinian said, about 1 month ago

Detail? Yeah, bcs, he’s given us detail after detail about how people are suffering, dangit, don’t worry about any of that little stuff like, “How will we pay for it?” “Why can’t we just put caps on the insurance companies?” etc.
TruthBTold said, about 1 month ago

Join a tea bagger group?? Why waste your time hanging around with a bunch of ill-informed loons?

Nothing more sad than a bunch of malcontents that work so hard against their own self-interests and instead being a tool for corporate interests.

Critical thinking skills people!
petergrt said, about 1 month ago

“Why waste your time hanging around with a bunch of ill-informed loons?”

So answer the above stated questions!!!
Magnaut said, about 1 month ago

TBT if you haven’t…….your name is a paradox…you can’t tell truth without first finding it……..critical thinking requires information…..hug you ignorance its the source of your bliss……
jmworacle said, about 1 month ago

All we have to do is to present our health issue to “The Benevolent One” and he shall heal us!
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

ET: thanks for correction, I corrected it. answer to question: no, I didn’t.
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

oh wow, tort reform is really just going to solve everything. This is just a GOP attempt to get what they’ve wanted through the back door. And I’ve answered the bit about “allowing” insurance cos. to operate across state lines a dozen times. They can now, if they abide by state regulations. This is just an attempt to usurp each state’s rights to regulate insurance within its borders. So we have conservatives advocating against state rights in favor of the insurance industry lobby. That says a lot right there.
michaelwme said, about 1 month ago

My objections are to the system.

In Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe gives what he says is an accurate account of a $10 million lawsuit, resolved for the plaintiff, that was completely without merit.

But I know of many lawsuits with merit that were denied.

I think, if a physician practices medicine that goes against best practices and the patient suffers, the physician should be responsible; conversely, if the physician uses best practices and the outcome is unfavourable, the physician should be exempt from retribution. But that’s not how it works.

Tort ‘reform’ is orthogonal to the problem. The idea of ‘tort reform’ is that, if a physician butchers a patient, it’s caveat emptor and it’s all the patient’s fault for choosing that physician.

Of course, this would eliminate such frivolous lawsuits as the one described in Bonfire of the Vanities

But what about legitimate lawsuits?
M Kitt said, about 1 month ago

So the 3% cost attached to VA and social services (public, and of course Medicare) in general wouldn’t provide a better healthcare “product” to us than the 30% being sucked up by the insurance industry?

And the “for-profit” option strikes you as being best since their denial of benefits and cancellation of policies translates directly into their “bottom line” profits and bonuses? Really?

If you’d like I can provide the AVERAGE income per CEO of the largest healthcare executives but here’s an example of where the money from denials and cancellations goes http://sickforprofit.com/ceos/

And something else to think about
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBi2hMK1G8Y

Are you also a Max Baucus supporter? He’s against the public option to the tune of about $4 million in his campaign coffers.

And since the insurance companies have immunity under “employee” policies, those cancellations (or denials of coverage) can’t be pursued http://smargus.com/2009/08/waxman-refuses-vote-to-revoke-immunity-for-insurance-companies-in-health-care-bill/

This is what’s known as a “Fixed Game” or a legal ripoff, suppose that’s OK with you too?

Corruption, Graft, Payoffs, Immunity. All legal and thriving in the current healthcare insurance industry AND our political system.

And lest we forget, people dying as a result of the above.
M Kitt said, about 1 month ago

For those who “Fear” Government services:

Either they’ve never served in any public service capacity or taken advantage of those benefits OR (more likely) they’re just covering up a completely politically based opinion, holding the line for the GOP by stating that they’ve no appreciation for government services (military, police, fire, etc.)

Anyone who truly doesn’t know (or care about) the difference between for-profit and government agencies doesn’t expect to receive Medicare coverage, right?

GOP frightens people by saying that present or future benefits are somehow threatened by reform, another fear nurtured by the right wing (this will crash the system!) in order to avoid the undeniable truth that our current healthcare system is unsustainable.

Health care costs have doubled in the last 10 years and will likely do that again in the next 8, at that rate the number of uninsured will at least quadruple, the approx. 60% of healthcare cost that’s government subsidised now would also have to increase to meet the those higher rates.

Our “Free Market Economy” works well for manufactured goods, not for holding down healthcare costs, tho. Failing to reform the system now will cost us all a lot more in the long run, this system IS unsustainable and WILL crash if not reformed.
petergrt said, about 1 month ago

believecommonsense:

You seem to want to argue about some of the ideas that many think that would bring about an immediate lowering of costs and maybe improve the service.

Lets assume, for sake of the argument, that none of my ideas would work.

The original question - anybody:

“Maybe you can enlighten us as to which specific elements of the proposed health care “?????” will cause an improvement of, and/or cost reduction of health care?”
deadheadzan said, about 1 month ago

M. Kitt, thanks for all the great links.
NoFearPup said, about 1 month ago

Pay for your own health care and the prices will come down quick.
EnglishTeacher said, about 1 month ago

Oh, for heaven’s sake, believecommonsense, I don’t know how I can be any more obvious…about your spelling mistakes. You’re just not paying attention.
harleyquinn said, about 1 month ago

Specific? Please he is just an idea guy a one note chant. But the nitty gritty of it that is beneath him. he needs to about one of his czars for some of that kind of heavy hitting.
Dang gone it Jim he the prez not a doc
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

petergrt, done that innumerable times on other toons. Check out my Healthcare Reform collection, or do your own research. It’s boring to have to write the same thing over and over again.

ET: you’re trying to Gaslight me again. AND I AM NOT GETTING IT! Did three appear in the month of April 09?
EnglishTeacher said, about 1 month ago

BCS: A comma should appear after “April.”

Let’s start over. When writing formally, every word means something. This is the ninth time I have corrected your spelling this month. You must get a handel on this, at long last.
fennec said, about 1 month ago

ET, as in Handel? or as in handle?
EnglishTeacher said, about 1 month ago

fennec: Exactly!
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

ET: Actually, one does not place a comma between a month and a year unless it includes a date. Therefore April 2009 is correct, but April 4 2009 would be incorrect.

Funny, I thought this was the eighth time you corrected my spelling (or typos) in this the month of October, no?
johndh123 said, about 1 month ago

ah….believeincommonsense….
I do love those creative names you assign to those money grubbing entities…”insurance/industrial complex” (….er….trying to get on the military/industrial complex monnaker coattails are we?)
I want to ask…civily…is there something in the Constitution….perhaps the Bill of Rights…that gives anyone, let alone citizens of this country….the inalienable right to insurance coverage? I asked that question not to be ‘cheeky’ but to elicit honest debate
(I was in the insurance industry, and trust me, there are many areas that need addressing….unfortunately, I don’t have the room to articulate ALL in this forum…)
EnglishTeacher said, about 1 month ago

BCS: No, this is, for October, the ninth.
fennec said, about 1 month ago

Y’know, ET, I’m not sure about your comma thrice above:
“You must get a handel on this, at long last.”
Not sure I’d put one in there (just been doing the final editing for two revisions of mss and am a bit punchy…Sorry).
EnglishTeacher said, about 1 month ago

In normal writing, fennec, you would be quite correct. But the structures BCS and I are currently discussing are anything but normal.
omQ R said, about 1 month ago

Is drinking coffee and following everything with amused interest.
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

johndh123, I start from the premise that all U.S. citizens (and immigrants who are here legally) have a right to basic healthcare. With our system, that means a right to purchase healthcare insurance. Many people are denied that right with the employer-based system we now have. Employees of small businesses, self-employed, part-time workers do not have an option for affordable healthcare insurance with the structure we now have. Others can’t purchase a policy at at cost because they have diabetes they are a cancer survivor and thousands of other reasons.

And I use the term “thousands” deliberately. Private health insurers testified before a congressional committee this year that ARE 2,000 conditions that cause them to reject policies and cause them to review existing policies to look for a reason to rescind retroactively.

Is there an inalienable right to insurance? No. But without it, people can’t get medical care until they spend everything they have, go into debt, and maybe they’ll qualify for a social program for healthcare. That makes no sense, and it is certainly not cost-effective to have a system that forces people into bankruptcy so then taxpayers can pay for aid to poor. In addition, medical providers charge those paying privately 3,4,5 times what they charge insurers, so those unlucky enough not to have insurance pay dearly for their misfortune. (I’ve given specific examples of this practice and won’t give details again.)

That’s what the insurance industry wants to happen. This is what they’re already doing — cherrypicking those without medical needs and shifting all others to the government to pay for. They want people who have not yet had a need for ongoing medical care to pay premiums and then when those people need medical care, they find a way to drop them or rescind their policy because they didn’t write down a visit to a dermatologist 20 years prior.

The medical industrial complex term I used came for a very good documentary called “Money Driven Medicine.” i recommend it to all. It looks at the brick and mortars costs of healthcare, and the competitive buying of costly and duplicative medical equipment so every hospital and free-standing facility can have the newest and the best. That’s apart from the 30 percent of each medical dollar insurers take for themselves.

I believe my country can figure out a way to provide universal healthcare and it will definitely take some regulations of the industries involved to achieve.
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

ET: Well you leave me flummoxed. Those nine mistakes in October blew me out of the water. I did notice your misspelling of handle and remain surprised by it, even considering, That’s three strikes and you’ve noticed before I’m usually a better hitter than that. Makes me wonder if I’m matching the answers to the wrong questions.

omQR, are you following with amused interest while sipping your coffee because you’ve already reached home plate?
petergrt said, about 1 month ago
“I start from the premise that all U.S. citizens (and immigrants who are here legally) have a right to basic healthcare. With our system, that means a right to purchase healthcare insurance. Many people are denied that right …”
1. is that as in ‘right of free speech’, or what?
2. ” … denied that right . . .” = rubbish!!!
Most insurance companies sell medical insurance directly to individuals. That is the only way I have been insured for the past 25 years. Furthermore, there are a host of group-rate insurance possibilities, through allumny, clubs, credit cards and on and on.

When you start with such an intellectually and factually dishonest sytatement, it stopes me from continuing to read your post …
fennec said, about 1 month ago

BCS, if you’ve done much editing, I think, you know the “sipping coffee” bit is a rest from the fatigue of doing this kind of stuff! We never reach home plate. I do a lot of editing for my group, especially since I retired (and have the time), and it is never simple. As my German-speaking colleagues say, : Englisch Sprache, schwerer Sprache.
Btw, a link for you:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/17/health/policy/17hawaii.html?hpw
ahab said, about 1 month ago

I knew I loved Hawaii. The Leper Colony history is fascinating and sad. One blind fellow in the colony shared his hands with a sighted man who could not use his numb crippled fingers . Together they survived. Thank you for the link fennec.
fennec said, about 1 month ago

Ohana and aloha, you can’t beat ‘em!
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

petergrt, do you live in a bubble? You’ve heard haven’t you that people with pre-existing conditions can’t get an individual policy? Insurers have free rein with individual policies can and do pick and choose who they want and what they’ll sell it for. Frequently it ends up meaning having to pay handsomely for a policy which only kicks in with a catastrophic illness. Get insurance through a credit card? Oh man, yeah, go for it.

You’re dishonest or misinformed about the current state of insurance availability and affordability for those who do not receive employer-sponsored health benefits.
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

fennec, I love editing and I keep the Associated Press Stylebook on my desk at all times. Love proofreading too.(don’t always do it here though obviously)
What I’m having trouble with is that other thing with ET … and still don’t know if omQR has figured it out.
EnglishTeacher said, about 1 month ago

To the best of my knowledge, omQ R has arrived at third base. You are at second. Now, fennec, I thought, had arrived at third but missed second, but a comment he made today elsewhere makes me wonder.

But now, I’m pitching but you’re not catching. I thought I had thrown three perfect strikes, but apparently not.

Maybe if I tell you how I think. I have destroyed the evidence so this won’t matter. The answer was at:

Handel = Handelsman’s page.
9 this month = October 9th.
“at long last” was the last post in the very long list.
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

We were missing each other’s Q&A then, as if one of us was playing baseball and the other softball. I asked once if the third first appeared in April of 09, so when you wrote about nine mistakes this month, I took that as the appearance date. I also read all about Handel the composer and tried to figure out a clue.

So it’s possible that one of my guesses IS correct. Should I start over?
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

No, it is not always available to individuals. What about pre-existing conditions and rescinding policies do you not get? And even when the insurers deign to sell a policy to some individuals it can be as high as $1,000 to $1,500 for a family AND have a high deductible, which is not affordable for many and basically catastrophic insurance for those that can afford it.

Geeze, do some research. Glad you got a policy you like, but it’s out of reach for many who do not have employer-sponsored health benefits.
petergrt said, about 1 month ago
“You’re dishonest or misinformed about the current state of insurance availability and affordability for those who do not receive employer-sponsored health benefits.”

I beg your pardon!
1. Your quip spoke of health insurance in general, which I hope you will acknowledge that is in fact available to individuals - outside of the realm of an employer.
2. The prices varies from state to state, and abvioesly based upon the actuarial tables …
3. Preexisting conditions are definitely a problem, which precisely why I have maintained my insurance continuity, regardless of employment. And here again, each state is different, but here in California, the state administers an exchange that allows private insurance companies write the high risk coverage at a reasonable - state controlled level, with state covering the excess risk. Incidentally, Blue Cross was just kicked out of the program because their rates were too high.
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

^ I’m curious, what’s the name of that exchange. I’m not aware of it. BTW, I paid $380 a month to continue my insurance through COBRA and when I asked about continuing it as an individual, they didn’t write individual policies in the state of CA because they didn’t like the regulations. I looked around for policies and got quotes like $600 a month, $5,000 deductible and no coverage for any pre-existing conditions for 12 months. Like i said, a catastrophic plan only. I went without insurance, very reluctantly, for a spell because i couldn’t afford to pay that kind of money for a health insurance policy that I would never be able to use for anything short of a catastrophe unrelated to anything I had ever had in my entire life. That’s not available, affordable insurance by anybody’s definition.
petergrt said, about 1 month ago

The California high risk pool or MRMIP has a capacity for 7100 people, and currently has approximately 6800 enrollees.
petergrt said, about 1 month ago

Try Kaiser Permanente. They have a couple of plans for individuals and you can choose the level of detectability, which can tailor your needs.

At a risk of sounding as a commercial for them, I have been with them for the better part of the past 25 years, after having sampled a host of standard, PPO and HMO’s, and I find their service second to none.

And I say this after having gotten an emergency surgery in Europe - the service was OK albeit really expansive (Kaiser reimbursed me thou), and then I had to have the same exact thing done in LA - there is no comparison.

The side effect is that I might be afraid of traveling outside of the US, for I might need medical care, and I know that I am not going to get it at the American level.
petergrt said, about 1 month ago

Since I returned from Europe I needed to have several medical procedures, so I had to see a bunch of doctors of various specialties.

I quizzed them all about the ongoing debate, and with the exception of one, who simply didn’t want to talk about it, all expressed unequivocal concerns and opposition to the proposed ‘overhaul’.
omQ R said, about 1 month ago

@Bcs & @ ET
(I’m familiar with baseball terms but not the actual game so here goes…)
I’m on third? :-o Wha…? I thought I was already in the dugout, resting on my laurels!
Which innings is it? Are the bases loaded? Is someone trying to steal a base and I’m sitting on third watching the birds and the crowd? Did the ball hit my noggin’?

I think my coffee wasn’t freshly grounded :-/
EnglishTeacher said, about 1 month ago

Believecommonsense: One of your guesses may have been correct, but I couldn’t decipher your ideas either.

Starting over; new trail of breadcrumbs forthcoming.

omQ R: You could not have reached home as there was no fourth. Yet.
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

peter, I thank you for the serious response. I’m OK now, I have Medicare and I purchase a medicare supplement.

I didn’t know about the MRMIP and I’ll read more about it just to be informed. Re kaiser, I know some people love it and others hate it. My sister has had it for years and swears by it. A long time ago in Sacramento, I had it for about one year and hated it.

Throughout my life, I’ve had very good employer-sponsored health benefits, not-so-very-good employer sponsored health benefits, health insurance guaranteed by COBRA, and I’ve had periods without insurance. The one thing I was never able to do was purchase an individual policy — it was either not possible or so out of reach of my ability to afford i couldn’t do it. Millions of people fall into this category, and paying privately, pay-as-you-go is MUCH more expensive. I’ve written about a blood test that the lab mistakenly billed my former insurer for, about $170, then billed me $398 for as a private pay. That’s screwy to me.

My family practice doc, whom I liked very much, was very supportive of healthcare reform. He told me before he joined a larger medical group, he was paying $1300 a month for his family of four and still had a high deductible.
believecommonsense said, about 1 month ago

ET: I shall practice my Hansel & Gretel skills at following bread crumbs. (sigh)