Tag Archive for 'healthcare'

John Q Sr.

James Richard Verone, 59, is sick. He’s also unemployed, which means he has no health insurance.

He decided to do something about the situation, so in the morning of June 9th he walked into a bank, robbed it for $1, sat down on a chair and waited for the cops to come and arrest him.

He’s now entitled to free healthcare in the county jail he’s held while he’s waiting for his day in court. He’s refusing to post bail, because he wouldn’t receive healthcare if he did.

This is how healthcare works in the US. Free markets in full effect. It seems like enterprising individuals like Mr. Verone are figuring out how to play the game, too. Well done.

-TPP

Don’t get raped in South Dakota

The Governor of South Dakota just made it illegal to abort a pregnancy in the state even if the pregnancy was a result of a rape or incest.

It is so very humane to consider the “health” of 4 cells more important than someone who’s just been raped.

Hallelujah!

-TPP

Diabetes – the unknown epidemic

The New York Times has an eyeraising article about diabetes and how it’s reaching epidemic proportions in the United States and New York City in particular.

Here’re some stats about diabetes:

  1. an estimated 800,000 adult New Yorkers, or more than one in every eight, have diabetes.
  2. in the last decade the number of diabetics in New York has risen 140%
  3. the New York public health system has 3 people and $950K budget to fight diabetes. Tuberculosis, which infects 1,000 people annually, has 400 people and $27M budget.
  4. total estimates annual cost of diabetes nationwide is $132B. All cancers together cost about $171B every year
  5. every day in New York City 4,100 people are diagnosed with diabetes, 230 diabetics have amputations, 120 diabetics enter end-stage kidney disease programs and 55 diabetics go blind. Every day.
  6. one out of every ten dollars spent on health care is spent on diabetes related costs
  7. in 2002 224,092 people died of diabetes related complications. The number is likely to be under-reported.

Diabetes is a serious disease, for which there is no cure. You can treat the symptoms to keep the disease under control, but patients have an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, birth defects, kidney failures and blindness among other things.

Doctors estimate the life expectancy of a diabetic is 5 to 15 years lower than average. They also expect that due to diabetes the average life expectancy of Americans is likely to drop for the first time in more than 100 years.

-TPP

The despicable state of US healthcare system

A friend of mine was admitted to the hospital over a severe ear infection. His wife describes their ongoing ordeal with his treatment, or lack thereof, at the hospital.

I would like to believe this is an isolated incident, but I hear stories like this all the time.

The father of a good friend of my wife’s is quite possibly terminally ill having suffered a bad stroke several months ago. He’s been hospitalized practically ever since the stroke. The stories of his maltreatment by healthcare “professionals” are appalling and quite frankly make me hope when it comes the time for me to go, I’d just go quickly rather than suffer unnecessarily while being “treated”.

I believe all this is due to the privately run healthcare facilities trying to save every possible penny at the expense of pain and suffering of people in their care. Cost cutting to the bone is not good in everything.

-TPP