Friday, May 8, 2015

The "Business" Of Medicine -- May 8, 2015

What global warming? The Bismarck Tribune is reporting:
A storm with up to two feet of snow in May? 
It’s a real possibility in the Black Hills of South Dakota and maybe into the rest of western South Dakota, western North Dakota and northeastern Wyoming Saturday night into Sunday with rain turning to snow.
As much as 24 inches of snow is possible in the higher elevations of the Black Hills with lesser amounts in other winter storm watch and warning areas. Rapid City could get six to 12 inches, the National Weather Service said, with western North Dakota getting up to six inches of heavy, wet snow.
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ObamaCare: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Consumer Reports is reporting:
When it came time for Lisa of Santa Cruz, California, to have her baby, she checked in to her local in-network hospital, using her in-network OB/GYN and neonatologist. She hadn’t been planning on getting an epidural, but ended up needing one.
Lisa, who has insurance, also hadn’t planned on the hefty price tag for that epidural. Everything—from the doctor and delivery, to the hospital room and nursing services—was covered under her insurance . . . except for the anesthesiologist who administered the epidural. Cost for the anesthesiologist: $3,000.
Lisa eventually found out that even though the anesthesiologist worked at the in-network hospital, this physician was considered out-of-network. Even worse, it turned out there were zero in-network anesthesiologists at that hospital.
You have no idea how much I detest the "business" of medicine. And of them all, the anesthesiologists are most likely, it seems, to work "out-of-network."

It would be interesting to know, in addition, how much Lisa's co-pay was, and what her deductible was.

ObamaCare and the "business of medicine."

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Gotcha!

Fox News is reporting:
The Illinois Supreme Court on Friday struck down a 2013 law that sought to fix the nation's worst government-employee pension crisis, a ruling that forces the state to find another way to overcome a massive budget deficit. 
In a unanimous decision, the seven justices declared the law passed 18 months ago violates the state constitution because it would leave pension promises "diminished or impaired." 
"In enacting the provisions, the General Assembly overstepped the scope of its legislative power. This court is therefore obligated to declare those provisions invalid," Justice Lloyd Karmeier said in writing the court's opinion. 
The decree puts new Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the General Assembly back at the starting line in trying to figure out how to wrestle down a $111 billion deficit in what's necessary to cover its state employee retirement obligations. The hole is so deep the state has in recent years had to reserve up to $7 billion -- or one-fifth of its operating funds -- to keep pace.
Wouldn't it be a hoot if tight oil or tight natural gas was found under Chicago? Talk about "Hobson's Choice."
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It's a Muscle Shoals Night, I Guess

Steal Away, Jimmy Hughes

4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Good catch; I wasn't quite sure about Hobson's choice, but that's all I could come up with at the time. Thank you.

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  2. I still can't figure out why all this cash is spent on healthcare when, ultimately as Jim Morrison put it, no one gets out of here alive.

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    Replies
    1. Big Pharm and Big Health scams....and with great lobbyists in Washington, DC.

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