en en en en en en en en ru en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en de en en en en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en ne en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en zh en en en en en en en en en en en hu en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en es es en es en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en
Well here is that horrible kimono again! UGH. I hate even having the horrors of remembering when I was thrust into it to wear!
At any rate, I want to remind everyone that Skeexiz has the vote on the questions. I am anxiously awaiting the debate and look forward to matching wits with my opponents.
I also had the good fortune to get to see Sicko this weekend. It was a very eye opening film. I think that Mr. Moore missed a few issues he could have brought up, in favor of showing off the government healthcare options in other countries, but overall it was a good film. My human, as a healthcare provider says that those stories are not all that new. She has patients denied healthcare because of their weight (too fat, too thin, gained too much weight too fast). She has had insurers pay and then decided to NOT pay and leave the covered individual holding the bag for thousands of dollars. Fortunately she and the patient were able to fight that one together and the insurer did not demand their money back.
One issue missed is how much insurance companies cost doctors. How much do you think the insurance billing office girls make? Would they have a job if we had a government healthcare policy? Probably with the government but it wouldn’t be driving up your costs because your doctor wouldn’t have to charge more.
Moore is good at pointing out how other countries have made things work out. People get to choose their doctors. How many patients have not gone to see my human because she is not on their insurance? How many people did she loose when they dropped on carrier who would never pay them? Many. Insurance companies now choose which doctors you see. At least with national healthcare every doctor either would or would not be on it. They wouldn’t be on some plans they can work with and not others.
Finally, a naturopath in our previous town regularly performed a semi proven modality at her office. The insurance company told her they wouldn’t pay, which is their right. However, they also told her that if she were to remain on their rolls, she couldn’t do this modality AT ALL. Not just to their patients, but to any patient. Why is an insurance company that I am not using saying what sorts of medical modalities I can get from my doctor?
Again, government regulated healthcare may not solve all these issues but these are other issues that are out there in healthcare system. Even the customer service people with Regence of Oregon told our office and a hundred other office people in their seminar on working with insurance companies. Don’t take no for an answer. If you do, they’ll deny more of your claims because they know they can. So this is customer service? Telling you how to play a game? Telling you they will see how much they can get away with? Do we need to entrust our care to people like that? I don’t think.
I will fight for my human to get good healthcare when I am president. And if I can’t, well we’ll just move to France.
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Filed Under: The Latest With Chey
July 1, 2007 at 10:45 pm
I don’t think you can move to France unless you own a white flag. But the Peoples need better health care than they get, I know my People are always super pissed about how much their “free” military medical cost them and now how hard it is to get referalls and stuff. And kitties need better medical too! I had to pay for all my own stuff when i got sick! THEY USED MY MONEY!!!
July 2, 2007 at 8:15 am
My mommy and daddy watched Sicko last nite too and they were so sad for all the Americans – who were middle class folks just like them and even had health insurance – and were in such dire straits.
She shuddered to think what their life would have been like had she lived in the US: she had a kidney disease, then kidney failure (had to go to ER even), then dialysis AND THEN a kidney transplant from daddy’s donated kidney). Oh, and then had a virus in the kidney post-transplant too, which her doctors used a very new drug protocol to eradicate it from her kidneys. She’s sure they woulda been bankrupt by now, even with insurance.
She was fortunate to live in Canada. Universal health care there isn’t purrfect, but it saved her from the money worries at least. Although she thinks her transplant clinic is the pawesomest!
Zippy, Sadie and Speedy says
July 2, 2007 at 8:51 am
Mom is finding out dat in some ways she’s almost better off without insurance. When she left her job daddy was suppose to cover her on his after da COBRA on hers ran out. Well, when dey found out how much dey wood hafta pay fur hers she said – NO! – let’s just put half dat much aside for doctor visits. Well, when she fell on da steps and cracked her tail bone she paid cash and everything dey did COST LESS! If dey hadda deal wif insurance it wooda been a lot more green papers…
July 2, 2007 at 9:25 am
I am going to have to check out that movie!
July 2, 2007 at 9:36 am
I want to see that movie! Health care costs stink. Meowmy’s co-pay just doubled (up to $40) for specialists. I don’t really know how they expect people to afford medical care. Meowmy wishes she lived in Canada.
July 2, 2007 at 10:15 am
The health care system in the U.S. is very scary. Canada’s is okay, but has other problems (long waiting lists for specialists and for certain procedures for one). Germany’s system makes a lot of sense, though. Germany has a two-tier system, where you are either covered by the government, or through a private insurance system. It seems to work quite well. There don’t seem to be long waiting lists for very many things, and those who aren’t covered by their employer’s or other private insurance, are covered by the government.
July 2, 2007 at 11:26 am
Amen sistah’! Mommy works in healthcare and sees the troubles insurance companies cause on a daily basis. We have a true healthcare crisis and until we all start taking stand it’s just going to get worse.
July 2, 2007 at 11:46 am
mommy wants to see that movie too. she says “pooey on health care” – she doesn’t haf insurance anymore since she is a consultant. that’s kind of scary.
July 2, 2007 at 1:17 pm
There is another cost to being a doctor that isn’t often discussed. Doctors have to have malpractice insurance which costs a huge amount of money. A doctor friend of ours retired from his practice early because his rates went up so high. Right now the insurance companies are running our health care system and all they care about is making more money.
July 2, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Having a national health service certainly has its bonuses. However, with the current state of our NHS, many many working people are actually opting into private medical plans – like Bupa. Did you hear about the MRSA disaster? Well, it is still happening – the human grandfather lost his foot to this as a direct result of filfthy wards. Also, national insurance contributions have risen and risen and now command a huge chunk of everyone’s paycheque. This would be fine if our nhs waiting lists weren’t so huge and our hospitals so dirty. I wish we could opt out of national insurance contributions. Still, give the nhs its due, it certainly pays the fat cats well. he he. I think the hospitals are getting better but I wonder how long it will be before another mrsa type superbug hits the wards.
July 2, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Man, oh man … I just don’t want to get into that kettle full of worms.
Grr, Midnight & Cocoa says
July 2, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Our Lady’s aunt & uncle live in France. There’s good and bad about being there too. Right now the Lady’s been comparing plans to get medical insurance for the 3 of us. It’s kind of expensive, but worth it if we were to get sick.
July 2, 2007 at 2:56 pm
I forgot that this blogger has I think the Nikon D80
LOTS of great outdoor Bengal pictures.
July 2, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Health care should be a right to everyone. Its unfortunate human kind just hasn’t been able to figure out how to do that yet.
July 2, 2007 at 6:09 pm
The Feeders have expresed interest in seeing this film as well. I am glad that it is sparking a lot of discussion.
July 2, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Thanks for reminding us that we want to see that movie, too!
July 2, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Yao-lin, the sad thing here is that people can purchase insurance and have an illness but the insurance companies won’t pay. They squirm out of this for varying reasons–trying to tell one woman she hadn’t disclosed her serious health history, when she had had a one time yeast infection or trying to claim things are pre-existing conditions.
A woman in LA died in an emergency room because she didn’t have the right insurance and they couldn’t get anyone to take her to another hospital–apparently 911 doesn’t send ambulances to emergency rooms. This also happened to a woman with a baby who was critically ill. Kaiser said they wouldn’t pay at the hospital she was brought to. The baby died before they could get her moved to a Kaiser hospital.
National healthcare may not be all it’s cracked up to be, but the US badly needs something to keep this type of stuff from happening and it seems to be happening more and more. Five years ago, I think I would have been more inclined to listen to the concerns and not been too keen on national healthcare. Now I want our insurance companies OUT.
Kimo & Sabi says
July 2, 2007 at 9:22 pm
We finks you should wear that purdy kimono to da purrthday party this week!
July 2, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Wow, Chey, you’re gonna be a really great prezident when alla us kitties elect you. You’ve got my vote!
Kittyhugs and purrs from MaoMao!
July 3, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Chey – it sounds like a terrible state of affairs. Our NHS system was founded after world war 2 and it is a brilliant system, obvioulsy it has flaws but I like to think that nothing like what you have descrbed could happen here. I can’t believe people could be refused treatment purely on financial grounds. That seems a little..I don’t know..medieval or something! This is 2007, not 1697 afterall. How sad. xx
July 3, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Yao-lin you have said it brilliantly. I can think of a greater honor than to work with you as a statesman!
July 5, 2007 at 9:43 am
My boy gets a med that isn’t generic yet, and my beans pay 30%… of $1,000 per month! Luckily, they hit the out-of-pocket max mid-year and can “Flex” their expenses (to recoup the income tax paid on that money). But if they don’t haf the cash, they haf to buy it wif the plastic money, an that has more expenses cuz of interest.
When they first needed a child psychiatrist, the HMO couldn’t get him to one for a month! He had just been expelled from 2 daycares – how could Mom wait a month? Then the HMO customer service guy suggested Mom find an out-of-plan Dr to see him sooner and Mom’s insurance (secondary) would cover it after the HMO rejected it. She did that, and he saw a doctor in 7 days. Since then, they dropped the secondary insurance an pay that doctor an anofur cash, an that’s less than they was payin fur the second insurance AND all their nasty paperwork.
Mom hates health insurance companies. More than lawyers an used car salesmen. Oh, don’t get her started!
July 5, 2007 at 9:49 am
PS Mom was amazed the HMO customer service dude suggested she go out-of-plan. He’s not supposed to do that, but was actyouly HUMAN! The boy has Asperger’s Syndrome, anxiety wif inappropriate behavior, and some mood instability. He was expelled from 6 daycares afore they found one that would work wif them and him. Instead of tossing him out after the first tantrum, they learned to help him control himself an efun learned to prevent the tantrums in the firstest place. He’s well-medicated now and werkin on social issues an doin GRATE.
Oh, but it was REALLY funny when Mom pushed the screaming boy into his room fur a timeout an poor Bonnie was asleep in there! She accidentally timed out Bonnie! 🙂
July 5, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Please don’t get Mom started on the subject of health insurance companies!!!
Having owned a business for 25 years and dealing with horrendous premium increases, denial of claims, etc. etc. etc., she uses all the words on the “bad word list” when talking about that and feels like putting her foot through the TV screen when their commercials come on. Right now, United Healthcare has denied refilling a Rx for Ambien for one employee. Who knows what is best for the patient – their own doctor or some jerk at United Healthcare??
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