April Economics, Politics, Religion, and Healthcare Thread

[carolina_yankee]

Originally Posted by lpereira

When I got up this morning I sat outside to watch the sunrise. It's a regular habit but somehow it seems more glorious on Easter morning. This morning, as I was sitting and watching, I thought of a former regular patient of mine.
Working private service you get some of the 911 type calls but you also see a lot of nonemergency calls. Dialysis mostly. You get to know these people very well because you see them 3 times every week. There was one patient- in a nursing home- who became a regular of mine. Every morning my partner and I would arrive to pick the her up and take her to dialysis. And every morning we would arrive to find her husband sitting patient by her bedside. He came every day to the home around 6 am and stayed until 11 every night. On dialysis days he would get in his own car and drive over to the dialysis clinic and sit with her there for the duration of her treatment. Typically centers do not allow people to sit with patients during treatment but somehow they made and exception for him. For years I watched this go on and he would always decline to ride in the ambulance because he couldn't sit with his wife.
Then one day the call came to take her to the emergency room. My partner and I "jumped" the call (because I wanted to- I just had a feeling) and got ourselves dispatched to to scene. We got in the room and things were definitely not going well but she had a DNR. So I asked the husband, "what do you want to do?" His first response was "I don't want to lose her." His second was "I want her to be free."
It was all I needed to know- DNR still in effect. He followed us out to the ambulance and watched us put his wife in before turning to go to his car. I told him he could ride in the back this time and my partner and I helped him in. It was the quietest ride I have ever taken in an ambulance. By the time we got to the hospital it was done and there was nothing left but to turn over the body for doctor confirmation, get our report signed, and leave. It should have taken 10 minutes tops. Except I looked at him sitting in that room, all by himself, in a busy ER. I looked at my partner and told him to go outside and down our truck with dispatch. I didn't care what lie he made up- just find one and get the truck pulled out of service. I went back in the room and asked the man who was coming and how long would it take for them to arrive. He had a child coming and though it would be 30 minutes. So I sat down next to him and waited. I stayed until his family arrived.
I did draw a week's suspension without pay for the stunt. But the lesson for today and what brought the memory back is this. It is not necessary to climb up on a cross and get nailed to it- to hang there until you die- to sacrifice for others. Outside of one Catholic Church in my neighborhood I don't think people even do that anymore. But it is the small things we do that matter in this world. That man gave years and years of his life in service to his wife. And the least thing someone could do for him was to give him the same- even briefly.

The heart of a chaplain - thank you for sharing the memory.

I hope your daughter finds justice in the Easter Basket distribution! I have to make sure kids stay in church until the dismissal instead of disappearing after receiving communion so the older ones don't get a jump start on the Easter Egg hunt.

Dirk

[henrycpa91]

You just brought me to tears....Thank you.

Originally Posted by lpereira

When I got up this morning I sat outside to watch the sunrise. It's a regular habit but somehow it seems more glorious on Easter morning. This morning, as I was sitting and watching, I thought of a former regular patient of mine.
Working private service you get some of the 911 type calls but you also see a lot of nonemergency calls. Dialysis mostly. You get to know these people very well because you see them 3 times every week. There was one patient- in a nursing home- who became a regular of mine. Every morning my partner and I would arrive to pick the her up and take her to dialysis. And every morning we would arrive to find her husband sitting patient by her bedside. He came every day to the home around 6 am and stayed until 11 every night. On dialysis days he would get in his own car and drive over to the dialysis clinic and sit with her there for the duration of her treatment. Typically centers do not allow people to sit with patients during treatment but somehow they made and exception for him. For years I watched this go on and he would always decline to ride in the ambulance because he couldn't sit with his wife.
Then one day the call came to take her to the emergency room. My partner and I "jumped" the call (because I wanted to- I just had a feeling) and got ourselves dispatched to to scene. We got in the room and things were definitely not going well but she had a DNR. So I asked the husband, "what do you want to do?" His first response was "I don't want to lose her." His second was "I want her to be free."
It was all I needed to know- DNR still in effect. He followed us out to the ambulance and watched us put his wife in before turning to go to his car. I told him he could ride in the back this time and my partner and I helped him in. It was the quietest ride I have ever taken in an ambulance. By the time we got to the hospital it was done and there was nothing left but to turn over the body for doctor confirmation, get our report signed, and leave. It should have taken 10 minutes tops. Except I looked at him sitting in that room, all by himself, in a busy ER. I looked at my partner and told him to go outside and down our truck with dispatch. I didn't care what lie he made up- just find one and get the truck pulled out of service. I went back in the room and asked the man who was coming and how long would it take for them to arrive. He had a child coming and though it would be 30 minutes. So I sat down next to him and waited. I stayed until his family arrived.
I did draw a week's suspension without pay for the stunt. But the lesson for today and what brought the memory back is this. It is not necessary to climb up on a cross and get nailed to it- to hang there until you die- to sacrifice for others. Outside of one Catholic Church in my neighborhood I don't think people even do that anymore. But it is the small things we do that matter in this world. That man gave years and years of his life in service to his wife. And the least thing someone could do for him was to give him the same- even briefly.

Now I am getting ready to head out for the day. Talked to my daughter this morning. She is uber pissed right now. Her Easter Basket arrived and passed customs earlier this week. This morning it was out on the dining room table in all it's commercialist glory. However her grandmother has decided that the Easter basket is for all the grandchildren and family members who are coming around today. HE can look at it and have a piece after everyone else gets a share.

[henrycpa91]

Originally Posted by Eric

It's also a country where many people rail against government handouts (when they don't need them) but are the first to line up (when they do).

I'm sorry, but I'm with Dirk here: whether healthcare is a right shouldn't be up for discussion.

But it is, and you and Dirk do not get to make the call...

and what happens when 50% of the people disagree with you?

[carolina_yankee]

Originally Posted by henrycpa91

But it is, and you and Dirk do not get to make the call...

and what happens when 50% of the people disagree with you?

Jamie, what's your cite for 50% of the people disagreeing that healthcare is a right? I can believe 50% of the people hate Obama care. Heck. I can believe 90% of the people hate Obamacare. That's a different question, though.

I would wager that if you asked some variation of the question:

"Does an injured person have a right to healthcare at the emergency room"

an overwhelming majority, would say "Yes."

The argument we are having as a nation IS NOT over a right to healthcare. The argument is over HOW TO PAY for healthcare.

Dirk

[Eric]

Originally Posted by carolina_yankee

J
The argument we are having as a nation IS NOT over a right to healthcare. The argument is over HOW TO PAY for healthcare.

Bingo.

And even if you *could* find 50% (which I highly doubt), I think that virtually 0% of them plan on foregoing Medicare if they qualify.

So, they talk the talk, but do not walk the walk.

[mouser2]

we are in this situation with healthcare, and our deficit, because basically repubs have been running around for the past 12 years giving the voters everything they want without paying for it. its what the voter expects now. the most reliable voters in the republican party are solidly against raising taxes. while at the same time the politicians that represent these voters also know they can't get elected or hold a majority actually doing what needs to done legislatively to achieve this. the voters that put them over the top to win presidential elections, and majorities in congress, wouldn't stand for the cuts that would make this happen. so here we are at a crossroads. one of the biggest drags on our economy is the blank check business writes every year for health insurance for their employees. it is increasingly hard for new business start ups to get good talent in our country. part of the reason business has increasingly become large, and to big to fail, is because you need a large pool of employees to offset the jackpot that a few employees that get sick, or get hurt accidentally, can put on your health insurance. small business just can't compete because of this situation. our health insurance conundrum ties in with the state our economy is currently in. now it appears this will probably drag on even longer....

[mouser2]

ipereira thanks for the inspirational post. we have been dealing with issues like this in our family recently. my wife had cancer this past year, but fortunately it was very treatable, and we have been able to put it behind us. there was a period of time that we were really concerned, and these types of things weighed on our mind.

my uncle served in vietnam at the denang airforce base for 2 years. he's an engineer, and he spent his time there decoding messages. as anyone that is familiar with the vietnam war knows they sprayed agent orange at the denag air force base on a regular basis to keep the jungle at bay so our airplanes could land. well he has lou gehrigs disease, and his time is limited to a few years. he was in town this past week and we got to see and visit with him. we are catholics, and my mom and him are polar opposites. he is very catholic, and my mom not so much... thankfully it has never come between them and we have always been close as a family. i read an excellent book this past year dealing with this subject, and i must say i spent the few days it took to read it with a handkerchief in one hand and the book in the other... the author is john grogan. the writer of marley and me. the title is the longest trip home. i would suggest this book to anyone, especially with someone that is dealing with illness on a daily basis. here is a link to barnes and noble and the book

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/the-...re=allproducts

[henrycpa91]

Here you go Dirk. I misquoted a bit (not intentional) but the point is the same. 47% believe it is a right.... 50% believe it is neither a right or a priviledge.

Zogby Interactive: Sharp Red, Blue Divide On U.S. Healthcare System
UTICA, New York - U.S. adults of different political ideologies have extremely different views about the nation's healthcare system, according to a new Zogby International interactive poll. Overall 63% rate the U.S. healthcare system as excellent or good, but only 43% give those combined high marks to the system's value. Forty-seven percent believe that affordable healthcare is a right, and 30% say it is a privilege. Another 20% believe it is neither.

http://www.ibopezogby.com/news/2009/...thcare-system/

Originally Posted by carolina_yankee

Jamie, what's your cite for 50% of the people disagreeing that healthcare is a right? I can believe 50% of the people hate Obama care. Heck. I can believe 90% of the people hate Obamacare. That's a different question, though.

I would wager that if you asked some variation of the question:

"Does an injured person have a right to healthcare at the emergency room"

an overwhelming majority, would say "Yes."

The argument we are having as a nation IS NOT over a right to healthcare. The argument is over HOW TO PAY for healthcare.

Dirk

[henrycpa91]

That is because they have paid for Medicare since 1936!

Originally Posted by Eric

Bingo.

And even if you *could* find 50% (which I highly doubt), I think that virtually 0% of them plan on foregoing Medicare if they qualify.

So, they talk the talk, but do not walk the walk.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by henrycpa91

That is because they have paid for Medicare since 1936!

But they haven't. Medicare and Social Security aren't plans where *you* pay in, and then *YOUR* money pays for *your* benefits.

They can't possibly work that way. They're ponzi schemes.