Change the American Healthcare System today...The State of Medical Care in America
The State of Medical Care in America...:
"EddieWasSnubbed"
I believe the American
medical system needs to be fixed.
It is very broken and as a whole, I feel that the average American pays WAY too much into the medical system. I have said it before, and I'll say it again, the insurance industry is the biggest fraud of an industry in the country. In my opinion, an even bigger fraud than all these people we're bailing out. Sadly, I feel that it's the insurance industry that is the reason why it is so hard to change our system.
I say all this as a health-care worker. I see sick people every day: People with acute injuries, such as your typical senior citizen with a broken hip down to chronic problems (one case that particularly had me thinking, was a guy I saw that had a malignant neoplasm of his kidney). Make no doubt about it, if you asked anyone I worked with, they would say that I give great patient care, but I feel like I would gain more out of my profession if I worked in a better system.
I can't help but add up the cost of just about every person I deal with's stay in the hospital. It's quite depressing. Insurance or no insurance, you usually run the risk of breaking your bank account when you have to stay an extended period of time in a hospital.
I absolutely love my job and what I do, don't get me wrong. But like I said, if our system was better off, I would be much happier.
Take into account my recent experience...Like I said, I work at a hospital, so you'd think I would have a great insurance plan. Wrong. I went into my primary care physician (who, by the way, is connected to the place that I work) to have some plantar's warts treated. After three acid treatments, I got a bill for 315 dollars. That is something I could have done for 15 dollars myself, at home. This was after a 20 dollar copay each time. And I have a 250 dollar deductible.
A lady I work with had both her parents get into a car accident this past year. Her dad stayed in the hospital for a month before he died, and her mom was in an ICU for a month before she was released. Both were insured. My co-worker is now in debt of over 150K from these hospital stays alone. That's a broken system, in my opinion.
I don't really know the ins and outs of the tax system, so I can't give an accurate plan to fix things, but I think Obama had somewhat the right idea. I say that you take all the tax money that we, as Americans pay into the system to support medicare and medicaid programs, and you reward us Americans by expanding that program, thus more than likely removing the negative connotation associated with the program. It makes no sense to me, as a taxpayer, that I should be paying taxes to pay for someone else's medical bills (medicaid bills usually come as no cost to the people on medicaid...and quite honestly, I have been on it before) when I can't even afford my own.
So, I pay God-knows how much tax money for someone who doesn't work (therefore, probably doesn't pay into medicaid) to go to the ER for a shoulder that they hurt 20 years ago(I have literally seen this happen before...at 3AM), and then I turn around and pay for my own insurance, and after that, have to pay for whatever bills my insurance doesn't cover, which right now, is just about everything.
I say that you have to expand the medicaid program and make it more accessible to everyone, leaving insurance companies to compete. The reason I feel this won't ever happen is (a) money (you'd have to raise taxes to supplement this) and (b) it would bring about bankruptcy for most insurance companies.
It's just so unfortunate, that, in the United States of America, the supposed greatest country on Earth, we have a medical system that is worse than quite a few third-rate countries.
Have you seen any infant mortality rates(in which we rank just behind Brunei, Cyprus, and New Caledonia), or life expectancy (in which we rank just behind Bosnia and Herzegovina, Puerto Rico, and Jordan)....it's just bad.
Sorry for the rant...
The State of Medical Care in America...
: "EddieWasSnubbed"
BUT PUT YOUR RANT ON YOUR CONGRESSMAN!
Follow the BARKING DOG.... send it to your Senators and Congressman, today!
__________________
Let's redefine what it means to heal...
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Does Toxic Chinese Drywall Signal the Need for U.S. Trade Law Changes?
http://www.manufacturethis.org/2009/06/26/does-toxic-chinese-drywall-signal-the-need-for-us-trade-law-changes/
Toxic drywall imported from China and into homes primarily in coastal areas has been causing rancid odors, rotting wood and wiring, and serious health problems for homeowners.
The multiple class action lawsuits initiated by homeowners and contactors against the importers of the defective drywall as well as its Chinese manufacturers lead to a large drywall litigation conference held in Orlando in early June. Additionally, the federal judicial panel that assigns multi-district lawsuits to specific courts has aggregated the lawsuits and assigned them to be tried in New Orleans, a city that has had significant problems with the deadly drywall after shortages due in part to repairs made necessary by Hurricane Katrina decreased the availability of safe U.S.-made product. Observers expect these proceedings to be long and complex, as hundreds of suits have already been filed. However, that figure is nowhere near the number of homeowner complaints as Florida alone is investigating nearly 500 claims, and a dozen other states are dealing with reports of problems. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently launched a Drywall Information Center web site to assist homeowners and track data. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Center for Disease Control are also actively addressing the toxic drywall crisis. State agencies and legislators in affected states are investigating the problem, and the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate are aggressively pursuing answers and remedies for affected homeowners. Florida Congressman Robert Wexler calls the toxic drywall problem “an acute and growing crisis” and along with other Congressmen and Senators, he is calling for an immediate ban of Chinese drywall and stricter safety regulations for future imports of building materials. Federal legislators are also calling on the IRS to allow homeowners to take a full tax credit under casualty loss provisions in the tax code to help them afford toxic drywall repairs. All levels of government are clearly taking his problem very seriously and looking for swift and innovative ways to provide relief. However, the extent to which homeowners must go – stripping walls down to studs in most cases – promises a long and expensive process, and the long term prognosis for people who have become ill from the drywall is yet unknown. Poisoned dog food, tainted toothpaste, contaminated toys, exploding tires and toxic drywall – what will it take for U.S. trade and commerce agencies to enact policies that put a burden on China’s manufacturers to prove that their products are safe before their widgets even step foot on our shores?
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http://www.manufacturethis.org/2009/06/26/does-toxic-chinese-drywall-signal-the-need-for-us-trade-law-changes/
Toxic drywall imported from China and into homes primarily in coastal areas has been causing rancid odors, rotting wood and wiring, and serious health problems for homeowners.
The multiple class action lawsuits initiated by homeowners and contactors against the importers of the defective drywall as well as its Chinese manufacturers lead to a large drywall litigation conference held in Orlando in early June. Additionally, the federal judicial panel that assigns multi-district lawsuits to specific courts has aggregated the lawsuits and assigned them to be tried in New Orleans, a city that has had significant problems with the deadly drywall after shortages due in part to repairs made necessary by Hurricane Katrina decreased the availability of safe U.S.-made product. Observers expect these proceedings to be long and complex, as hundreds of suits have already been filed. However, that figure is nowhere near the number of homeowner complaints as Florida alone is investigating nearly 500 claims, and a dozen other states are dealing with reports of problems. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently launched a Drywall Information Center web site to assist homeowners and track data. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Center for Disease Control are also actively addressing the toxic drywall crisis. State agencies and legislators in affected states are investigating the problem, and the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate are aggressively pursuing answers and remedies for affected homeowners. Florida Congressman Robert Wexler calls the toxic drywall problem “an acute and growing crisis” and along with other Congressmen and Senators, he is calling for an immediate ban of Chinese drywall and stricter safety regulations for future imports of building materials. Federal legislators are also calling on the IRS to allow homeowners to take a full tax credit under casualty loss provisions in the tax code to help them afford toxic drywall repairs. All levels of government are clearly taking his problem very seriously and looking for swift and innovative ways to provide relief. However, the extent to which homeowners must go – stripping walls down to studs in most cases – promises a long and expensive process, and the long term prognosis for people who have become ill from the drywall is yet unknown. Poisoned dog food, tainted toothpaste, contaminated toys, exploding tires and toxic drywall – what will it take for U.S. trade and commerce agencies to enact policies that put a burden on China’s manufacturers to prove that their products are safe before their widgets even step foot on our shores?
##
Blame the BUSH and CLINTON Years of Neglect of CPSC
Don't Blame Chinese Imported Products!
by William A. Ruskin
by William A. Ruskin
In his recent article, "Made in China: Consumer Product Lawsuits Imported to the United States", Seattle defense lawyer and IADC member Gregory Shelton offers American importers several good suggestions for avoiding potential liability from imported products. These include: (1) requiring the exporter to comply with all applicable U.S. product quality standards and product safety regulations; (2) obtaining legal counsel in the exporter's home jurisdiction; (3) requiring the exporter to obtain appropriate insurance coverage from an American or international insurer that will protect the importer in the event of a recall or lawsuit; and (4) retaining good legal counsel early. I would add to Greg's checklist: (5) having an independent U.S. consultant available to test, if necessary, the components of imported products, particularly if an American consumer reports a complaint to the company or to the CPSC. Early independent product evaluation can be critical for an importer in planning its next steps, such as whether to perform a recall or halt future shipments until an issue can be addressed. There are many good consultant firms to chose from. One excellent consultant up-to-speed on the new CPSC requirements is Exponent.
However, we disagree with Mr. Shelton when he argues that Chinese imports are more likely to result in lawsuits or recalls than imports from other countries. There is simply no empirical evidence to support this assertion. To the contrary, China has made enormous progress, particularly over the last year, to police its domestic suppliers. To blame China for the spate of recalls over the last couple of years is to ignore the past lack of adequate funding for the CPSC, the agency that provides regulatory oversight of consumer products. Moreover, blaming China results in Americans turning a blind eye to problems in our domestic product supply chain.
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