Insurance companies, AAARRRRGGGHHHH

  I have mentioned before how I believe insurance companies are the direct cause of the health care problems in the country.  Before insurance companies stuck their noses in your medical bills everyone could basically afford to go to the doctor.  Prices were reasonable.  You had one doctor who wasn't afraid to treat you and didn't have to order thousands of dollars worth of tests to tell you what is wrong.  Now they are all in a huge uncaring group and over-charge you by thousands of dollars and play with the billing terms all so the all important insurance company will pay a portion of the bill.  They charge you 10,000 for what would have cost 2000.00 so they will break even.  The insurance company will then use their power to deny or just pay a very small amount on every claim.  It is all in the wording.  They charge you for a surgery instead of a test so they can bill more which the insurance company will only pay 25% of and your stuck with the rest.  The 25% is still more then what the test is worth.  You can't get needed tests or surgery if your insurance company, untrained in the medical field, say you can.  It is up to the insurance company if you can even be treated.  

   I see so many people, myself included, who no longer go to the doctor because they can't afford it.  They don't get their medications filled because they can't afford it.  They come in extremely sick where if they could have gotten treated early, they would have had a better chance of survival.  We do not need socialized medicine, we already have it.  We got it the day we let the insurance company take so much control over our health care.  We need to take the power away from insurance companies.  We have to get rid of the ridiculous lawsuits agains't doctors for things which would not have happened if the insurance companies had let the patient get treated early.

    I am supposed to get lung studies done on an outpatient basis.  Of course I can't afford to do that so I will probably not do it.  I have some knowledge on things to do to improve my lung function so I will do them at home, but other then that I have racked up enough medical bills to last me a lifetime.  DRG's, HMO, PPO's have ruined healthcare for all of us and need to be eliminated.  I am old enough to remember how it used to be.  Insurance companies said there were abuses.  Well I tell you nothing like there are now.  The insurance company has created abusers by the multitude.  It is the norm now instead of the exception.

   Along as I am ranting and raving about the state our country is in, what is it about these new smoking bills?  How stupid and ridiculous are they.  You can't smoke here and you can't smoke there.  People freely screaming for their government to take away more of their freedoms and make it a law!  It should be up to each individual place whether or not they want smoking on their property.  I just now heard another story about how some state, I think Oregan or something,  is banning smoking in all public places.  All the bars and restarants started making patio's so thier customers could sit outside in their little cages and smoke.  Now 2 days before the ban goes into place they are told it will now be banned anywhere within 25 feet of these places.  Big Brother is Watching and taking your common sense along with it.  Next will be drinking in public bars putting millions of businesses out of business.  Some place is already thinking about entering the bar and arresting people before they leave and get in their cars!  I do not believe in drinking and driving,  I do believe in freedom.  You pop drinkers had better watch out.  They are going to be  focusing on you next.  Watch out you gum chewers.  Give me a break.  Don't let government get involved ever in taking any of your rights away as they will always mess it up. They should only be their to protect your rights and they aren't doing that great of job of it lately as it is.

   OK, I must have woken up cracky today as you can see.  I just get so sad as I see the world these days as a very sad place for my wonderful grandbabies to be growing up in.  I see people fighting the wrongs things.  I don't know, maybe people aren't smart enough anymore to make these decisions themselves, after all we all sit here and let this stuff happen with nary a complaint or public outcry.  I worked last night.  I was supposed to take the day off because of my cath but my boss assured me I would have extra help and I was a sucker and believed here.  There wasn't and I almost had problems as my puncture site start oozing at work.  That can be serious as it is the femoral artery they go through and you don't want that big vessel to start bleeding.  So there I sit in the bathroom holding pressure on my site and hoping I don't spring a leak big time.  It was a very busy night and I had rooms from one end of the hall to the other.  Even your co-workers won't catch you some slack for one night.  But I should have insisted on staying home for my sake.  It did all work out though and my puncture site now looks good and closed.  I did tell my boss though that it was a mistake coming to work.  I would have told any of my patients to not work.

    I ate great at work last night.  Lean crusine dinner,  large spinach salad with cranberries, nuts and balsamic dressing, applesauce.  Later I had 2 multigrain rice cakes.  I also had a large tea and water.  Pretty good.

   Now I think I will go meditate and get in a peaceful state of mind.  My patients don't need my righteous self storming around tonight.  Gee I can't even blame in on PMS anymore.  Sorry just me feeling B----y.  It is good sometimes to vent.