I just fired my dentist. He's a nice guy, his staff is great and his office is orderly. He's a competent dentist and we've had him for fourteen years. But I don't like him. When my daughters or I pay him a visit he always finds something outside of a normal cleaning to do. I am so tired of bite wing x-rays every year for no other reason than he wants to find something else to charge me for. He loves to poke my gums and measure them. He loves to give my daughters flouride treatments and seal their teeth. He loves to find little problems "that may turn into something big some day."
His office is really fancy and it's only open four days a week. He tells me about his parties and vacations and I couldn't help but notice his new hair plugs. I feel like his affluent life depends on finding something to bill me for. I doesn't occur to the dentist that my health insurance only pays for eighty percent of whatever the insurance company deems fair. I always end up paying big bucks no matter if it is for routine care or necessary care.
So I tried to find a new dentist. My criteria: no unnecessary care, someone who does community service or accepts medi-cal and who does not use mercury or flouride during their procedures. I thought I found a new candidate and made an appointment. The dentist photographed us, poked us, x-rayed us and proceeded to show us why we needed several thousands of dollars worth of dental work. Hey, she has a new fancy imaging machine to pay for just like my old dentist. No go. Major fail.
I told my mother-in-law about my issues. She said "They have to take x-rays so they can find things before they get too big." I told her I wouldn't expect my doctor to x-ray my body every few years just so he can catch something before it gets too big so I don't understand why the dentist is any different.
It comes down to the fact that we have health insurance, sucky as it is. The dentists are more inclined to push treatment upon us because we have insurance. Dentist don't take medi-cal anymore because medi-cal doesn't cover anything but necessary x-rays and extractions.
Even Kaiser, once held on a pedalstool as the ultimate HMO isn't an all inclusive package anymore. People used to brag that they had no co-pay and free prescriptions. You won't find that at Kaiser anymore. We went to kaiser when our doctor moved there. We pay three hundred dollars above what our employer pays to insure our family. Our office visits are $40.00 with an 80/20 split and we pay a lot for prescriptions.
I went to the doctor for a problem with my throat. I paid $40.00 for the office visit, I was prescribed anti-acids (for $25.00) and urged to get a mammogram (for $50.00). The problem persisted but I decided not to go back. I was afraid they would presribe me Xanex and send me for a cardiogram.
Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on how to fix our healthcare system. The Democrats limp along, dodging universal healthcare and pandering to corporate driven healthcare because they are afraid of being called socialists. While the Republicans want everyone to fend for themselves because, to them, little government means no social programs and a huge military. So I'd like to offer some suggestions to help them along.
1. I don't give a shit who runs it, a private or public organization, but it should be NOT FOR PROFIT. It is grossly indecent of us as a society, no matter how "capitalist" or "free trade" we may be, to suggest that it is acceptable to make money on sick people.
2. Torte reform. Being awarded obscene amounts of money is not going to bring junior back. Sending people to jail and holding them accountable for neglibible acts (FDA, CEOs and shitty doctors I'm looking at you) is much more effective.
3. All subsidies and research funding for medical advancement should go into the university system. All patents obtained, based on that funding, for medicine, technology and procedures should be held by society as a whole.
4. And finally (this one is my favorite), the legislatures in all of their plentiful forms, city, county, state and federal, should have the same benefits as people on medicaid. They should consider themselves lucky too because that is more than many working families can get right now.
That ought to do it for now.
Love, Constance
Showing posts with label medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medicine. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Your balls depend on it!
So I've been gone a while. Hope you noticed. I've been gone because I didn't think what I was saying mattered. I wasn't moping but it's like that line in Evita when Eva tells her husband Colonel Peron "it's hard to keep momentum when it's you that you are following." Honestly, I don't expect followers. A blog really is just a vanity piece for those of us control freaks that feel the need to be heard. I don't consider myself vain. I didn't believe it mattered. After all, look down, no comments. So why keep going you ask? Because while I was away, I decided it does matter. I want what I feel to be out there. So I'm still going to rant like a mother fucker. But....I wanted to offer something also....solutions. If not, then it is out there anyway.
First, you need to get motivated.
So off we go. New documentary. FLOW - For Love of Water. It is on. The privatization of our natural resources has begun. This documentary talks about water specifically but water isn't the only resource being sold off to the highest bidder: water, power, medicine, land, trees, etc. Who owns them? Should they be free? How much should it cost? Who should have access? Who should have control? Should someone make a profit? Capitalism is fine but not went it extorts from us, our basic necessities for survival.
The Environmental Protection Agency has done little to monitor and protect our water. Plastic "offgasses" chemicals that resemble estrogen. Pesticides such as Atrazine, which is banned in Europe yet made by a European company, does the same. The fish in the Seines river have all become female. It may very well be true that animal populations, including humans, are becoming feminized. How is that for chemical castration? Bet those old, rich conservative assholes who rule the world will take notice now
The World bank has given exculsive rights to a handful of companies to exploit water from third world countries that cannot defend themselves. In these countries the World Bank cannot be sued. These companies have seized control of the water sources and are selling it back to the people for a profit. These are people that need clean water the most. In a country where we use clean water to wash away our waste, we do not recognize that water is a not a renewable resource. Only so much fresh water falls from the sky.
In this country, our politicians lease our land to large companies, such as Nestle, for a pittance ($60,000 for 100 years). Moreover, local governments wave taxes for up to ten years to encourage these large companies to set up shop under the premise that the company will bring jobs. They pump out all of the ground water and sell it the public in little plastic bottles. Surrounding farmers, ranchers and communities lose their clean water source. Nestle owns many of these sites throughout the U.S. So far, they have not been stopped in court.
We are being held captive by oil companies who refuse to develop and utilize new sustainable technologies. BP has polluted the lower half of our Atlantic border, just as Exxon destroyed the Northwest Pacific and still the Courts have denied a moratorium on drilling. BP is a British company that does not pay their share of taxes in the United States and yet they have made the largest profits in the world pumping the oil off our coast. Why do our leaders allow that? Campaign funding I suspect. Do any of us have a choice regarding what power company we use?
So what are we to do. We are not victims. We are fucking enablers. We chug down bottled water while we fire up our gas leaf blowers and SUVs. And let's face it, we don't vote and we don't call our bureacrats and even if we do it doesn't matter. Corporation and State have merged. If that's true, then there is only one way to achieve peace....start paying attention to what you buy. It's that simple. We have the power. We can spend all the evil doers into oblivion if we start paying attention. So I'm gong to do my part. I've learned a lttle. Maybe someone out there will have something to add. It is going to be fun. Your balls depend on it.
In the meantime, you can sign the petition for Article 31 if you are so moved. This is a proposed amendement to the International Declaration of Human Rights that would declare affordable, clean water for every member of Earth.
Love, Constance
First, you need to get motivated.
So off we go. New documentary. FLOW - For Love of Water. It is on. The privatization of our natural resources has begun. This documentary talks about water specifically but water isn't the only resource being sold off to the highest bidder: water, power, medicine, land, trees, etc. Who owns them? Should they be free? How much should it cost? Who should have access? Who should have control? Should someone make a profit? Capitalism is fine but not went it extorts from us, our basic necessities for survival.
The Environmental Protection Agency has done little to monitor and protect our water. Plastic "offgasses" chemicals that resemble estrogen. Pesticides such as Atrazine, which is banned in Europe yet made by a European company, does the same. The fish in the Seines river have all become female. It may very well be true that animal populations, including humans, are becoming feminized. How is that for chemical castration? Bet those old, rich conservative assholes who rule the world will take notice now
The World bank has given exculsive rights to a handful of companies to exploit water from third world countries that cannot defend themselves. In these countries the World Bank cannot be sued. These companies have seized control of the water sources and are selling it back to the people for a profit. These are people that need clean water the most. In a country where we use clean water to wash away our waste, we do not recognize that water is a not a renewable resource. Only so much fresh water falls from the sky.
In this country, our politicians lease our land to large companies, such as Nestle, for a pittance ($60,000 for 100 years). Moreover, local governments wave taxes for up to ten years to encourage these large companies to set up shop under the premise that the company will bring jobs. They pump out all of the ground water and sell it the public in little plastic bottles. Surrounding farmers, ranchers and communities lose their clean water source. Nestle owns many of these sites throughout the U.S. So far, they have not been stopped in court.
We are being held captive by oil companies who refuse to develop and utilize new sustainable technologies. BP has polluted the lower half of our Atlantic border, just as Exxon destroyed the Northwest Pacific and still the Courts have denied a moratorium on drilling. BP is a British company that does not pay their share of taxes in the United States and yet they have made the largest profits in the world pumping the oil off our coast. Why do our leaders allow that? Campaign funding I suspect. Do any of us have a choice regarding what power company we use?
So what are we to do. We are not victims. We are fucking enablers. We chug down bottled water while we fire up our gas leaf blowers and SUVs. And let's face it, we don't vote and we don't call our bureacrats and even if we do it doesn't matter. Corporation and State have merged. If that's true, then there is only one way to achieve peace....start paying attention to what you buy. It's that simple. We have the power. We can spend all the evil doers into oblivion if we start paying attention. So I'm gong to do my part. I've learned a lttle. Maybe someone out there will have something to add. It is going to be fun. Your balls depend on it.
In the meantime, you can sign the petition for Article 31 if you are so moved. This is a proposed amendement to the International Declaration of Human Rights that would declare affordable, clean water for every member of Earth.
Love, Constance
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