I am by far no expert on health care.
I do find it disturbing that we're about to institute national health care similar to Canada and the UK, which have serious problems, instead of trying to fix the system already in place.
The administration says it's all about giving health care to every American, including those who cannot afford it. That's great, but I thought that's what Medicaid and Medicare were for.
I gathered up some very recent articles on the Canadian and UK health care system. It's pretty interesting, and if you don't feel like reading the whole article, I've posted some snippets below.
Article on Canada's wait time from June 2009 (WTA = Wait Time Alliance):
"In this year's report, the WTA evaluated wait times in the priority areas and beyond and found that a majority of patients had wait times that exceeded the 18-week target used by the WTA.
'The study showed that for many of the medical specialities in Canada examined, we don't even come close to meeting that target,' said Bellan. 'There remains a great deal of unfinished business when it comes to addressing wait times in Canada.'"
The full article can be found here.
Here's an article on wait time in Wales from July 13th 2009. Keep in mind, 26 weeks is over six months. Targeted wait time is 14 weeks - that's still over 3 months:
"DOZENS of patients requiring hospital treatment outside Gwent are waiting longer than anticipated - and the delays are worrying health chiefs who are working towards ambitious new targets.
By the end of December, no-one in Wales should have to wait more than 26 weeks for treatment from the time they are referred on by their GP.
Within this 26-week period, known as the referral-to-treatment time (RTT), there are a series of what are called component waits, for the likes of first outpatient appointments, diagnostic tests, alternatives to treatment such as physiotherapy, and treatment itself.
The target component wait for treatment is 14 weeks, and the latest available figures - for the end of May - show that 127 Gwent patients had waited longer than this."
The full article can be found here.
Wait times are getting better in the UK, due to the NHS instituting target time frames. Unfortunately, this has created another serious issue. This article is from the Times Online (London), from June 9th, 2009:
“Waiting time targets in the NHS are hampering efforts to reduce “superbug” infections such as MRSA, doctors’ leaders have claimed.
Patients are being placed on dirty beds to help hospitals meet the requirement to start treatment within four hours of admission.
Today the British Medical Association (BMA) called on the Government to allow more flexibility in the target to ensure there is enough time to clean equipment.
Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, said: 'This report provides further evidence that the Government's obsession with targets is putting patient safety at risk.'
'Ministers need to stop micromanaging the NHS and trust doctors and nurses to decide the best way to care for their patients.'”
The full article can be found here.
From a more local perspective, Matt Best at PAWaterCooler.com has some excellent questions here.
And finally, a Steven Crowder mini-documentary on navigating the Canadian health care system.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Fist Of Deth
Photo credit to Dilbert
Another big weekend.
I have put in 40 hours at work since Friday evening.
I'm still tired, and have no tolerance for buttheads at work that don't listen to the resident expert, which is me.
On Sunday, I got a call to check if there were any problems in our application's logs. It seems another app support group who's software talks to mine, saw an intermittent error. Butthead insisted that the last time it happened, it was a code problem on my side.
Well, here's the thing. We haven't had a code change in weeks. Server was trucking along with no issues.
So I ask if he's traced the transmission to see if there's data missing. Because, dude, that's what your error means. Data. Missing.
Of course he didn't, because he ASS - U - ME D that it was us. Didn't look any further. It took an act of God, and lots of threats from me, to make him finally do it. And guess what? It was data missing on his side.
Two hours of my life I'll never get back.
Today, a different butthead asks for an approval for a code change. Emergency fix, you know. Has to be done tonight. If I'm putting my name on an approval for a change to code, I'm sure as hell going to make sure due diligence was done.
Turns out he never tested part of it. I won't go into the specifics, but it wasn't done as proper procedure, and he knew that. Told him to go back and test. He decided to try and push it through anyway, and went to someone else for approval, and got the smack down. Thankfully, this other person realized that butthead was pulling a sneaky.
Told butthead to load the new code for testing (in a test application). He made another analyst do it.
Lazy fu(k3r.
I don't normally have this problem with people. I don't know why, exactly, these two give me crap. Although I have a suspicion that it has something to do with them belonging to a culture that still buys and sells women, and treats them as property.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Officially Infected
I finally got hold of the new doctors office. They are accepting new patients – yay! But cannot book me an appointment for at least 6 weeks – crap!
It seems only existing patients can be seen immediately for an illness. Which is fair, I was just surprised at the wait time for new patients. In the meantime, they told me to go to the urgent care office at the local grocery store. I told them I equated that with going to the emergency room, so I opted to go to back my existing doctor.
I better get used to it though. A 6 week wait will be nothing compared to the wait times once we have national health care. Also, I won't be allowed to be snotty about which doctor I want to see, since I won't have a choice. I did the HMO thing for several years, and let me tell ya, it ain't fun.
Anyway, I saw the physician's assistant at my old doc's office. I am officially the owner of a nice, fat sinus infection and bronchitis. I started my round of antibiotics last night and I'm already feeling a little more human. Exhausted and sick to my stomach, but less congested.
In other news, at work we've been asked to put together our mid year objectives. Considering I don't know if I'll have a job by the end of the year, I'd say my #1 objective is to remain employed, really.
It seems only existing patients can be seen immediately for an illness. Which is fair, I was just surprised at the wait time for new patients. In the meantime, they told me to go to the urgent care office at the local grocery store. I told them I equated that with going to the emergency room, so I opted to go to back my existing doctor.
I better get used to it though. A 6 week wait will be nothing compared to the wait times once we have national health care. Also, I won't be allowed to be snotty about which doctor I want to see, since I won't have a choice. I did the HMO thing for several years, and let me tell ya, it ain't fun.
Anyway, I saw the physician's assistant at my old doc's office. I am officially the owner of a nice, fat sinus infection and bronchitis. I started my round of antibiotics last night and I'm already feeling a little more human. Exhausted and sick to my stomach, but less congested.
In other news, at work we've been asked to put together our mid year objectives. Considering I don't know if I'll have a job by the end of the year, I'd say my #1 objective is to remain employed, really.
Monday, July 6, 2009
I Am Sick. Also, HersheyPark
Apparently the eye goo issues from 2 weeks ago has now become a full on head/chest cold. The problem here is that I generally don't go to the doctor unless I'm dying.
The last time I went to my family doctor for a “real” problem was 2 years ago. I let my cold go on for the better part of 3 months, and ended up with bronchitis. You'd think I'd learn. So now I'm trying to get an appointment with a new doctor – old doctor just never did it for me – and they're out to lunch.
I don't understand that. Every doctor's office I've ever dealt with has mandatory lunchtime at noon, and no one to cover except the answering service. The answering service doesn't want to talk to you unless you're having an emergency, in which case they'll tell you to call 911. What's the point then? So how difficult is it to stagger the lunches for coverage? Say one person takes lunch at noon, the other at 1pm. I mean, geez. I don't even take lunch half the time. Many working people can't even call the doctor unless it's at lunch.
Anyway.
During one of my less ill days last week, we went to Hershey Park. I haven't been there since I was 16 and it was pretty fun.
Of course, the biggest plus here is that they had numerous clean bathrooms. You know you're old when you count the quality of bathroom as your number one reason for having a good day.
A few things were disturbing though.
We got there around 10:30am just after the park opened. After a 2 hour drive, I needed to pee. Found the first bathroom and was thrilled it was clean. Mostly. It had obviously just been cleaned owing to the scent of bleach and disinfectant. And someone's morning constitutional, apparently. Dude, couldn't you have gone at home? It's was 10:30am already, for criminy's sake.
While we're on that subject, it's rather amazing to me that the ladies who use these public bathrooms are such pigs. I've mentioned this before
here.
I saw one woman throwing balled up wads of toilet paper under her stall into the next one. Is it that difficult to aim for the pot? I mean, it's practically a bullseye.
By the end of the day, I didn't expect the toilet's to be spotless, but this was ridiculous.
One stall had a big, steaming, heap of brown, about a foot in front of the toilet. How does this happen?!? Are here that many people out there with explosive diarrhea? Is it an epidemic I'm not aware of? Should we be in touch with the CDC?
I feel sorry for whoever had to clean this up. I hope they had a biohazard suit and disposable mop.
The last time I went to my family doctor for a “real” problem was 2 years ago. I let my cold go on for the better part of 3 months, and ended up with bronchitis. You'd think I'd learn. So now I'm trying to get an appointment with a new doctor – old doctor just never did it for me – and they're out to lunch.
I don't understand that. Every doctor's office I've ever dealt with has mandatory lunchtime at noon, and no one to cover except the answering service. The answering service doesn't want to talk to you unless you're having an emergency, in which case they'll tell you to call 911. What's the point then? So how difficult is it to stagger the lunches for coverage? Say one person takes lunch at noon, the other at 1pm. I mean, geez. I don't even take lunch half the time. Many working people can't even call the doctor unless it's at lunch.
Anyway.
During one of my less ill days last week, we went to Hershey Park. I haven't been there since I was 16 and it was pretty fun.
Of course, the biggest plus here is that they had numerous clean bathrooms. You know you're old when you count the quality of bathroom as your number one reason for having a good day.
A few things were disturbing though.
We got there around 10:30am just after the park opened. After a 2 hour drive, I needed to pee. Found the first bathroom and was thrilled it was clean. Mostly. It had obviously just been cleaned owing to the scent of bleach and disinfectant. And someone's morning constitutional, apparently. Dude, couldn't you have gone at home? It's was 10:30am already, for criminy's sake.
While we're on that subject, it's rather amazing to me that the ladies who use these public bathrooms are such pigs. I've mentioned this before
here.
I saw one woman throwing balled up wads of toilet paper under her stall into the next one. Is it that difficult to aim for the pot? I mean, it's practically a bullseye.
By the end of the day, I didn't expect the toilet's to be spotless, but this was ridiculous.
One stall had a big, steaming, heap of brown, about a foot in front of the toilet. How does this happen?!? Are here that many people out there with explosive diarrhea? Is it an epidemic I'm not aware of? Should we be in touch with the CDC?
I feel sorry for whoever had to clean this up. I hope they had a biohazard suit and disposable mop.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Stating The Obvious: Us Against Them Mentality Just Not Helpful
Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment, since I'm still reading the news and political blogs.
I linked from one blog to another and ran across this post, berating Keith Olbemann for reading the saucy emails from Governor Mark Sanford to his mistress, and taking such delight in them. Along with Olbermann's schadenfreude, the article also points out how he showed no concern for the wife and children in doing so.
I'd like to applaud the article, and say that maybe we're not so different after all, that American citizens of both political parties are tired of this crap. Then there was the snark that ruined it: “Attacking women and children is the vanguard of the Republicans”. This instantly turned what could've been a compassionate article showing what's wrong on both sides (left and right), into another swipe at the Republicans.
Personally, I don't care about politician's extra-marital affairs. I don't care if they're Democrats or Republicans. It's wrong, regardless of party affiliation. However, if they're able to do their job (I realize this is highly relative, given we're talking about politicians), I don't care what they do in their private lives.
That's not to say I condone it. It's wrong, and horrible for the other family members involved. The media is unethical in gloating the way Olbermann did (as many others have done before him), but let's face it, the person responsible for the family's pain and humiliation is the one who committed the deed.
Some point out that if they're willing to lie about an extra-marital affair, then what else are they lying about? What else indeed. We're talking about politicians here, and regardless of political affiliation, their default position is generally dishonest. Besides, how many people out there are going to tell the truth about an affair? Do you really expect them to?
As a side note: I love how it's assumed by the media that if you're conservative, you're also a Holy Roller. And don't they just love catching someone who has “conservative” values or “religious” values in the act of something sordid. So much spicier, if it's a hypocrite.
Fact is, human beings are going to screw up. Knowing this doesn't make it acceptable, and obviously being a hypocrite isn't good either, but there's nothing wrong with having these values to guide you, or to strive for. It's better than saying, “No point in having any morals or values since we're just going to booger it up anyway. Only human, you know!”
Anyway, getting back to the article above. The comments section, as usual, was venomous. All the usual toxic spittle about conservatives being hateful, sadistic, hypocritical, etc. It was a dogpile inciting every crazy out there. Which seems to be the case whether it's a liberal or conservative news outlet, blog, or pundit.
There's no unbiased media anymore. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I want to believe there's more middle of the road Americans than the media portrays. We're just overshadowed by the screamers on each polarized side.
I linked from one blog to another and ran across this post, berating Keith Olbemann for reading the saucy emails from Governor Mark Sanford to his mistress, and taking such delight in them. Along with Olbermann's schadenfreude, the article also points out how he showed no concern for the wife and children in doing so.
I'd like to applaud the article, and say that maybe we're not so different after all, that American citizens of both political parties are tired of this crap. Then there was the snark that ruined it: “Attacking women and children is the vanguard of the Republicans”. This instantly turned what could've been a compassionate article showing what's wrong on both sides (left and right), into another swipe at the Republicans.
Personally, I don't care about politician's extra-marital affairs. I don't care if they're Democrats or Republicans. It's wrong, regardless of party affiliation. However, if they're able to do their job (I realize this is highly relative, given we're talking about politicians), I don't care what they do in their private lives.
That's not to say I condone it. It's wrong, and horrible for the other family members involved. The media is unethical in gloating the way Olbermann did (as many others have done before him), but let's face it, the person responsible for the family's pain and humiliation is the one who committed the deed.
Some point out that if they're willing to lie about an extra-marital affair, then what else are they lying about? What else indeed. We're talking about politicians here, and regardless of political affiliation, their default position is generally dishonest. Besides, how many people out there are going to tell the truth about an affair? Do you really expect them to?
As a side note: I love how it's assumed by the media that if you're conservative, you're also a Holy Roller. And don't they just love catching someone who has “conservative” values or “religious” values in the act of something sordid. So much spicier, if it's a hypocrite.
Fact is, human beings are going to screw up. Knowing this doesn't make it acceptable, and obviously being a hypocrite isn't good either, but there's nothing wrong with having these values to guide you, or to strive for. It's better than saying, “No point in having any morals or values since we're just going to booger it up anyway. Only human, you know!”
Anyway, getting back to the article above. The comments section, as usual, was venomous. All the usual toxic spittle about conservatives being hateful, sadistic, hypocritical, etc. It was a dogpile inciting every crazy out there. Which seems to be the case whether it's a liberal or conservative news outlet, blog, or pundit.
There's no unbiased media anymore. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I want to believe there's more middle of the road Americans than the media portrays. We're just overshadowed by the screamers on each polarized side.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Surreal Life Imitates Art?
Oh no they di'aaaahhhnnnnt!
Oh yes. They did.
MSNBC.com reported this today:
PETA wishes Obama hadn't swatted that fly
I was just kidding yesterday, when I asked why there's no outcry from PETA over Obama's fly swatting.
I think I'm going to stop reading the news entirely, and become a hermit. The world is officially insane.
Oh yes. They did.
MSNBC.com reported this today:
PETA wishes Obama hadn't swatted that fly
I was just kidding yesterday, when I asked why there's no outcry from PETA over Obama's fly swatting.
I think I'm going to stop reading the news entirely, and become a hermit. The world is officially insane.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
President Kills Fly, MSM Thinks It's News
CNN Headline:
Fly bugs Obama, so he coolly smacks it
Why is this news, and why is it on the front page of cnn.com, no less?
Where's the outcry from PETA about fly abuse, and why aren't they proposing humane ways to euthanize insects?
I think CNN could've spiced up the story. It would've been better if they reported he gave the smack down to some bad guys. Like maybe he was out getting a Slurpee, interrupted a holdup at the local 711, then used his mad karate skillz and laser-vision to apprehend the thieves.
It's not like the media's interested in ethical reporting anyway.
So what's the verdict here? Was it intended as a human interest story, a goofy "hey look how tuff he is on flies" story, or just more MSM sycophantic infatuation?
Fly bugs Obama, so he coolly smacks it
Why is this news, and why is it on the front page of cnn.com, no less?
Where's the outcry from PETA about fly abuse, and why aren't they proposing humane ways to euthanize insects?
I think CNN could've spiced up the story. It would've been better if they reported he gave the smack down to some bad guys. Like maybe he was out getting a Slurpee, interrupted a holdup at the local 711, then used his mad karate skillz and laser-vision to apprehend the thieves.
It's not like the media's interested in ethical reporting anyway.
So what's the verdict here? Was it intended as a human interest story, a goofy "hey look how tuff he is on flies" story, or just more MSM sycophantic infatuation?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Itchy and Scratchy
Hey folks! I know, I've been neglecting you again.
So I'm preparing for a visit from Sis and her kids. The spare room is prepared, towels have been washed (can't have funky towels), the house is mostly clean. So in about 8 hours, KITTENWATCH 2009 begins, as Leonidas will be very excited to meet new people (he's always excited to meet new people) and will have some new feet to attack. But, he must be watched, as he is quite small and not the 200 pound jungle cat he seems to think he is.
Dude has certainly been a handful – he loves the fridge and the pantry – once you open either one, he's instantly there, ready to pounce on some coffee filters, cereal boxes or last night's leftovers. He's actually more of a furry projectile rather than a kitten.
Also, I've forgotten how much kittens make me itch. I woke up last Friday with some kind of blepharitis/eye goo issue from scratching my eyes too aggressively. I spent the weekend cleaning my eyeballs out 6 times a day and coating them with petroleum jelly to keep the itch down. And moisturize. By the way, I highly recommend Aquaphor. Thankfully, it subsided by Sunday and I was able to get through the day without clawing at my face.
Because of this, I undid all the great work of my current face cream. For about 3 months now, I've been using some new stuff my dermatologist gave me (I might write about it later), that promotes new collagen. My skin looked fantastic, especially under my eyes. Now I've got all my creases and bags back.
And! As a special treat! I woke up today with several red, itchy bumps on my cheek. I can't tell if they're mosquito bites, or just red, scary zits. You know, the kind that lurk just under your skin and never come to a head. You can still feel the lump under your skin a few months after they disappear from the surface. I'm falling apart, I tell you.
So I'm preparing for a visit from Sis and her kids. The spare room is prepared, towels have been washed (can't have funky towels), the house is mostly clean. So in about 8 hours, KITTENWATCH 2009 begins, as Leonidas will be very excited to meet new people (he's always excited to meet new people) and will have some new feet to attack. But, he must be watched, as he is quite small and not the 200 pound jungle cat he seems to think he is.
Dude has certainly been a handful – he loves the fridge and the pantry – once you open either one, he's instantly there, ready to pounce on some coffee filters, cereal boxes or last night's leftovers. He's actually more of a furry projectile rather than a kitten.
Also, I've forgotten how much kittens make me itch. I woke up last Friday with some kind of blepharitis/eye goo issue from scratching my eyes too aggressively. I spent the weekend cleaning my eyeballs out 6 times a day and coating them with petroleum jelly to keep the itch down. And moisturize. By the way, I highly recommend Aquaphor. Thankfully, it subsided by Sunday and I was able to get through the day without clawing at my face.
Because of this, I undid all the great work of my current face cream. For about 3 months now, I've been using some new stuff my dermatologist gave me (I might write about it later), that promotes new collagen. My skin looked fantastic, especially under my eyes. Now I've got all my creases and bags back.
And! As a special treat! I woke up today with several red, itchy bumps on my cheek. I can't tell if they're mosquito bites, or just red, scary zits. You know, the kind that lurk just under your skin and never come to a head. You can still feel the lump under your skin a few months after they disappear from the surface. I'm falling apart, I tell you.
Monday, June 8, 2009
What Weekend?
I'm recovering from a non-weekend.
I cleaned house on Saturday, then had an install for work that evening. Since the only time you can make changes to an application is off hours, I didn't sleep much.
I knew I'd be working at 2am. I tried to catch a few hours before that, but for the first time in forever, I was wide awake. Probably nerves, since it was a high visibility change. So I stayed up til 2am, had a pot of coffee, and worked thru til 11am the next day.
You'd think I'd be ready to sleep, right? Nope.
Maybe it was too much coffee, or maybe I just expected that dreaded phone call from our command center telling me servers were in flames. Either way, I didn't get back to bed til 10pm last night.
It's Monday and I still feel like crap. You know you're getting old when it takes several days to recover from an all-nighter. In my twenties I could do that, no problem. Now, not so much.
I cleaned house on Saturday, then had an install for work that evening. Since the only time you can make changes to an application is off hours, I didn't sleep much.
I knew I'd be working at 2am. I tried to catch a few hours before that, but for the first time in forever, I was wide awake. Probably nerves, since it was a high visibility change. So I stayed up til 2am, had a pot of coffee, and worked thru til 11am the next day.
You'd think I'd be ready to sleep, right? Nope.
Maybe it was too much coffee, or maybe I just expected that dreaded phone call from our command center telling me servers were in flames. Either way, I didn't get back to bed til 10pm last night.
It's Monday and I still feel like crap. You know you're getting old when it takes several days to recover from an all-nighter. In my twenties I could do that, no problem. Now, not so much.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Here Comes Trouble
We've Leo-proofed the house, but it's surprising how much trouble something so small can get into.
The little squirt's been investigating every single corner of the house. Bouncing. He doesn't toddle anymore, just runs full speed or bounces.
If there's the smallest crevice anywhere, he'll try to stick his head in it. 10 points if it's got wires.
He even managed to scoot under my desk sideboard, a space of about 3 inches high. There's now a fat Linux book jammed there now. I knew I'd find a good use for that old manual.
In other news....
Yesterday, I finally bought some veggies for the garden. Normally, I plant them in late April or early May, but we've had such late frost (I had to scrape my car windows just last week), and if it's not freezing, it's pouring down rain.
I planted 2 tomatoes, a jalapeno, chili pepper, basil and rosemary. And it dropped to freezing temps again last night. It's June 1st for criminy's sake!! We shouldn't have any temperatures below 50!
Still, the plants look okay this morning. Thankfully it's sunny, and the high should be around 72.
I'll have to wait for the end of August for those delicious, home grown tomato sandwiches!
The little squirt's been investigating every single corner of the house. Bouncing. He doesn't toddle anymore, just runs full speed or bounces.
If there's the smallest crevice anywhere, he'll try to stick his head in it. 10 points if it's got wires.
He even managed to scoot under my desk sideboard, a space of about 3 inches high. There's now a fat Linux book jammed there now. I knew I'd find a good use for that old manual.
In other news....
Yesterday, I finally bought some veggies for the garden. Normally, I plant them in late April or early May, but we've had such late frost (I had to scrape my car windows just last week), and if it's not freezing, it's pouring down rain.
I planted 2 tomatoes, a jalapeno, chili pepper, basil and rosemary. And it dropped to freezing temps again last night. It's June 1st for criminy's sake!! We shouldn't have any temperatures below 50!
Still, the plants look okay this morning. Thankfully it's sunny, and the high should be around 72.
I'll have to wait for the end of August for those delicious, home grown tomato sandwiches!
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