 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-18 08:24
I lived in both Cyprus and Uganda, and while the health care in both countries did not match the technological level we 'enjoy' in the States, we had ACCESS to care.
The physicians and nurses were committed and took their time; treatments were simple but they WORKED. Our cluster of problems included typhoid, a broken arm, a torn meniscus in the knee, a sprained ankle, a psychotic break (not mine), staph infections, giarrdia, asthma, a dental crown, a fractured front tooth, orthodontics, a badly cut finger... you get the idea.
We did not have ONE negative experience.
When we returned to the States, we had trouble getting insurance coverage (until one of us was employed full time), and the fragmented approach to diagnosis and treatment, not to mention the reliance on the very technology we 'enjoy', has resulted in major delays in getting some serious health issues under control.
Peoplel used to pity us for taking our family to places 'where there is little or no health care'. It's been a nightmare coming back.
Needless to say, I liked the proposal and will likely write my congress-people with the suggestion.
GoodWinds
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2011-06-18 12:15
Craig,
It is truly a disgrace that there is not comprehensive and universal healthcare.
I personally have never understood the logic of why insurance companies earn huge sums of money as the middle man. We pay millions of dollars for them to push paper. This healthcare model - based on people as "automobiles" is nonsense. We have a responsibility to each other.
As a healthcare provider (mental heath) let me share that licensed professionals are also at the mercy of the insurance companies. We have become the "needle-trade" of the 21 century. (As professionals - we have no right to organize - which is probably a remnant of other times). The reimbursements for services have not been adjusted for at least 15 or more years and in some cases even lowered. If this trend continues there definitely will be a shortage of service providers.
I am able to provide service only because I am retired with a "DEFINED PENSION PLAN" a rare commodity these days.
The lack of universal health care - our juvenile political climate, a lack of social responsibility and the manipulation of issues by vested interests is horrific.
My daughter is now in a predicament where she has to wait three months to begin to be covered by health insurance on her new job - And she works for a Health Care Corporation!
Even from a "market" point of view - the lack of portability of insurance - hinders the free flow of labor - since many people stay with employment - suitable or not - because they have health coverage. It makes no economic sense.
Keep up the good fight!
Mark
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Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2011-06-18 14:47
Thanks to you both for the thoughtful and personal commentary.
This may seem like an odd topic for this bboard, but I know several oboists who struggle with this problem and adjunct faculty who go without access to employer-provided HC like I did while teaching oboe at Shenandoah Conservatory years ago.
I suspect it will get much worse for many unless and until our elected representatives can manage to stop the partisan bickering and really get focused and motivated to bring about constructive change around this issue.
It is my hope that musicians and artists, people with some vision, will join in the effort to build a successful foundation for healthcare reform. Part of that challenge will be helping others avoid the political trickery and slight of hand side-stepping that characterizes the current efforts.
Musicians in particular distinguish themselves by virtue of long-practiced deep listening skills. They can be used to provide clarity of context in conversation much like they do when we tune or perform our parts in the bigger musical settings.
Well, we have to start somewhere...
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-18 18:03
I KNOW how awful it is for health care providers: not only am I one but I case-managed for many a professional wonderful doctor whose clinical decisions were regularly guided or trumped by insurance/cost parameters.
It is so INSULTING to a person who's gone through 8-10 years of training to be told what to do by a company or clerk with a GED.
Sigh.
GoodWinds
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-18 18:11
indeed we do Craig.
My previous post was in response to mjfoboe, sorry it got tangled.
In response to the System, I do try to avoid it as much as I can. This means: learning to really Take Care of myself, getting educated through Trustworthy web sites (like Columbia University in NY) and being picky about which research I listen to, developing my own care plan, and fostering a working relationship with my doctors.
So if I can come up with an older, well-established treatment, which is also of course more affordable, and submit it to my provider (who more than likely is glad that I am involved), then I can circumvent the nasty insurance wars that rage over desktops everywhere.
I'm all for everybody being able to do that. Our culture does seem to have a sense of entitlement (only the BEST care for me!) forgetting that some-times simpler is better and that relationship undergirds all.
Musicians ARE good listeners, and they DO collaborate well. I will still advocated healthy lifestyle (like getting adequate REST and NUTRITION) knowing that musicians often cut corners here -- sometimes to our demise.
GoodWinds
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2011-06-18 20:53
Oboe Craig wrote:
> Agreed. Its also insulting to have the politicians think they
> can train us like obedient dogs to slobber at the sound of a
> bell or foam at the mouth rabidly over the utterance of a
> special term.... Obamacare.
Ah, but they can ... it's innate.
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Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2011-06-18 23:55
I'm the first to say that the Canadian system has its flaws... though each province does things differently. BUT I WOULD NEVER trade it for private enterprise! I do need private coverage for dental care, prescription medication and physiotherapy. THANK GOD those things are regulated for cost and quality!!!!
Listen, I know a bunch of Iranians.... really backwards country, right?... on the axis of Evil, right?? where they have a state-regulated system of private insurance... BUT proper and full health care is still GUARANTEED regardless of what anyone can afford. They apparently do use a class system, but if a service is not available in a hospital for a lower class, they are rushed to a higher class hospital with no delays, no question, no bureaucracy and CERTAINLY NO question about ability to pay!
Why is the U.S.A., supposedly "the greatest democracy in the world" (*) is the only country that makes its citizens chose between a life-saving operation and the ability to feed their children?
My prayers are with you Americans: you very fine people on the BBoard have shown me that you deserve far, far better!
(*) Those were the exact words of the ambassador to Canada on July 1st 1992 while addressing diplomats from all over the planet! I know, I was there playing music with the Band of the Ceremonial Guard for the Independence-Day celebration at the ambassador's residence!
Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music
Post Edited (2011-06-19 00:00)
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-19 01:36
thanks for praying for us, Robin. We need it.
PS my son is Canadian and shares your opinion.
Do they need any good oboists in Seskatchewan?? The NorthWest Territories? Maybe he can sponsor me...
GoodWinds
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Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2011-06-19 03:25
I have an uncle in Saskatchewan (a whole bunch, actually). Once he called in a fit because his dog ran away...... he could see it running for 3 days!
.... typical prairies joke... but apparently also true: that's how flat it is over there!
Hey, Thunder Bay (North Ontario) has a symphony orchestra....
Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music
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Author: WoodwindOz
Date: 2011-06-19 04:13
Many people complain about health care here in Australia, but like many other places in the world, ability to pay does not determine whether or not you get treated, and the quality of that treatment. It can determine WHEN you get treated, but by US standards, our optional (and not restricted to certain groups) private health care is relatively cheap and affordable to the majority. It offers you more choice and less waiting, but not whether or not you get treated.
I was made more aware of the situation in the US when we were there in October last year. I wound up with a stomach upset, due to many factors, I suspect, which led to me becoming dehydrated. I took myself down to the university hospital , where I had blood tests and two saline drips. I laid there for about 5 hours, little or nothing happening, before they discharged me without actual treatment (as lovely as the staff were, no treatment was offered). Here in Australia, I would have been offered anti-nausea medication and re-hydration products before being sent away. I then arrived home to a $1700 bill (luckily covered by travel insurance).
In some ways, I am glad health insurance is compulsory for us as foreign students, even if it will cost us many thousands over a couple of years, it is better in the long term than a $1700 blood test!
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-19 06:33
moose are BIG; I wouldn't want my airplane to run into one.
I used to live on Catalina Island; we had to be careful not to get in the way of the buffalo. Yup. American Bison. They had brought a bunch over in the 40s to film a Western and couldn't get them back on the ship, so now the island is overrun with them. Second largest herd in the continental US (at the time).
NOW I've really de-railed this thread... Sorry!!!
GoodWinds
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Author: oboemoboe
Date: 2011-06-19 18:08
I completely agree. Here in Quebec, waiting lists for pretty much any kind of consultation or treatment (or even operation) tend to be pretty long, and it's close to impossible to find a family doctor, but you will never be denied any treatment and you most certainly will never receive a bill for it!
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Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2011-06-19 21:43
HOW DARE YOU CRITICIZE THE COMPUTERIZING OF HUMAN CARE?
(BELLY-LAUGH AND EXTRAORDINARILY SARCHASTIC!!!!!!)
I mean, for Pete's sake, just because ill-ness (not feeling well) is equally an emotional condition and that it is well know that the feeling of someone taking personal interest in your well-being is a as important a treatment as any drug in almost all cases.... I mean let the computer do what it's programmed to do by community college wannabes (no offense, see *) and schedule appointments without any concern for your specific situation - it knows much better than trained humans who have an innate understanding that surpasses binary logic!
(*) I just mean that a 6-month course in web-design cannot equate 6 years of intense computer science and engineering methodology, especially for those engineers that spend time in the field (e.g. hospital E.R. wards) studying the needs and the actual use health-care professionals (for example) make of the stuff the computer is intended to replace.
.... ah well, I know from my experience in the industry that proper engineering is not profitable, so it can't be good.
Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-19 23:37
It's the cost of "progress", Craig.
Having been on the other (time-consuming) end of paper-to-electronic chart, I have to say that the docs and the staff don't like the changeover either.
As to whether it actually improves care, or is merely a tool for collecting patient data/statistics, the jury is still out. Way out.
The 'new' model shortens the visits, which means to have to schedule 3 visits just to get a single problem addressed... :(
GoodWinds
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-19 23:39
WHO SAYS what isn't profitable can't be Good?!?
I know (and hope) you're joking...
SO with our current situations, give all the kudos you can to the docs and nurses to show they care!! It means a LOT to them.
maryRN
GoodWinds
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Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2011-06-22 00:17
Had the annual physical, explained the current system's problems to my Doc, and he was completely sympathetic and supportive.
Even invited me to his office to watch him post the digital notes, and explained how the emphasis on preventive care would protect against the problems my wife had a couple weeks ago.
All in all, still plenty of room for progress.
He switched me to a generic statin so $60 per year Vs. $1,250+... the little things mean a lot.
As Mary and Mark indicate, even the care providers are really in a bind over this mess.
Its enough to cause high pitch reference... not as bad as HPB, perhaps, but can still cost an oboist his/her job.
![[toast]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley15.gif)
-Craig
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-22 03:47
God bless your doctor's cotton socks! I hope you gave him (her?) a big virtual hug, for taking the time to make the visit worth your while.
GoodWinds
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-22 03:48
I 'cheer' for the dear docs all I can.
Kamloops, huh? (or should I say, eh?)
Hmmm...
GoodWinds
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Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2011-06-22 10:48
I don't get it.... I really just don't get it....
Every once in a while we do get "common-sensible" talk from people important positions.... I'm sad to say that the Canadian versions are often in a context that makes the speaker less easy to take seriously.... this American judge makes a super clear and practical case.
In terms of health care, it seems that everyone I know (conservative, liberal, Canadian, American) agrees that the gvt needs to regulate in terms of ensuring the universal availability and high quality of health care... the rest is another story: the only real disagreement (on both sides of the border) is which financial system will do the better job.
Canadians are split because some services (e.g. MRI) have a ridiculous waiting time in some areas when a paid business could manufacture more machines and shorten the lines for those who can't pay.... the fear is that encroachement of business will mean the number of machines (for example) for those who can't pay will reduce in favor of those who can: it's just not fair that someone can jump the line just because s/he can pay.
This is really not an easy question and it really requires honest business practices from gouvernment, hospital administration, insurance companies and businesses..... this might be a lot to ask for.
Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music
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Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2011-06-22 17:32
I did thank him and gave him info about this discussion on youtube.
He said he'd take a look but would need his son to show him about youtube...:)
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Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2011-06-22 17:33
Oh, I get it. The care providers have been great all along.
Its the plans and the billing people that are making me crazy.
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Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2011-06-22 17:36
Re: This is really not an easy question and it really requires honest business practices from gouvernment...
That notion is the real basis for my modest proposal. Get the pols in line with the rest of us and they will have to take it seriously and honestly.
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-06-22 22:11
...not always, but USUALLY people go into the 'helping professions' because they want to help.
There are 'dysfunctional', 'burned out' and even 'sadistic' providers, but on the whole they at least once had compassion and care.
Or am I the incorrigible Idealist, once again?
GoodWinds
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2011-06-24 01:38
Mary, I think you are right -- by and large, people do go into the "helping professions" because they want to HELP!
Just like people go into musical professions because they want to make beautiful music.
But somehow along the way, s--- happens. Caring people end up being embittered and music lovers end up viscerally hating the thing they used to love most. We all get brutalized by life. The trick seems to be in being able to accept that and go on.
I have often wished I could have claimed my identity as a musician at a much younger age than I did, and thus been afforded a shot at a high-powered musical career. But I will tell you honestly that sometimes I think I am better off for having come to it too late to have gotten sucked into that racket. I still play really well, and I still enjoy doing it, and that is quite a gift, in the whole scheme of things.
Susan
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