Archive for the ‘Healthcare’ Category

Newer Entries »

Professional Responsibility


06 Apr

Tags: , ,
Posted in Football, Healthcare, Hockey, Roller Derby | Comments Off

I am a fan of sports, specifically, sports where there is a lot of hitting- roller derby, hockey, and football. And while I am a fan of these sports, I do have concerns about the health of the players, especially around concussions. But I am even more concerned about concussions among the youth players of these games.

That’s why, even though I am not a Penguins fan, I am thrilled with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ new program to provide baseline concussion testing for all youth hockey players in the city. We can change the culture when we start with the kids.

 

In South Dakota


30 Mar

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Discrimination, Healthcare, Politics | Comments Off

In South Dakota, there’s a 48 hour waiting period before purchasing a handgun. No permit is required. Police record who buys the gun.

In South Dakota, there’s a 72 hour waiting period before receiving an abortion. Anti-abortion counseling is required before the waiting period starts. Religious groups, who are not bound by privacy laws, record all the women who come in for counseling.

I’m not against real counseling, but it should be done by healthcare professionals who are bound to protect their patients’ personal information. And I don’t think it should be easier to obtain a gun than an abortion.

South Dakota Says Its Okay to Murder Medical Personnel


19 Feb

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Discrimination, Healthcare, Politics | Comments Off

Self defense laws already give us the right to kill to protect ourselves and our loved ones in cases of imminent danger.

So the purpose of this new South Dakota law? To give my brother the right to kill the MD who will provide my abortion, my ex the right to kill a volunteer at a clinic. That’s it.

Until we find a way for men to be pregnant, for their health to be at risk, they should have no say in whether or not I get an abortion. And they certainly shouldn’t have the right to kill medical providers.

Giving Minors Access to Birth Control


10 Feb

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Healthcare, Politics | Comments Off

Planned Parenthood is currently being damned for giving girls who claim to be under the age of consent information about birth control. Legally, they are probably required to do so, regardless of the fact they are there with someone who may be their pimp. (And let’s be honest, real pimps don’t identify themselves to PP counselors.)

In Washington, the age of consent is 16. Privacy rights regarding sexual health begin at 14. Providers can’t refuse care based on age; they are ethically required to give the care and legally required not to disclose it (unless there’s actual evidence of abuse).

Your Money & Your Health


21 Jan

Tags: ,
Posted in Finances, Healthcare | Comments Off

It’s been health care week over at Your Money. None of the conversations I was really involved in are still going strong, so I’m linking to the main page. We had two conversations on which I’m a subject matter expert (because of my day job) involving authorization of procedures and appeals of insurer decisions (of not to pay the bill).

There’s also been a migraine and lost wages thread, one about the proper way to use health insurance, and one about medical costs in relation to joint custody.

Just a reminder that our finances touch every part of our lives.

 

Braces (2)


28 Dec

Tags: , ,
Posted in Dental Care, Healthcare | Comments Off

Right before Christmas, I got braces. My two front teeth were slowly tilting their way inside my mouth, and my smile, something I used to get complimented on, had become something I did not even want to see.

Because I have a major overbite, I also got a bite plate, to keep me from biting off the brackets on my lower teeth. The bite plate works incredibly well, so well that I actually can’t bite anything. At no point to my top teeth touch my bottom teeth at the moment, essentially putting me on a liquid diet for 6 weeks.

Curing AIDS


17 Dec

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Healthcare, Politics, Science | 2 Comments »

In my lifetime, AIDS went from a guaranteed death sentence to a chronic illness. This is a good thing, but…

I can’t help but wonder if we could have cured AIDS/HIV by now if that’s what our pharmaceutical companies were looking to do. March of Dimes worked. We found a cure/vaccine for polio. We’ve done it for measles, mumps, rubella. The thing is, a shot you get once in your life, or once every 10 years, doesn’t make money for the drug companies.

Drugs you have to take every day for the rest of your life, though, that’s good business.

Ending the AARP Monopoly on Government Subsidized Healthcare


24 Oct

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Healthcare, Politics | Comments Off

I believe a 7 year old is just as entitled to quality healthcare as a 70 year old. If it is government’s job to make sure the elderly have access to medical treatment, why isn’t it their job to make sure children do too? Not all parents have jobs that offer healthcare benefits for themselves, let alone their children, and even fewer have affordable benefits.

Do not give me the Medicaid argument. Needy seniors qualify for Medicaid, too, but we don’t limit subsidized healthcare only to them. Its time we started caring for our future as well as our past.

Let Me Be Your Death Panel


23 Oct

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Healthcare, Politics | Comments Off

What happens if you are incapacitated and incapable of making decisions for yourself? Who gets to decide what treatments you receive, if any? Your doctors? No. The government? Let’s hope not. Unless you have a medical Durable Power of Attorney, the order is this: spouse, adult children, parents, siblings, adult grandchildren, etc. If you have more than one adult child, they all have to agree (to be verified by the care givers) on treatment before anything can be done.

By thinking ahead and giving someone DPOA status, you get to choose whose hands your life is in. Think about it.

Social Security


22 Oct

Tags: , ,
Posted in Healthcare, Politics | Comments Off

Social Security is NOT a retirement plan. You do not deserve Social Security because you have paid into it your entire working life. You were never paying for yourself.

I say this as someone who doubts that Social Security will be in existence by the time I retire. But I don’t balk at paying it. Social Security is there to care for the previous generations of workers- for my grandparents, and soon enough, my parents.

That’s what Social Security is. Its today’s workers taking care of yesterday’s, making sure they have a roof over their heads, heat, food, and healthcare.

Newer Entries »

100 Words On

topics explored in exactly 100 words