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Prescription Drug Plans | Illogical & Torture

Math has always been a favorite subject of mine. Go figure, I’m Asian! However, in my teeny-tiny hometown in Ohio, we were lucky if we had an abacus or a protractor. Okay, it wasn’t that bad, but when I asked my math teachers to teach us pre-calculus, their response was, “You aren’t Isaac Newton. When [...]

Public Option | Health Care in Crisis

The Bank of America should be renamed to Bank of Paying Executives Big Money. Ken Lewis, BOA CEO, is stepping down with a $53 million pension plan– ah, when he’s already worth $125 million! So it’s pretty clear that some of that rescue money from the $700 billion bailout is going to his mansion [...]

Advanced Directives | It Doesn’t Mean “Pull The Plug On Grandma”

“Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” is an interesting song. Maybe opponents of End of Life (EOL) counseling should use that melody for “Pull the plug on my dear old grandma.” Hmm, something tells me no one will be singing that song during Christmas.
And I don’t think Rudolph would intentionally run over [...]

Medicare Part D Video | What a Donut HOLE

Medicare D is a prescription program for those with Medicare B or who are eligible for Medicare A. Most of my patients who have Medicare D are dissatisfied. And in 2008 they introduced the stupid Donut Hole. Ugh. Medicare Part D 2007:
Some senior citizens suffer. My parents are in their [...]

Medicare Cuts – Give me a break!

Do rich people rely on Medicare? It seems to me the way the US government keeps trying to cut Medicare, the answer is, “Of course not, Buffy and Skippy!” Chortle, chortle, nasal honk. “Now where did I put my yacht?”
Senior citizens tend to have the most need for healthcare, and the demand on Medicare [...]

Pre-Authorization for Insurance is KILLING Us!

Close your eyes. If you’re still reading this, your eyes aren’t closed. Okay, now really close your eyes and imagine a world that has insurance for absolutely everything. You name it, it’s paid through insurance: toilet paper to cable TV. You cannot purchase anything, sell anything, or do business transactions without using insurance. (This [...]

Liar Liar – How insurance has made us liars

George Washington never told a lie.
“Father, I cannot tell a lie. I cut down the cherry tree.”
When Abraham Lincoln was our president, he was called honest Abe. Wow! And this was before TV shows like Leave It to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show where everyone was so ethical. I’m so glad all [...]

Uninsured Americans – Is it time for National Health Care?

Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art that involves a lot of kicking, concentration, and kimchi. Let me tell you, it takes a lot of kimchi to be able to break a cinderblock with your bare hand. I went to Philadelphia (the City of Motherly Love, according to Homer Simpson) to see my [...]

Health Insurance Fails: Anything but for your health

Norma Rae is one of the greatest movies of all time. Sally Field deservingly won her first Oscar (pre-”You-like-me-you-really-like-me”). The Californian nailed the Southern accent by adding an extra syllable to each word, “Iiii’m Mrs. Weeeeebsteeh.” When she got mad at her husband, she scurried around the kitchen like a lunatic to make her point. [...]

Find The Right Doctor: Something Tom Cruise Wouldn’t Like

Finding a new primary care physician (PCP) can be quite an undertaking. For example, pretend you’re the beautiful Brooke Shields. You just had a baby and you’re not feeling so hot, so you Google to find a new PCP. There are a ton of doctors’ names, and you click on a few hoping to find [...]

Medicare Part D 2007: Prices go up at the pump and your insurance

Some senior citizens suffer. My parents are in their 70s. My mother still can’t use a VCR– not that it matters, because now they have a DVD player– which she can’t figure out either. They have cell phones– but for emergency use only– and they can’t figure out how to set up their voice mail.
I [...]

Insurance Changes Policies: only to suit themselves

Welcome to Charlottesville! If you aren’t sipping coffee with John Grisham at the Mudhouse, you might be jamming with Dave Matthews at Gravity Lounge. Ok, maybe not. But at least both of these venues are smoke free to help you live a little bit longer and better. Living a healthy [...]

Vaccinations Aren’t Covered by Insurance: Better not get cut!

Even though customer service is such a difficult job, every business seems to be raising the bar to keep their customers happy and allow their business to thrive.
“This is Amy, your personal banking specialist who cares about you and will fight for every ATM transaction you do, even when your funds are as depleted [...]

911: Here is a 411 on when to call

Very few things shock me. Sexual issues, alcohol and drug abuse, psychiatric issues, people’s lifestylesnot shocking. Sticking a bobby pin in an electrical outlet, current politicsshocking. Health insurance and the way people put their health second to it really shocks me.
Is the health insurance industry turning us into robots?
When I worked in DC, [...]

Ante Up! Co-payments aren’t the problem with your insurance

John Lennon’s song, “Imagine,” is one of the best songs ever, and I’m willing to arm-wrestle over that one– wait, Lennon wouldn’t want that– I’ll out-sing anyone instead. The song is about peace and love: utopia. Imagine a world in which you could buy fresh produce, taste different cheeses from around the world, get sashimi-grade [...]