Text 17272, 157 rader
Skriven 2014-09-22 23:05:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: health 986
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 ML> should be authorized. If they didn't authorize it, it's
 ML> not that I would have to pay for it, rather it just
 ML> wouldn't be done at all. I guess one of the trainings
 ML> that MGH doctors have to undergo is how to convince
 ML> insurance companies to pay for expensive stuff.
 NB> I'm rather ambivalent on that... I can see some need for allowing
 NB> certain tests, even though they are expensive, when they are called
 NB> for... and I think that generally, the doctor should be the one to
 NB> determine whether or not it is called for...  With the adversarial
 NB> system, doctors are more inclined to try for something not as needed,

Problem is that the doctor (I agree, it's his or her call,
with informed patient consent) has other concerns than
patient necessity. It may be appeasing the malpractice
lawyers or making numbers for a new piece of equipment.
I can understand both, even the latter - what if there's
a diagnostic tool that needs 100 uses a year to justify
buying, during which time it will save 5 patients. What
does one do - the administrators won't buy it unless 100
uses are guaranteed, so what's to do.

 NB> just because, though...  Like doctors and hospitals charge way more,
 NB> expecting the insurance company to come back with, no, we'll only pay
 NB> you this much... and by inflating they get more than if they started
 NB> reasonably...  Yeah, a little jaundiced here...  ;)

Not all that jaundiced. See the NYT article on the guy who
got billed something like 117K for the services of a doc
he didn't meet? To be fair, the doc may have performed a
useful function at some point, but over 100K, doubtful.


 NB> That sounds like CVS is making the process worse

 ... When Wegmans does
 NB> a partial fill, it is clearly set up that way, and even the insurance
 NB> company recognizes that it isn't a new fill...

Problem is that in a year I might have prescriptions
filled in 8 locations in 6 states. CVS is the outfit
with the reach I require. There are cavillists who
claim that Walgreen has more stores, which may or may
not be true, but they don't have as many in the places
I want to be.

   The bottle might say
 NB> 23 of 180, for the first, and when you pick up the rest, it would say
 NB> 157 of 180.  One might almost wonder if CVS was complicit in the black
 NB> market... [g]

No grins there - the thought did cross my mind.

 NB> I'm sufficiently paranoid over not getting my Prilosec that I've
 NB> hoarded close to a month's supply, which I change out with new pills
 NB> every so often, just to make sure that some administrative snag doesn't
 NB> do that to me...

I have a backup script for something that does all the
good things that my fancy stuff does, plus it causes
fainting and urological problems that made it worthwhile
for me to get something that up until recently cost almost
50x as much at retail. Now that the good stuff has gone
generic, I figure the insurance and the pharmacy won't
conspire in their stupidity to make me use it, but it's
still there just in case.
 
 ML> I don't usually even read the subject lines anymore anyhow.
 NB> Your message subject lines tend to have some relationship to something
 NB> in the message, however obliquely, though... and part of the game is
 NB> finding it...   :)

For subsequent followups (as opposed to any other kind of
followups) I don't pay attention to the subject lines as
to some salient word, topic, or concept in the message
body itself.

Howard Karten's Oat Bran Spice Cake
cat: dessert, healthy
yield: 1

1 c bran or oat bran
1 c water
1 Tb molasses  (if available; can be omitted)
1/3 c flour
1/2 c sugar (see note 1)
1/2 ts salt (more to taste; see note 1)
1 Tb cinnamon (see note 2)
1/4 ts nutmeg (see note 2)
1/4 ts cloves (see note 2)
1/2 ts powdered ginger (to 1 ts)
-  OR some fresh grated ginger (see note 2)
oil for oiling a loaf-type baking dish
1/2 Tb baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together all ingredients *except* oil and baking powder.

Add baking powder and mix again for 10 seconds or so.

Pour mixture into greased loaf pan (or use throw-away aluminum
pans, available in supermarket).

Bake for 30-40 mins, or until a knife or probe
inserted in middle comes out clean.

NOTES:

Note 1:  do not reduce or omit the sugar or salt!  If
         you do, the taste will suffer!  The amount of
         salt or sugar per serving is negligeable.

Note 2:  vary to taste.

If you like this recipe, double it, make 2 at a time
(takes only 1 more minute to make 2 vs. 1), and freeze
the second one.  Freezes well.

You can also substitute some apple sauce for the water.

********OPTIONAL:*******************

1.  MICROWAVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL LOAVES

You can prepare the batter in advance, omitting the baking
powder, and bake individual loaves for use as you wish.
(Add baking powder to batter before putting the batter in
the microwave!)

To do this, mix the batter as directed above.  The recipe will
yield 2 cups of batter.

To bake, mix 1/3 cup batter and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and
pour mixture into a styrofoam cup or small baking dish.
Microwave until the batter rises and takes on a cooked look.
This will take anywhere from 1 to 3 min, depending on how
much power your microwave has.

2.  Optional Additions:

You can also add any of the following to this recipe:

1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup soaked raisins (soak for 15-30 min in water, rum,
apple juice, etc.)
1/4 cup soaked, dried fruits
Maraschino cherries

Candied fruits (orange or lemon peel, etc.) to taste

(c)  1995, 1998 Howard A. Karten

Originally posted to RIME Cuisine by Howard Karten 13 Apr 98

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