Text 17795, 159 rader
Skriven 2014-10-06 10:42:00 av NANCY BACKUS (1:123/140)
Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Re: health biz 46
=========================
-=> Quoting Michael Loo to Nancy Backus on 10-03-14 03:39 <=-
ML>> health insurance to the consumer even as they sell
ML>> malpractice insurance to the medical community.
NB>> Possibly... At one time I might have argued the point, but I see too
NB>> many mega-corps now, combining all sorts under one umbrella company...
ML> I poked around a bit, and the insurance companies do cover
ML> their tracks well, but three biggies that have their fingers
ML> in seemingly conflicting pies are Liberty Mutual, Travelers
ML> (with the umbrella logo), and Berkshire, this last getting
I knew the first two were in auto, home nad life insurance, are they in
health as well, now...?!
ML> you coming, going, and in between, as when you have an
ML> accident you deal with Geico, and when you go to the clinic,
ML> you deal with a company that likely is hiding behind General
ML> Re, and when your doctor screws up s/he is covered by BH
ML> Specialty.
And you'd never even guess, seeing as they all have different names...
what lizards... ;0
NB>> I wouldn't be surprised to have them disavow any interconnection
NB>> between the segments, either...
ML> You need to look at the financials to see what's what.
ML> What little I delved into gave me a headache.
I'm not at all surprised at the headache..
NB>>> once it's bought, besides, you then have it for when you do need
NB>>> it... and don't have to ship a critically ill patient to some
NB>>> farther place that does happen to have the tool...
ML>> By that reasoning, though, every place should have every
ML>> possible kind of equipment. There has to be a cutoff.
NB>> One can always extend reasoning to absurdity, granted...
ML> There are obvious cases, as in your magnet hospital that
ML> serves thousands of patients will put the fancy equipment
ML> to good use, and the local doctor's office can't, but
ML> there is a relevant in between, at some point in which
ML> the finance department's greed and the administrators'
ML> ambition are as important as medical necessity.
Quite possible.
NB>> But there remains a case for having a certain amount of coverage at
NB>> at least one hospital in a reasonably contained region... presuming,
NB>> of course, that there will be some interaction and cooperation
NB>> between all the hospitals of the region...
ML> That sounds like a utopian view such as a child of the
ML> '60s or '70s might espouse.
Hah. Of course, the hospital administrators now are mostly children of
the '60s and '70s... ;) And it comes from a bit of interaction with a
doctor friend of mine (I think you might have met him at church when you
visited, Elise), and watching the hospitals in our region. There's lots
of competition, true, but also a lot of cooperation/interaction. And,
of course, mergers....
ML>> Not in my lifetime. No Weggies in most of my places.
ML>> This year on prescription day, I've been in Montreal,
ML>> Washington, Washington, Williamsport, Boston, Washington,
ML>> Juneau, Newark, Washington, Boston, San Fran, Williamsport.
ML>> Exceptional the 4 Washingtons.
NB>> If you had someone to transport you (dunno if there would be viable
NB>> public transport, but maybe even that)
ML> Hah. I'm not sure why you're encouraging me to look
ML> in this direction. I admit that it's a more appealing
ML> alternative than Walgreen, though.
Mostly an overwhelmingly good experience with the Wegmans pharmacies
over the years.. Every time there's been any sort of issue, whether
doctor or insurance or store caused, they've gone over backwards to get
it resolved, and my usual reaction is, I DO love working with Wegmans.
Regularly good service, too, and some clerks that know you by name,
including one from the old store that would ask about how Gwen was doing
after she no longer was getting her own meds... and that, not at the
pharmacy desk, but if we chanced to meet elsewhere in the store as well.
I suppose you might get some of that other places, too.. but the issue
resolution is what really sold me on them so highly. :) Oh, and their
prices are generally lower, although these days with the insurance
calling the shots there's less leeway for them there...
NB>> there are a few Wegmans stores in the Washington area,
ML> Closest one is 1 1/2 hr with two bus transfers.
ML> There are 3 others within the system, but all are
ML> over 2 hr away.
NB>> least a couple in the Boston area.
ML> There are two new ones an hour outside town (by MBTA).
I figured that was about likely, with bus transport... likely a little
closer if you had someone to drive you there, but, I'll admit, not just
down the street.
ML> Still, why do I need the aggravation when there are
ML> over 30 CVSes within an hour's reach by public transport.
Might depend on how much aggravation the CVS causes on its own... ;)
ML>> Recently, though, the insurance has agreed to let me get 3
ML>> months' worth at once, which should ease my travails quite a bit.
NB>> Cuts down on how many fills one needs to worry about... :)
ML> Plus the CVS will for a modest fee mail the stuff to
ML> Bethesda to be picked up at my copious leasure. Not all
ML> changes are bad.
I've read about Wegmans having some such service now, too, but haven't
looked into it since we have no issues with just picking up meds, either
on a swingby trip (they have a driveup window) or with the grocery
shopping trip. But they can do auto refills, and mail refills anywhere
in the country, if I remember what I saw... It seems to be the newest
thing all around...
ML>> I've always thought myself fairly hardy, and aside from the
ML>> problem of lactose as filler (commoner than it should be)
NB>> Lactose is a filler in lots of meds, true.. brand as well as
NB>> generic...
ML> Irritating as heck.
Especially for those with a lactose problem. Putting saccherine in any
liquid med and most chewables is my equivalent irritation... stuff gives
me migraines, so I can't take any of them...
ML>> generics usually work okay for me.
NB>> That's a good thing going for you.
ML> One of the few.
Gotta count the blessings when they appear... ;)
ML>> So the original manufacturing company, which held the patent,
ML>> is making the product for resale as a generic by a competitor
ML>> - in essence undercutting its own product. How weird is that?
NB>> It still gets at least some cut from it, selling to the competitor...
ML> Turns out the competitor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the
ML> manufacturer. But the specter of Ranbaxy is looking over the
ML> chummy shoulders of those two; we'll see how that plays out.
Could be interesting.. ;)
ML>> LYCHEE-CRANBERRY SALSA
ML>> source: Ming Tsai
NB>> That doesn't look half bad... :)
ML> Not too awful, but the guy's being a Yalie adds a bit of
ML> suspicion to my assessment of the recipe.
That old rivalry... ;)
ML> Quick Harvard Beets
ML> cat: vegetable, Communist
And what made those communist...? Being red...? ;)
ttyl neb
... You have to be in the dark to see the Universe.
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