My health insurance and my wife's insurance was costing me over 1400 a month under Obamacare. I went on Medicare with a supplement when 65 and my cost dropped to just under 400 a month and my wife's by herself in 972 a month right now. Both of us are retired and she goes on Medicare this year. It will be like getting a 600 a month raise! So the answer is plain to me since there is no other choice we can afford under the tax Obamacare.
I would say take all of your potential premium payments and put them away. The cash deal at almost all providers is a fraction of the insurance cost. Trump made the billing process transparent. Providers have to state the insurance price and the cash price.
Not true. I went in after a car accident to get a very brief exam and a referral for therapy. It cost 200 for 5 minutes. They wouldn't do my insurance because it was a car accident.
Medicare would have cost us 400 to 500 more than my husband's work health care. Our friends, who are wealthy, were paying about 1200 to BCBS. Their Medicare plus private insurance was cheaper. Makes no sense.
Take charge of her medical care herself...doctors are not gods...it is a lifestyle to trust yourself to know your own body and then to know how to treat yourself...I would say, almost unequivocally, every medical condition has an alternative healing strategy. Many people don't realize they can refuse to take drugs etc. This really takes a certain attitude about who knows best..the doctor or you...
I will give one example...on Thursday my husband came home from the urologist and said he had prostate cancer...what a shock...however...with help from some really great anons in this community...I did my research...made a notebook...decided on a plan of action and by Sunday I had ordered what I needed to start the Joe Tippins protocol...I had many choices of proven, successful threrapies...but this is what I chose...the success remains to be seen...but I am confident. In the past I have done alternative treatments for Lyme disease, schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, whooping cough, allergies and many, many less serious conditions. It can be done...the information is out there...
When I took my kids to the doctor when they were younger...it was often just for a diagnoses...I would not fill any prescriptions...just use my alternative therapies. Granted you have to have a cooperative doctor...but they do exist. And you have to have knowledge of healing stratgies...I had a doctor one time tell me I read to much (otherwise don't question anything)...never went back to him...
I think people have been made to feel they are not as smart as their doctor and that fosters a false dependence on them...I believe I am every bit as smart as my doctor and I am more than competent in alternative therapies he knows nothing about...it is truly a lifestyle...
Did you fail to see the fact that the 85 year old in the story shattered her shoulder? How in the hell is she supposed to manage that on her own? Have you dealt with the elderly? If so, have you managed them when they break bones? A geriatric that breaks a bone can be in serious danger depending on the bone that is broken. About a quarter of the elderly that break a hip will die within a year. For a vast number of the aged, their immune system does not function well therefore they heal slowly and sometimes not well at all. (Another reason why giving so called vaxxines to the elderly is a joke - but that's a discussion for another day.) Many daily functions that you take for granted become impossible for the elderly that are injured. They can be very fragile and not mentally sharp enough to manage their own care as you say they should.
I have witnessed several well functioning geriatrics that break an arm or a shoulder and in a short period of time are taken down by that injury simply because they cannot care for themselves. For an elderly person, just breaking an arm or a shoulder will put them in a wheelchair because they cannot maintain their balance or use a walker. If they live alone, how are they to manage that? The fact that they live alone and are not being cared for by the younger members of their family is a shame.
My mother is pushing 90. When she is not with me, she is with my brother and my cousins. She is healthy and mentally very sharp. She is that way in large part because I have been involved with her health using some of the methods that you speak of. The only medication she takes is for thyroid replacement.
It is a sad truth that the elderly are an ignored demographic in this county. Assumptions are made that because they are adults, that they can manage on their own. I assure you, many cannot. I worked very hard in my practice to get family plugged into the lives of their elderly family members. They can be proud and do not want to be a burden to their family. Many are also very keenly aware of what will happen to them if they are placed in assisted living care. It is essentially being put out to pasture in an warehouse for the elderly that often hastens their death. Therefore, they will suffer in silence for fear that they will be placed in one of those facilities by well meaning family. Sadly, what I witnessed most of the time in practice was that family members were willing to break out the checkbook and pay someone else to care for their family member but completely rejected the thought of hands on involvement. It was too unsettling to their life, blah, blah, blah, fill in the blank excuse.
Let's be honest. We live in a culture that does not value the elderly, nor are they respected. Youth and vitality are what is held up as valuable. Geriatrics are seen as an expensive non productive burden that sucks up resources. Their life experience and knowledge are discarded and seen as having no value. Taking care of yourself is all good - as long as you can manage the process. Many of our elderly cannot and suffer alone. Our definition of family in this culture does not include the elderly. This reality is reflected in the health care policies that involve them. The 15 minute city sustainability planning is one example that does not include the elderly or the disabled. Are they going to walk or ride a bike to get around? I guess there will be a different place for them - wink, wink.
If you have elderly family members, do you check on them? If they are close enough to visit, do you? They often will not ask for help. You must see for yourself. Then, are you willing to help or does that responsibility get delegated to a stranger? Maybe if more family with your type of knowledge were involved in their lives and willing to help, these more mature members among us would be healthier and not have the need of the death cult services provided by the government.
As one of those elderly types, you have the picture. An example? My grandson's 7th birthday. We, and our two elderly friends who love our grandkids, were invited on Sunday for a few hours. The party was on Saturday.
Are they ashamed of us? I have no idea, but that's what happened. We are definitely expendable. I would be a fool to ask for help. True terror.
I am not that far behind you fren. Many of the issues of aging I confronted with my own patients left a profound impact on my life and made me consider my own future probably years before the reality of it hits most people. I have tried to minimize the pitfalls for my own aging mother and aunties. My 93 year old auntie would be dead by now if I had not intervened and kept her from getting jabbed despite the constant nagging of her children and grandchildren. Although, the nagging has quieted in the last 9 months. They would never admit that they would have killed her had she listened to them.
We live in a culture and society that claims to care, but the reality is far different. The road of maturity is full of potholes, road blocks, detours, and accidents. Trying to navigate the road to avoid all the problems is a nightmare by itself. Things are certainly not made easy for us and there are not many to help. So yes, I share in your feelings of terror.
I understand what you are saying and I essentially agree with you 100%...it is not just the government and the medical system that is broken...it is our society that is broken...I absolutely get your frustration...and I did notice that the lady was in need of medical care...which broken bones are not something I would deal with. I am talking about a change of behavior before such a crisis occurs. You actually sound like someone in the medical community who cares and wants to make a difference. Unfortunately I believe you are in the minority...I applaud your efforts....
I have a 93 year old MIL that still lives independently cared for by 2 granddaughters that are like children to her. My mom lived to be 90 with no assisted care. I am 71 so I know about the things you speak of. I am on no medication and am trying to avoid the Alzheimer's that killed my dad in his 70's. I am just trying to show that there ARE alternative ways to approach healthcare that can be beneficial.
You actually prove my point with caring for your mother as you have. She is very lucky to have you and I get that all elderly are not in that position. This also points to the fact that the overdrugging of most people...especially the elderly...has not been beneficial. There are just other ways to deal with illness at any age.
I have had my doctor for over 25 years and we respect each other's knowledge and treatment protocols...so we have a very good working relationship. My son-in-law works in a nursing home and my daughter was a hospice social worker so I am very aware of the plight of the elderly. I have 2 nurses, an EMT and a nurse-practitioner in the family so we are pretty medically inclined.
See...relating to the fragility of bones in the elderly would be the consideration of vitamin D levels and the supplementation of that and vitamin K. If doctors were aware of how important it is to maintain healthy vitamin D levels, that could be a game changer. I am not saying that being your own health care advocate is the end all...but I am saying it is a start to a way of life that can greatly improve one's health outcomes.
Believe me I get your anger and angst...but it should be directed at the failed institutions in this country...overuse of drugs because of $, medical care dictated by the bottom line...$, doctors who know very little about good health or natural healing, nursing homes that use and abuse the elderly...$, and families that ignore their elderly...these are the things that need to change...NOT what I advocate...
I do appreciate your reply and I assure you we are on the same page. Jokingly I have told my husband "if I ever need to go to a nursing home...take me out back and shoot me"...BTW he is a general contractor and does work for one of the biggest nursing home chains in the south..which is what prompted that statement...
Sorry if it seemed as though I was directing any frustration at you. I agree with everything you said and no doubt we are coming from the same place. Holistic and intelligent prevention are the key to overall health. This forum could not contain the information that either one of us could expound upon.
There were two populations that I personally saw as a provider that I felt were grossly underserved and mistreated - veterans and the elderly. The topics concerning their lack of appropriate preventative care, misdiagnosis, polypharmaceutical status, and lack of support, are all areas that I unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you see it, am well acquainted with. Often my positions on these subjects put me at odds with employers and colleagues - sometimes even the family members of my patients. I did manage to keep my head down with the state board however. They can't shoot at you if they can't see you.
I am now semi-retired but I still keep my ear to the ground and help others try understand the deadly minefield called "health care." In some ways I am grateful that I am out of the insanity. The current system for me is unrecognizable from what is was years ago when I started. What is has become, is not what I signed up for. AI protocols and the digital data collection that builds it has taken over. More and more, the critical thinking required for patient care and management are overridden and sidelined by the digital bean counters hell bent on removing humanity from the equation. Pure insanity.
I lost my job at the VA for being a patient advocate and calling them out on their crap. They spend a lot of money and spin a lot of plates that do not necessarily translate into actual patient care. In fact, most of the money they spend is not on direct patient care. It is spent managing the bureaucracy. Some of the stuff they do defies any and all logic. I do believe the Almighty put me into that situation and pulled me out of it for a reason. I needed to see it. Both my entry and my exit were sudden. Old habits of defending and advocating for the abused and oppressed can get me going and often in trouble. ; )
I have worked in medical research, public health, and private practice. All of it was done with a bent towards trying to call out the BS of the system and shine some truth about real health care and not just dis-ease management. Having worked in these various genres has given me a unique perspective due to having an inside view of how the cake is baked. However, despite the aggravation of dealing with a medical system geared towards ill health, my biggest frustration at times was dealing with the patients themselves and their indoctrination of dependence upon someone else for their well being. They can spend money on a new car, vacations, clothes, big screens, and almost anything else other than their own health. They have this crazy idea that someone else is supposed to pay for the most precious gift they have - their own life and health. Without health, all the other trappings are pointless.
I still try to help where I can. There will be a need for healers and others like us in a parallel or entirely new system. We will have to take care of each other. My only regret is not spending more time learning how to grow and process herbals and essential oils - a lifetime of experiential knowledge that I don't possess. But, there will still be a need in a new system for one that can suture a wound and set a bone. Skills that my grandparents and their ancestors all knew how to do - so I guess my apple didn't fall too far from that tree.
God bless you and yours fren. Thank you for the conversation.
My heart breaks for you and your good intentions...you are definitely one of the "good ones"...we certainly needed more like you...and I agree that veterans and the elderly are the most neglected (unless you are very rich).
You hit the nail on the head with..."my biggest frustration at times was dealing with the patients themselves and their indoctrination of dependence upon someone else for their well being"...that actually being the main gist of my point all along...
I feel ALL your frustrations...those are the very things that pushed me into alternative healthcare at the ripe old age of 20. I was only 24 when my sister first flipped out...schizophrenia...but I found Dr. Abram Hoffer and Orthomlecular Psychiatry, which saved her life. It is all a process and I have been learning for over 50 years.
My daughter who was a social worker for hospice for over 10 years had a breakdown last October and is currently in rehab after drinking on the job and being involved in a head on collision...many jobs have such a high stress level and do not have adequate support...at least you didn't end up like that...it is ALL messed up.
I have at least 15...maybe 20 healing modalities and there is nothing I love to do more than educate people. I would love to share any books or resources I have that you may be interested in...some things are very easy...some harder...but ALL learnable...
We are on the same side...my battle has always been for me and my family...I had home births...no drugs...didn't circumsize...didn't vaccinate...used my kids as guinea pigs for natural healing modalities...home schooled etc. You get the picture...we both have fought all the corrupt broken systems in our own way and we are on the same side...
It was truly wonderful to meet you and chat...we could have some great discussions I am sure...again...I love to share natural healing information...if you are ever interested...there are some really intelligent people on GAW, also...
Let's get real here. To the current crop of 'leaders,' anyone over 60 is considered expendable. They have outlived their usefulness as cash cows and lab rats, so much like the cattle farmer or sheep farmer or chicken farmer, they must cull their herd to focus on those who are still useful to them.
Fundamentally like fiat currency we never asked the correct questions re: medicare or health insurance.
Do we want a social care program or an actual “insurance” against catastrophic event. The payment and payout is different.
Insurance only works if premiums into plan plus interest earned by premiums is more than payout. Medicare is a social savings program paid into during your working years and withdrawn as we age. The problem is we generally need more care as we age and the cost is not reflected in the premiums put into system especially with the demographics of the boomers retiring and so to save money this evolves in the name of “insurance”. Grocery insurance doesn’t exist because the expense is expected so it’s not efficient to take money just to give it back although the government is trying.
So many shell games from the govt controlled by elites. Next up FDIC spent so much money to bail out uninsured depositors at SVB. Are we going to bail out FDIC when it fails?
**
So many shell games from the govt controlled by elites. Next up FDIC spent so much money to bail out uninsured depositors at SVB. Are we going to bail out FDIC when it fails?**
This is why I don't trust self driving cars. If a drunk person happens to step out in the street in front of me the AI will be like "Well, the driver voted for Trump so save the drunk person."
This is very disgusting...but I will say that technology does exist that keeps people alive far past a time they would naturally have died. That, of course, is why we add DNR orders and other directives to our wills. I think people should choose for themselves whether or not they want extreme measures to be taken to keep them alive. But there is a limit to resources and good sense. Once the government gets involved, tho, your chances of good health or survival go WAY down.
As a senior, I am on Medicare...but I control my own healthcare and practices, supplements, etc...my doctor just consults with ME...which is what we should all be doing. I don't trust that ANYONE else cares more about my health and well-being than ME...
The healthcare system is broken...our government is broken...but it does not mean that we can't take advantage of some of the beneficial practices offered. The day anyone says..."you must"...is the day I am out the door. But so far I am making this broken system work for me...and believe me...it can be a challenge.
It really is incumbent on the patient to initiate control and that can be a challenge to older people who erroneously believe that their doctor is their friend and is working on their behalf to keep them healthy or make them well.
As you get older...health is EVERYTHING...who wants to be in a persistent vegetative state hooked up to who knows what, taking a multitude of God only knows what...it can look very bleak...often people just don't invest in the most important things. I have spent more out of pocket because I choose alternative services over traditional medical services...but that just gives me choice and control, which works for me..
Your comment about the doctor being seen as a friend is very true, but I believe that is in part due to social psychological reasons; a,lot older people are lonely and for better or worse, the doctor is seen as someone who "cares". I don't want to paint a broad brush about doctors and their patients, but the relationship becomes a little backwards sometimes.
Sad to say that generation of older folks grew up trusting western medicine. With some exceptions of course; like my mom, it was a good example for me to not think prescription drugs were par for the course.
Take care of the most important. I didn't purchase insurance for long time (health insurance) until Obama forced it on us. I can get it from the work but didn't need it. I also took dental.
Reason, I know enough to get by. If I don't, I pay cash to the doctors (holistic doctors) and then take charge.
Thank you for posting this. I too am 80 this year, and tend to get very upset by the total deterioration of our western medical system. You have given me a different perspective.
OMG… thank you for this post. I recently turned 65 and had to choose a plan. I had a feeling something was weirdly wrong with choosing the Advantage plans, because they were selling them so hard. I got sales pitches from SO MANY insurance companies. And I read that if you choose an Advantage plan, you can never to back to basic Medicare. That was a red flag. I wondered, “WHY are they trying to discourage people from basic Medicare?” I just knew in my gut that Advantage might not be good for the long run. I’m grateful to be healthy and on the naturopathic , herbal, sleep and sunshine healing track, and signed up for the basic Medicare. Your linking this article helped reassure me that I made the right decision. Addendum… I am also very grateful for all those who post natural healing remedies for things like cancer and Bioweapons. I have saved and printed so much great info!
I don't have that info. I know Medicare is shit because I have to help my dad and some other family members. No one would accept Medicare over in Portland Oregon. If you have straight Medicare, expect a "NO."
Right. We so need AI to decide who may live or die.
Don't go for Medicare. They are just bad. Actually, health insurance is a scam.
You do realize tens of millions of middle and lower-income seniors have no choice except Medicare because of the cost of health care, right?
Or are you suggesting they have no health insurance at all?
Just don't get sick, and if you do, die quickly?
My health insurance and my wife's insurance was costing me over 1400 a month under Obamacare. I went on Medicare with a supplement when 65 and my cost dropped to just under 400 a month and my wife's by herself in 972 a month right now. Both of us are retired and she goes on Medicare this year. It will be like getting a 600 a month raise! So the answer is plain to me since there is no other choice we can afford under the tax Obamacare.
I would say take all of your potential premium payments and put them away. The cash deal at almost all providers is a fraction of the insurance cost. Trump made the billing process transparent. Providers have to state the insurance price and the cash price.
Not true. I went in after a car accident to get a very brief exam and a referral for therapy. It cost 200 for 5 minutes. They wouldn't do my insurance because it was a car accident.
My experience was different. Did you ask for a cash price?
I didn't ask. They knew I would pay. I always do.
Medicare would have cost us 400 to 500 more than my husband's work health care. Our friends, who are wealthy, were paying about 1200 to BCBS. Their Medicare plus private insurance was cheaper. Makes no sense.
Hey,
There's another way. Take the Part A, and then go for Christian coop like Medi-share. There's others.
Agree
But what other options would an elderly woman like that in the article actually have?
Take charge of her medical care herself...doctors are not gods...it is a lifestyle to trust yourself to know your own body and then to know how to treat yourself...I would say, almost unequivocally, every medical condition has an alternative healing strategy. Many people don't realize they can refuse to take drugs etc. This really takes a certain attitude about who knows best..the doctor or you...
I will give one example...on Thursday my husband came home from the urologist and said he had prostate cancer...what a shock...however...with help from some really great anons in this community...I did my research...made a notebook...decided on a plan of action and by Sunday I had ordered what I needed to start the Joe Tippins protocol...I had many choices of proven, successful threrapies...but this is what I chose...the success remains to be seen...but I am confident. In the past I have done alternative treatments for Lyme disease, schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, whooping cough, allergies and many, many less serious conditions. It can be done...the information is out there...
When I took my kids to the doctor when they were younger...it was often just for a diagnoses...I would not fill any prescriptions...just use my alternative therapies. Granted you have to have a cooperative doctor...but they do exist. And you have to have knowledge of healing stratgies...I had a doctor one time tell me I read to much (otherwise don't question anything)...never went back to him...
I think people have been made to feel they are not as smart as their doctor and that fosters a false dependence on them...I believe I am every bit as smart as my doctor and I am more than competent in alternative therapies he knows nothing about...it is truly a lifestyle...
Did you fail to see the fact that the 85 year old in the story shattered her shoulder? How in the hell is she supposed to manage that on her own? Have you dealt with the elderly? If so, have you managed them when they break bones? A geriatric that breaks a bone can be in serious danger depending on the bone that is broken. About a quarter of the elderly that break a hip will die within a year. For a vast number of the aged, their immune system does not function well therefore they heal slowly and sometimes not well at all. (Another reason why giving so called vaxxines to the elderly is a joke - but that's a discussion for another day.) Many daily functions that you take for granted become impossible for the elderly that are injured. They can be very fragile and not mentally sharp enough to manage their own care as you say they should.
I have witnessed several well functioning geriatrics that break an arm or a shoulder and in a short period of time are taken down by that injury simply because they cannot care for themselves. For an elderly person, just breaking an arm or a shoulder will put them in a wheelchair because they cannot maintain their balance or use a walker. If they live alone, how are they to manage that? The fact that they live alone and are not being cared for by the younger members of their family is a shame.
My mother is pushing 90. When she is not with me, she is with my brother and my cousins. She is healthy and mentally very sharp. She is that way in large part because I have been involved with her health using some of the methods that you speak of. The only medication she takes is for thyroid replacement.
It is a sad truth that the elderly are an ignored demographic in this county. Assumptions are made that because they are adults, that they can manage on their own. I assure you, many cannot. I worked very hard in my practice to get family plugged into the lives of their elderly family members. They can be proud and do not want to be a burden to their family. Many are also very keenly aware of what will happen to them if they are placed in assisted living care. It is essentially being put out to pasture in an warehouse for the elderly that often hastens their death. Therefore, they will suffer in silence for fear that they will be placed in one of those facilities by well meaning family. Sadly, what I witnessed most of the time in practice was that family members were willing to break out the checkbook and pay someone else to care for their family member but completely rejected the thought of hands on involvement. It was too unsettling to their life, blah, blah, blah, fill in the blank excuse.
Let's be honest. We live in a culture that does not value the elderly, nor are they respected. Youth and vitality are what is held up as valuable. Geriatrics are seen as an expensive non productive burden that sucks up resources. Their life experience and knowledge are discarded and seen as having no value. Taking care of yourself is all good - as long as you can manage the process. Many of our elderly cannot and suffer alone. Our definition of family in this culture does not include the elderly. This reality is reflected in the health care policies that involve them. The 15 minute city sustainability planning is one example that does not include the elderly or the disabled. Are they going to walk or ride a bike to get around? I guess there will be a different place for them - wink, wink.
If you have elderly family members, do you check on them? If they are close enough to visit, do you? They often will not ask for help. You must see for yourself. Then, are you willing to help or does that responsibility get delegated to a stranger? Maybe if more family with your type of knowledge were involved in their lives and willing to help, these more mature members among us would be healthier and not have the need of the death cult services provided by the government.
As one of those elderly types, you have the picture. An example? My grandson's 7th birthday. We, and our two elderly friends who love our grandkids, were invited on Sunday for a few hours. The party was on Saturday.
Are they ashamed of us? I have no idea, but that's what happened. We are definitely expendable. I would be a fool to ask for help. True terror.
I am not that far behind you fren. Many of the issues of aging I confronted with my own patients left a profound impact on my life and made me consider my own future probably years before the reality of it hits most people. I have tried to minimize the pitfalls for my own aging mother and aunties. My 93 year old auntie would be dead by now if I had not intervened and kept her from getting jabbed despite the constant nagging of her children and grandchildren. Although, the nagging has quieted in the last 9 months. They would never admit that they would have killed her had she listened to them.
We live in a culture and society that claims to care, but the reality is far different. The road of maturity is full of potholes, road blocks, detours, and accidents. Trying to navigate the road to avoid all the problems is a nightmare by itself. Things are certainly not made easy for us and there are not many to help. So yes, I share in your feelings of terror.
Stay safe fren and God bless.
I understand what you are saying and I essentially agree with you 100%...it is not just the government and the medical system that is broken...it is our society that is broken...I absolutely get your frustration...and I did notice that the lady was in need of medical care...which broken bones are not something I would deal with. I am talking about a change of behavior before such a crisis occurs. You actually sound like someone in the medical community who cares and wants to make a difference. Unfortunately I believe you are in the minority...I applaud your efforts....
I have a 93 year old MIL that still lives independently cared for by 2 granddaughters that are like children to her. My mom lived to be 90 with no assisted care. I am 71 so I know about the things you speak of. I am on no medication and am trying to avoid the Alzheimer's that killed my dad in his 70's. I am just trying to show that there ARE alternative ways to approach healthcare that can be beneficial.
You actually prove my point with caring for your mother as you have. She is very lucky to have you and I get that all elderly are not in that position. This also points to the fact that the overdrugging of most people...especially the elderly...has not been beneficial. There are just other ways to deal with illness at any age.
I have had my doctor for over 25 years and we respect each other's knowledge and treatment protocols...so we have a very good working relationship. My son-in-law works in a nursing home and my daughter was a hospice social worker so I am very aware of the plight of the elderly. I have 2 nurses, an EMT and a nurse-practitioner in the family so we are pretty medically inclined.
See...relating to the fragility of bones in the elderly would be the consideration of vitamin D levels and the supplementation of that and vitamin K. If doctors were aware of how important it is to maintain healthy vitamin D levels, that could be a game changer. I am not saying that being your own health care advocate is the end all...but I am saying it is a start to a way of life that can greatly improve one's health outcomes.
Believe me I get your anger and angst...but it should be directed at the failed institutions in this country...overuse of drugs because of $, medical care dictated by the bottom line...$, doctors who know very little about good health or natural healing, nursing homes that use and abuse the elderly...$, and families that ignore their elderly...these are the things that need to change...NOT what I advocate...
I do appreciate your reply and I assure you we are on the same page. Jokingly I have told my husband "if I ever need to go to a nursing home...take me out back and shoot me"...BTW he is a general contractor and does work for one of the biggest nursing home chains in the south..which is what prompted that statement...
Sorry if it seemed as though I was directing any frustration at you. I agree with everything you said and no doubt we are coming from the same place. Holistic and intelligent prevention are the key to overall health. This forum could not contain the information that either one of us could expound upon.
There were two populations that I personally saw as a provider that I felt were grossly underserved and mistreated - veterans and the elderly. The topics concerning their lack of appropriate preventative care, misdiagnosis, polypharmaceutical status, and lack of support, are all areas that I unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you see it, am well acquainted with. Often my positions on these subjects put me at odds with employers and colleagues - sometimes even the family members of my patients. I did manage to keep my head down with the state board however. They can't shoot at you if they can't see you.
I am now semi-retired but I still keep my ear to the ground and help others try understand the deadly minefield called "health care." In some ways I am grateful that I am out of the insanity. The current system for me is unrecognizable from what is was years ago when I started. What is has become, is not what I signed up for. AI protocols and the digital data collection that builds it has taken over. More and more, the critical thinking required for patient care and management are overridden and sidelined by the digital bean counters hell bent on removing humanity from the equation. Pure insanity.
I lost my job at the VA for being a patient advocate and calling them out on their crap. They spend a lot of money and spin a lot of plates that do not necessarily translate into actual patient care. In fact, most of the money they spend is not on direct patient care. It is spent managing the bureaucracy. Some of the stuff they do defies any and all logic. I do believe the Almighty put me into that situation and pulled me out of it for a reason. I needed to see it. Both my entry and my exit were sudden. Old habits of defending and advocating for the abused and oppressed can get me going and often in trouble. ; )
I have worked in medical research, public health, and private practice. All of it was done with a bent towards trying to call out the BS of the system and shine some truth about real health care and not just dis-ease management. Having worked in these various genres has given me a unique perspective due to having an inside view of how the cake is baked. However, despite the aggravation of dealing with a medical system geared towards ill health, my biggest frustration at times was dealing with the patients themselves and their indoctrination of dependence upon someone else for their well being. They can spend money on a new car, vacations, clothes, big screens, and almost anything else other than their own health. They have this crazy idea that someone else is supposed to pay for the most precious gift they have - their own life and health. Without health, all the other trappings are pointless.
I still try to help where I can. There will be a need for healers and others like us in a parallel or entirely new system. We will have to take care of each other. My only regret is not spending more time learning how to grow and process herbals and essential oils - a lifetime of experiential knowledge that I don't possess. But, there will still be a need in a new system for one that can suture a wound and set a bone. Skills that my grandparents and their ancestors all knew how to do - so I guess my apple didn't fall too far from that tree.
God bless you and yours fren. Thank you for the conversation.
My heart breaks for you and your good intentions...you are definitely one of the "good ones"...we certainly needed more like you...and I agree that veterans and the elderly are the most neglected (unless you are very rich).
You hit the nail on the head with..."my biggest frustration at times was dealing with the patients themselves and their indoctrination of dependence upon someone else for their well being"...that actually being the main gist of my point all along...
I feel ALL your frustrations...those are the very things that pushed me into alternative healthcare at the ripe old age of 20. I was only 24 when my sister first flipped out...schizophrenia...but I found Dr. Abram Hoffer and Orthomlecular Psychiatry, which saved her life. It is all a process and I have been learning for over 50 years.
My daughter who was a social worker for hospice for over 10 years had a breakdown last October and is currently in rehab after drinking on the job and being involved in a head on collision...many jobs have such a high stress level and do not have adequate support...at least you didn't end up like that...it is ALL messed up.
I have at least 15...maybe 20 healing modalities and there is nothing I love to do more than educate people. I would love to share any books or resources I have that you may be interested in...some things are very easy...some harder...but ALL learnable...
We are on the same side...my battle has always been for me and my family...I had home births...no drugs...didn't circumsize...didn't vaccinate...used my kids as guinea pigs for natural healing modalities...home schooled etc. You get the picture...we both have fought all the corrupt broken systems in our own way and we are on the same side...
It was truly wonderful to meet you and chat...we could have some great discussions I am sure...again...I love to share natural healing information...if you are ever interested...there are some really intelligent people on GAW, also...
God richly bless you and yours...
Ever heard of things like Christian based medi-share and things like that?
Look into it.
It's not health insurance, but cooperatives.
So you think that would be better than Medicare altogether, or as a type of supplement? It seems you think medicare itself is bad?
I think anything going thru the government is bad including medicare. Ever try calling them for anything?
The concept of insurance always heebed me out.
I am starting to look into cooperatives and Medishare. Most importantly, keep healthy. Best medicine.
Let's get real here. To the current crop of 'leaders,' anyone over 60 is considered expendable. They have outlived their usefulness as cash cows and lab rats, so much like the cattle farmer or sheep farmer or chicken farmer, they must cull their herd to focus on those who are still useful to them.
So you don't think 80 years old useful? So all the patriarchs in the Bible must be rotten tomatoes then?
LOL
No, I do consider 80 year olds useful to society, I'm just saying that our self-appointed 'elites' don't.
He said "to the current crop of 'leaders'" not that's what HE thinks
User name
They are just bunch of corns.
Reading comprehension: -100
You mean those elderly? Of course they don't know.
The AI won't like that I've decided it gets to die.
I won't even think about letting them decide. I don't think I will even go use Medicare at all.
Sure
Fundamentally like fiat currency we never asked the correct questions re: medicare or health insurance.
Do we want a social care program or an actual “insurance” against catastrophic event. The payment and payout is different.
Insurance only works if premiums into plan plus interest earned by premiums is more than payout. Medicare is a social savings program paid into during your working years and withdrawn as we age. The problem is we generally need more care as we age and the cost is not reflected in the premiums put into system especially with the demographics of the boomers retiring and so to save money this evolves in the name of “insurance”. Grocery insurance doesn’t exist because the expense is expected so it’s not efficient to take money just to give it back although the government is trying.
You summarized it well. It's definitely a scam because they take your money and they gave you peanuts in terms of services. The rest went to Ukraine.
So many shell games from the govt controlled by elites. Next up FDIC spent so much money to bail out uninsured depositors at SVB. Are we going to bail out FDIC when it fails?
** So many shell games from the govt controlled by elites. Next up FDIC spent so much money to bail out uninsured depositors at SVB. Are we going to bail out FDIC when it fails?**
Not if I have a choice. They can go *f themselves
You ace that. I have met someone in his 70 completing Pacific Crest Trail, and climbing Mt Hood.
If you choose to take care of yourself and exercise, eat healthy, you can stay off their scam death insurance trap.
Remember how The Left mocked Sarah Palin for talking about Death Panels?
Yeah. You are definitely an autist. LOL
This is why I don't trust self driving cars. If a drunk person happens to step out in the street in front of me the AI will be like "Well, the driver voted for Trump so save the drunk person."
I say that in jest, but it's reality.
Oh never thought of that. I will not buy one no matter what.
This is very disgusting...but I will say that technology does exist that keeps people alive far past a time they would naturally have died. That, of course, is why we add DNR orders and other directives to our wills. I think people should choose for themselves whether or not they want extreme measures to be taken to keep them alive. But there is a limit to resources and good sense. Once the government gets involved, tho, your chances of good health or survival go WAY down.
As a senior, I am on Medicare...but I control my own healthcare and practices, supplements, etc...my doctor just consults with ME...which is what we should all be doing. I don't trust that ANYONE else cares more about my health and well-being than ME...
The healthcare system is broken...our government is broken...but it does not mean that we can't take advantage of some of the beneficial practices offered. The day anyone says..."you must"...is the day I am out the door. But so far I am making this broken system work for me...and believe me...it can be a challenge.
You should have heard what some of the doctors talked to the patients. I am so glad you are in charge of your healthcare.
It really is incumbent on the patient to initiate control and that can be a challenge to older people who erroneously believe that their doctor is their friend and is working on their behalf to keep them healthy or make them well.
As you get older...health is EVERYTHING...who wants to be in a persistent vegetative state hooked up to who knows what, taking a multitude of God only knows what...it can look very bleak...often people just don't invest in the most important things. I have spent more out of pocket because I choose alternative services over traditional medical services...but that just gives me choice and control, which works for me..
Your comment about the doctor being seen as a friend is very true, but I believe that is in part due to social psychological reasons; a,lot older people are lonely and for better or worse, the doctor is seen as someone who "cares". I don't want to paint a broad brush about doctors and their patients, but the relationship becomes a little backwards sometimes.
Sad to say that generation of older folks grew up trusting western medicine. With some exceptions of course; like my mom, it was a good example for me to not think prescription drugs were par for the course.
Amen to that fact.
Take care of the most important. I didn't purchase insurance for long time (health insurance) until Obama forced it on us. I can get it from the work but didn't need it. I also took dental.
Reason, I know enough to get by. If I don't, I pay cash to the doctors (holistic doctors) and then take charge.
Thank you for posting this. I too am 80 this year, and tend to get very upset by the total deterioration of our western medical system. You have given me a different perspective.
I have always been “pro-act
OMG… thank you for this post. I recently turned 65 and had to choose a plan. I had a feeling something was weirdly wrong with choosing the Advantage plans, because they were selling them so hard. I got sales pitches from SO MANY insurance companies. And I read that if you choose an Advantage plan, you can never to back to basic Medicare. That was a red flag. I wondered, “WHY are they trying to discourage people from basic Medicare?” I just knew in my gut that Advantage might not be good for the long run. I’m grateful to be healthy and on the naturopathic , herbal, sleep and sunshine healing track, and signed up for the basic Medicare. Your linking this article helped reassure me that I made the right decision. Addendum… I am also very grateful for all those who post natural healing remedies for things like cancer and Bioweapons. I have saved and printed so much great info!
I am glad you are seeing this. We are in a very bad place where all they care about is your money.
I work in health care, I know what they do. I used to work for one of the big pharmaceuticals doing research. You don't want to be in that loop.
Look into Christian health cooperatives. I will post something soon.
I would be interested in learning more about that...
Ok. Will let you know.
The all new T-900 has arrived, he said, "I'll be back."
Almost like a sci-fi
How can they deny coverage? When did this happen?
I don't have that info. I know Medicare is shit because I have to help my dad and some other family members. No one would accept Medicare over in Portland Oregon. If you have straight Medicare, expect a "NO."
We knew Obama lied about the Death Panels. The 1967 Star Trek episode- "A Taste of Armageddon" couldn't foretell it any more clearly.
Those people lied and people died. Unfortunately, it's bad. Thanks for the info on star trek.