The Goat Pen

Poor people, minorities, and women have no souls in IB's world. They are daywalkers only out to make life tough for white males.

And here I thought Hedge was a racist.

"How many immigrants in your hospital ER Owl? How many? When was the last time you were in an ER? You know the last time my brother in law worked the ER? "

We need to add "Refer to brother-in-law who is a specialist in the field of whatever you are arguing about and he agrees with you" to that list of Schopenhauer's "38 ways to win an argument"...

and again......

Thousands of Californians are discovering what Obamacare will cost them — and many don't like what they see.

These middle-class consumers are staring at hefty increases on their insurance bills as the overhaul remakes the healthcare market. Their rates are rising in large part to help offset the higher costs of covering sicker, poorer people who have been shut out of the system for years.

Although recent criticism of the healthcare law has focused on website glitches and early enrollment snags, experts say sharp price increases for individual policies have the greatest potential to erode public support for President Obama's signature legislation.

"This is when the actual sticker shock comes into play for people," said Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. "There are winners and losers under the Affordable Care Act."

Fullerton resident Jennifer Harris thought she had a great deal, paying $98 a month for an individual plan through Health Net Inc. She got a rude surprise this month when the company said it would cancel her policy at the end of this year. Her current plan does not conform with the new federal rules, which require more generous levels of coverage.

Now Harris, a self-employed lawyer, must shop for replacement insurance. The cheapest plan she has found will cost her $238 a month. She and her husband don't qualify for federal premium subsidies because they earn too much money, about $80,000 a year combined.

"It doesn't seem right to make the middle class pay so much more in order to give health insurance to everybody else," said Harris, who is three months pregnant. "This increase is simply not affordable."

On balance, many Americans will benefit from the healthcare expansion. They are guaranteed coverage regardless of their medical history. And lower-income families will gain access to comprehensive coverage at little or no cost.

The federal government picks up much of the tab through an expansion of Medicaid and subsidies to people earning up to four times the federal poverty level. That's up to $46,000 for an individual or $94,000 for a family of four.

But middle-income consumers face an estimated 30% rate increase, on average, in California due to several factors tied to the healthcare law.

Nearly 2 million Californians have individual insurance, and several hundred thousand of them are losing their health plans in a matter of weeks.

I had a colonoscopy in June. The first thing I asked before I made the appt. was, "How much will this cost?" The receptionist asked for my insurance card and then told me my insurance would cover all of the procedure but not any additional surgery. I was never informed, until I got a bill for $1,300 2 wks after the procedure, that the removal of 2 polyps constituted surgery. I immediately called the doctor's office and told them that I was never informed that polyp removal was considering "additional surgery" and not part of the procedure and had I known, I would have never gone through with it at that cost. I then suggested they recode it so that the insurance company would, as it should, pay for the entire procedure.

That's when the little country grit chick at the doctor's got indignant. "No, ssshir, We cain't do that. That is nawt how we do it."

I calmly told her that paying for something that I wasn't told I would have to pay for was nawt how I dew it either. "Well, ssshir, tha'ts yore choice."

Yew gottamn right it is, you little bitch! I'm not paying a facking dime. Shit, I already paid the fucker an extra $50 for a post-op visit that had me sitting in the lobby for 40 min. and then talking to the doctor for 20 min, at least 10 of which were spent by him blathering about sports, particularly the Carolina Hurricanes. I doubt he's a big fan of mine now that I'm leaving him on the hook for 13 hunnert but there's no way in hell I'm paying that.

And see, that's just it. People pay for shit all the time because they think it's the right thing to do. I'm getting off. I've been down that road and I know the only people who ever really collect are the gov't and the Mafia and this dipshit gastroenterologist is neither. If more people adopted my attitude, we could rein in health care costs overnight but there are too many little chickenshit assholes who think everybody has to pay and pay (Lou Reed tribute there) because it's the "right thing to do."

The right thing to do is get yours, first, last and always. It's the American way and I'm a proud American.

would do a lot of good if your out of pocket expenses were calculated before you did any elective procedure-I though most medical offices do pre authorizations on that stuff.

chances are they have done this before to other people and your right that 100% BS

I would be calling your insurance company and raisng hell though. part of screening colonsocopy ois removoing polyps and I cant believe your insurance company is balking esepcially if they were small polyps

The employer sets what's covered - not the insurance company. File a grievance with the insurer, but go to the HR Wonk, too.

Saint wrote:I had a colonoscopy in June. The first thing I asked before I made the appt. was, "How much will this cost?" The receptionist asked for my insurance card and then told me my insurance would cover all of the procedure but not any additional surgery. I was never informed, until I got a bill for $1,300 2 wks after the procedure, that the removal of 2 polyps constituted surgery. I immediately called the doctor's office and told them that I was never informed that polyp removal was considering "additional surgery" and not part of the procedure and had I known, I would have never gone through with it at that cost. I then suggested they recode it so that the insurance company would, as it should, pay for the entire procedure.

That's when the little country grit chick at the doctor's got indignant. "No, ssshir, We cain't do that. That is nawt how we do it."

I calmly told her that paying for something that I wasn't told I would have to pay for was nawt how I dew it either. "Well, ssshir, tha'ts yore choice."

Yew gottamn right it is, you little bitch! I'm not paying a facking dime. Shit, I already paid the fucker an extra $50 for a post-op visit that had me sitting in the lobby for 40 min. and then talking to the doctor for 20 min, at least 10 of which were spent by him blathering about sports, particularly the Carolina Hurricanes. I doubt he's a big fan of mine now that I'm leaving him on the hook for 13 hunnert but there's no way in hell I'm paying that.

And see, that's just it. People pay for shit all the time because they think it's the right thing to do. I'm getting off. I've been down that road and I know the only people who ever really collect are the gov't and the Mafia and this dipshit gastroenterologist is neither. If more people adopted my attitude, we could rein in health care costs overnight but there are too many little chickenshit assholes who think everybody has to pay and pay (Lou Reed tribute there) because it's the "right thing to do."

The right thing to do is get yours, first, last and always. It's the American way and I'm a proud American.

Of course if you don't ever plan on seeing that doctor again, fuck it, all he'll do it turn your bill over to collection agency and your credit will take a ding.

I have 2 questions, you're 48 years old so why are you getting your ass scoped 2 years early? and also, did you blow out monster farts in the post op room while still drugged up? I've heard some hilarious stories of people doing that after the procedure

I just had mine this past Wednesday at age 46. If you have a family history of it they want to do it sooner.

ANd I don't remember much about post op. They woke me up and said go home.

Owlman wrote:Oh stop it you lying idiot. So your argument is that the poor are different than they were 15 years ago? People are more interested in mother's welfare check than whether she lives or dies? As with most of your post, you make statements of your biases as opposed to reality. This is why very little about you appears to be real. You are weak!

You keep putting that adjective "poor" in there. I never said this was a "poor" thing. You did. Stop doing that.

This is not poor vs middle class vs rich. All this is, is people (be it immigrants or whomever) learning how to game the system. That's it. And because in this country, there is a financial incentive (for a family) to keep someone alive, that creates the opportunity for system gaming for those who are just amoral enough to believe they are entitled. And forget about this happening now vs 15 years ago crap. This happened 15 years ago Owl. This happened 30 years ago, it's probably been happening (to some degree or another) since 1935.

Whenever government gets involved in something where there is some kind of financial incentive (be it public housing, government healthcare, financial aid for college/university, assistance to single mother, or a monthly check in retirement or disability) you create the opportunity for system gaming. And for those who do not live by moral codes, you will game the system for every edge you can get. Its as simple as it is. And with people having less and less pride for work and the family, you get more and more system gaming.

And don't call me a liar. You know what? Cancel that. Call me whatever you want if it makes you feel good. I know I'm speaking truth to power, I don't have to prove myself to you or anyone.

Do as you will.

I wonder how many hits we could get promoting IB's racist, women hating rants?

sardis wrote:I just had mine this past Wednesday at age 46. If you have a family history of it they want to do it sooner.

I had one at 36. Saw the GI doc and talked about the old blood in the stool thing. He started spooking me out about a 27 year old patient of his with colon cancer and "...he didn't make it..." so convincing me to drink that Half-Litely shit to clean out my bowels for the Monday morning procedure seemed like a no brainer. Fortunately for me (and unfortunately for Hedge and others on this board who have been so kind in wishing for my early death) hemorrhoids are not typically lethal.

aTm wrote:I wonder how many hits we could get promoting IB's racist, women hating rants?

yes aTm, I also blog in the manosphere. by the by, the manopshere may have extreme hatred for feminism and single-mom-dom (as do I), but no hatred for women in general or any hatred based on racial background. if you think that is what the manosphere does, then you are being intellectually lazy by combining issues that are not linked.

Your blog here is the best blog that I can find anywhere on the interwebs discussing college football. That's why I like it. And pretty much everyone here knows way more about college football than I do, I learn quite a bit from you guys. That's another reason why I like it. But if there is a political discussion, I keep my political comments ONLY on that thread and I remain on topic. So sorry if what I have to say seems a little insensitive. But I'm a little jaded and I have great sympathies for what has happened to a few of your posters here at the hands of their cold and calculating ex-wives (Jungle Rat inparticular.) You'll never see me give rat a hard time about his past.

Every forum needs a nutcase racist.

We're all stocked up on nutcase here.

WellPoint Inc. (WLP:US), the second-biggest U.S. insurer, increased its full-year forecast as the company gears up for business from the U.S. health-care law’s new online insurance markets.

Profit is expected to be at least $8.40 a share in 2013, Indianapolis-based WellPoint said in raising its projection (WLP:US) for the third time this year. Analysts had estimated $8.27 in profit (WLP:US) this year and $8.39 in 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Third-quarter earnings topped estimates.

WellPoint has made the biggest commitment of any publicly traded insurer to the health exchanges that debuted this month.

hedge wrote:"How many immigrants in your hospital ER Owl? How many? When was the last time you were in an ER? You know the last time my brother in law worked the ER? "

We need to add "Refer to brother-in-law who is a specialist in the field of whatever you are arguing about and he agrees with you" to that list of Schopenhauer's "38 ways to win an argument"...

heh. it was a poor shot in the dark on his part anyway. I went to medical school in Galveston Texas. Answer? mucho.

innocentbystander wrote:

Owlman wrote:Oh stop it you lying idiot. So your argument is that the poor are different than they were 15 years ago? People are more interested in mother's welfare check than whether she lives or dies? As with most of your post, you make statements of your biases as opposed to reality. This is why very little about you appears to be real. You are weak!

You keep putting that adjective "poor" in there. I never said this was a "poor" thing. You did. Stop doing that.

This is not poor vs middle class vs rich. All this is, is people (be it immigrants or whomever) learning how to game the system. That's it. And because in this country, there is a financial incentive (for a family) to keep someone alive, that creates the opportunity for system gaming for those who are just amoral enough to believe they are entitled. And forget about this happening now vs 15 years ago crap. This happened 15 years ago Owl. This happened 30 years ago, it's probably been happening (to some degree or another) since 1935.

Whenever government gets involved in something where there is some kind of financial incentive (be it public housing, government healthcare, financial aid for college/university, assistance to single mother, or a monthly check in retirement or disability) you create the opportunity for system gaming. And for those who do not live by moral codes, you will game the system for every edge you can get. Its as simple as it is. And with people having less and less pride for work and the family, you get more and more system gaming.

And don't call me a liar. You know what? Cancel that. Call me whatever you want if it makes you feel good. I know I'm speaking truth to power, I don't have to prove myself to you or anyone.

Do as you will.

liar

Fullerton resident Jennifer Harris thought she had a great deal, paying $98 a month for an individual plan through Health Net Inc. She got a rude surprise this month when the company said it would cancel her policy at the end of this year. Her current plan does not conform with the new federal rules, which require more generous levels of coverage.

Now Harris, a self-employed lawyer, must shop for replacement insurance. The cheapest plan she has found will cost her $238 a month. She and her husband don't qualify for federal premium subsidies because they earn too much money, about $80,000 a year combined

$98 a month for insurance? Self-employed? This is Hedge's situation. Very low coverage plan? Hope she doesn't really get sick before the new coverage kicks in? But I'm not crying much over a woman who is getting insurance in California for $298 per month that she can run through her business as an expense.

Another question though? When is the middle class over?