Health care

Old Age Is A Bitch

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I have a newsflash for young people. You will have increased medical issues as you age. The choices you make when you are 20, 30 and 40 years old will have a very strong influence over your lifestyle when you are 50, 60 and 70.

As each successive birthday passes, you will be seeing doctors more often and discussing health issues with your friends. Of course, you have choices. You can ignore things that your body tells you, but you will increase the odds of dying young and leaving your family prematurely. My father refused to go to the doctor and get treatment for high blood pressure, and he had a deadly stroke at age 60.

For more years than I can count, I recall watching TV commercials about wonder drugs. Today there are medicines for every ailment, high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood clots, constipation, depression, digesting problems, ulcers, diabetes, skin problems, eye problems and the list goes on. In the old days, I paid little attention to these advertisements, but today, I listen and take note about which drugs I take now and which I might need in the future.

When you were young, you think you will live forever. At 20 and 30 years you should have very few ailments unless you abuse your body, or you are an unlucky person. Eating excessively, rich foods, alcohol, smoking, too little exercise are all a threat. Moderation is the key, but when you are young you don’t give a damn about such things.

Then as you reach 50 or 60, people your age begin to experience serious illness and pass away. Every story is different, every death is sad. But the realization that we don’t live forever begins to create stress and many times it relates to good health.

And of course, the death of grandparents and parents creates a new awareness and more family responsibility which can be stressful for many.

As a septuagenarian, I spend an inordinate amount of time at doctors’ offices. Earlier in my life, I would have my general practitioner perform an annual checkup. Now, I see my cardiologist at least four times a year. My urologist twice a year. Eye doctor twice a year. Dentist twice a year. If you get examined often enough, doctors will find something wrong which results in other tests, usually scans, MRIs, blood tests, urine tests, EKG’s etc. It seems like every week a doctor is poking, probing and testing another part of my body.

My family is blessed because we have excellent health care insurance. What do you do if you cannot see doctors and specialists because they are not approved by your insurance company? Worse, what if you cannot afford to pay for increasingly more doctor visits? These are issues that millions of people face every day not to mention the stress of collecting money from insurance companies after treatment.

When you think about it, the whole story of life and death makes sense. When a car ages it has it has more issues that need to be dealt with. As we age, our bodies and individual parts of our bodies become tired and cease to operate efficiently. Doctors are available to assist us when problems arise. They treat these afflictions by using drugs in many situations. In fact, the use of prescription drugs and pain relievers has become a separate issue for many Americans.

When you get older you feel more aches and pains as your body screams out telling you to slow down and be more selective of your activities. In my case, I played contact sports for many years and that added to the amount of pain I feel every morning when I get out of bed. I’ve learned to live with these aches and pains without using medication which I think is the wisest choice.

We all age. We all have pain. And we all die. These are realities that we must deal with as we grow older. In many cases, people choose to rely on their religion to deal with problems they face and their ultimate demise. In my humble opinion, I think that religions were in part created to help individuals with the many transitions that they have to make during their life. The biggest one of course is death.

This essay is not an analysis of life and death. It’s not sad to age. Our golden years can be wonderful filled with the joys of family. It is a statement of fact and a warning that as time passes there are more problems to deal with then less. Chief among them are our health and quality of life.

Biden’s Focus In The Short Term

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Some of Joe Biden’s promises will be detrimental to the security and economic stability of America. Many of these items can be attained even if The Republicans retain control of the Senate. Here are a few of the more important issues that Biden will address early in his tenure.

The New York Times published a story on Tuesday that definitively stated that the US/Israeli relationship will suffer under a Biden administration, and that Bibi Netanyahu, a great ally of the US, is in serious political jeopardy. Decreasing American support of the State of Israel would be an unfortunate strategy. Setting aside Bibi’s personal issues, he is a great partner in the fight against terrorism in partnership with the United States. Israel stands between the US and radical religious groups and theocracies.

Israelis are our eyes and ears in the region. Israel’s military strength and intelligence assets are important reasons why one of the most volatile areas in the world is enjoying a period of calm at this time. And finally, Israel is ready to fight shoulder to shoulder with Americans if conditions worsen. Biden intentions to decrease the bond between US and Israel make no sense.

Many believed the US/Iran nuclear deal orchestrated by Biden’s mentor was the most inane in recent history. Obama believed that he could reason with Iran. All he did was give the ayatollahs a pathway to build and deliver a nuclear bomb in just over 10 years. For a long time, US policy was to prevent rogue nations from producing existential armaments. The Iranians out negotiated Obama and his minions enabling him to erect a neutral nuclear legacy for himself while accepting an existential threat to America’s allies in the region. Trump smartly undid the arrangement, and Biden intends to reinstall it.

The abrogation of ACA is based upon a mandate that was formerly part of it. In order for the law to be effective, it was necessary that citizens participate or be fined. This element of the law was deemed to be unconstitutional. Without it, many experts say the law is unworkable. The Supreme Court will deliberate the viability of ACA in the near future. Biden wants to rescue the law. Note: It appears that the Court will not rule against ACA. It will likely be the focal point of Biden’s effort to federalize health care in the country.

The real issue is not whether America should ensure that health care is available to everybody. We need to care for those without coverage. The real issue is whether a one payer insurance plan is wise because it would necessitate elimination of millions of private insurance plans. Many Americans are happy with their coverage. It would be too expensive to replace the plan with government coverage.

Americans should carefully follow the aforementioned issues. Even with Senate support, Biden could do great harm to our country by issuing executive orders.

Am I The Only American Disgusted With Trump And House Democrats?

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Millions of Americans are fed up with the current state of the federal government.

For three years Donald Trump has been trying to convince us that he is the greatest American president. His arguments are not convincing considering that about half of the country would like to see him impeached. At the same time Trump’s opponents have been trying unsuccessfully to dig up dirt on the president since his first day in office. Both parties have failed dismally to win over new supporters and most Americans are furious that Congress has been unable to do the people’s business.

Every time I read the New York Times or watch CNN, I want to pull the hair from my head. Can a president actually be as horrible as both of these news outlets portray Trump? But the big question is did the president commit high crimes and misdemeanors? We lived through the Mueller investigation for two years and it was a total bust. No evidence was uncovered to prove Trump colluded with Russia or obstructed justice.

At the same time Trump is lambasting the liberal press and do-nothing Democrats. “Fake news!” is the president’s mantra. In over 11,000 tweets since being elected, he makes fools out of those who criticize him and a fool out of himself. He repeatedly says House Democrats are incompetent, liars, and dangerous to our country.

To make matters worse, many Democrat presidential candidates are trying to convince the electorate that the US should morph into a socialistic state. In particular Sanders and Warren are attempting to buy the loyalty of voters by telling them they will overtax successful people in our country. What a bad plan. Even Bill Gates criticized this ploy. These geniuses say they will provide one-payer health care for all Americans that is projected to cost between $20 and $40 trillion (our current level of debt is about $20 trillion). Even Democrats are attacking Warren for her ridiculous entitlement promises. How does she intend to pay for all of her giveaways without bankrupting the country?

Trump is sashaying across America and every day unleashes a string of offensive tweets like a schoolboy. He says horrible things about anyone who criticizes him. He proclaims that the economy is the best in history. In the meantime a setback in Chinese trade negotiations would reduce the Dow Jones by several thousand points in a heartbeat. It’s true that employment is up, unemployment is down (even for minority groups) and Trump continues to ride roughshod on Iran, Europe, Mexico, Canada and many more countries in an effort to negotiate fair deals.

A disgraceful situation occurred a few days ago when Trump took credit for the assassination of al-Baghdadi, the former terrorist leader of ISIS. From his bunker in the basement of the White House, our Commander-in-Chief “orchestrated” the operation. Trump was not part of the mission, other than giving his approval to move ahead (to which he deserves some credit). I wonder if the president dressed up in camouflage as he directed his special operators.

I’ve had it with the investigations of every move by Trump. In a short year voters will have a chance to change leaders. Democrats believe that they can denigrate Trump so one of their pathetic candidates will win. It’s not going to happen. Voters will resent the obvious outcome of the impeachment- Trump will stay in office because the Senate will acquit. Why are Democrats acting like there is any chance to convince 20 or 25 Republican senators to join them and convict Trump of a high crime?

In the meantime the country is going to hell and a hand basket. Budgets are not being approved, infrastructure is crumbling, LGBTQ rights are being violated, health care is deteriorating, immigration is unsettled and trade agreements are not being signed. I want a government that does its job. I abhor sanctimonious legislators who break the law every day by leaking confidential information and lying to the public.

Obama and Democrats are responsible for setting the stage for a person like Trump. We are stuck with him at least until next November when he will likely defeat an incompetent Democrat, unless Bloomberg jumps into the fray.

Warren Is The Last Socialist Standing

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The three-ring Democratic presidential circus is about to end. Sanders is too frail to be the next president, so he’s out. Biden has not been able to explain away collusion with his son and the Ukraine government, either because he’s lying or can’t remember what happened. That leaves Dems with Elizabeth Warren, the screaming, radical, progressive darling of liberal America. By the way she just got caught in another lie, something about being fired when she was a teacher because she was pregnant. Will the drama queen drive us bonkers from the White House?

I’m not saying you’d be out of your mind to vote for Warren, but really you would be if the traditions, history and the strength of America are important to you. I suggest all those enamored with this candidate take the time to consider carefully her outrageous and inane proposals.

Warren wants a one-payer health care system and the end of private insurance. That means that every American will pay nothing for insurance or for seeing a doctor or checking into a hospital (this does not take into account increased taxation to pay for it all). It’s a ridiculously expensive proposal even if those with private health insurance could keep theirs. But what will it cost to pay for 350 million people to have unlimited medical care? If every American needs an average of $10,000 of health services each year, it would cost 350 million times $10,000 or $3.5 trillion annually.

The situation becomes even direr if you consider that there would be no limit on the value of services any individual might incur. And, how about the ability of doctors and hospitals to handle this unbridled demand for care? They would be overrun on a daily basis. Conclusion: This type of health care would bankrupt the country, so it’s a dumb idea.

Warren also wants to forgive $2 trillion or so of student debt. Even as president, would she even have the authority to do this? And who’s going to pay for it? I’ll bet you know where Warren’s looking. It’s the wealthy, stupid.

Why should individuals who ran up their debt by taking courses that don’t help them find high paying jobs (that would have helped these individuals pay back their loans), have their debt assumed by others (US tax payers)? If you examine this closely you will discover that middle class individuals, not needy people will be the biggest beneficiaries of this entitlement.

What responsibility do colleges with billion dollar endowments have in this affair? They are the ones jacking up tuitions. Apparently none as far as Warren is concerned. Conclusion: Stupid proposal, although needy students should be given relief.

The issue is one of fairness. High earners should pay high taxes, but there’s a point where excessive taxation is bad for the country. Consumption will decrease as well as overall purchases and consumer confidence. The government will essentially be establishing a maximum level of income for all Americans, a level that discourages exceptionalism and the capitalistic spirit.

But even more disconcerting is that the justification of higher taxes for successful people is “that they don’t pay their fair share.” Hasn’t the government established “fair taxation?” Of course it has, it’s the current tax tables. When you consider the outsized percentage of taxes paid by the 1% versus the rest of the country, this tired philosophy of political progressives is misleading and detrimental to our financial well-being.

Furthermore the proposal to reach back and tax Americans for wealth that they accumulated over the years is the height of financial insanity. Money earned through hard work, entrepreneurship and creativity should be protected not attacked. The death tax is already eating into the money earned in years past.

Elizabeth Warren is a menace trying to spread her populist and socialistic dogma on our eternal capitalistic society. As most of the world aspires to become more like the US, Warren wants to take us backwards. She wants everybody to earn the same income, not because she’s a true socialist, but because she thinks she can dupe Americans into believing in a new system that has been disastrous for those who practiced it historically, while stealing the presidency. She refuses to accept that America is the greatest country in the world in large part because of our capitalistic instincts.

Finally, I have not torpedoed several other Warren tax boondoggles. They are equally destructive as the ones mentioned earlier and should be disregarded and denigrated by all Americans.

 

Universal Health Care Is Not Free

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Note: This essay was written after the first debate and before the second debate.

It’s premature to write an assessment of the Democratic presidential debates because we’ve only heard from half the group. But, the priorities and perspectives voiced on Tuesday night were telling and frightening.

Many topics were covered, but none was more controversial than health care. It’s abundantly clear that all the liberal contenders think this debate is critical, and it will be an important issue in the 2020 Elections. There is no doubt that every liberal contender has assumed the mantra that “health care is a human right.” This characterization is a bit melodramatic, but it was expressed many times during the evening.

Frankly every American and every politician thinks that health care is an important entitlement. The problem is that it’s a multifaceted conundrum, and there are many different ways that it may be improved and tailored to meet the needs of Americans.

The most important factors pertaining to universal, one-payer health care are:

  • Even though advocates of universal health care say it’s free to participants, it’s not without monstrous cost to the taxpayers. If any person receives health care “free,” taxpayers will be pay for it. If health care is restructured as per Bernie Sanders, trillions of dollars must be allocated to pay for each and every visit to doctors and hospitals, including illegal immigrants that liberals want to include. It’s very difficult to estimate the cost of this “free” entitlement. If each American generates $10,000 annually in medical expenses, the cost (330 million times $10,000) is $3.3 trillion annually. This excludes the operational costs of the bureaucracy and start up costs. Over ten years the total cost would be more than $30 trillion.
  • If every American is able to get “free” health care, the number of visits by an average American to doctors and hospitals will likely increase markedly. We already encounter significant delays when making appointments to have major surgery and to see the most capable doctors. There will be utter chaos as Americans fight for the attention of their preferred health care providers.
  • Many of the Democratic candidates support a one-payer system. This means that all existing private medical plans will be terminated. No one will be able to buy priority treatment. For many union members, who have sacrificed cash compensation for “Cadillac” health care coverage, the new system would effectively decrease their overall compensation.
  • And finally, the source of payment for universal health care is unknown. Democrats would like us to believe that raising taxes on the 1% will fund the program. This is utter nonsense no matter how often Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren scream and holler to the contrary.

 

One moderate on the panel of candidates, who is totally irrelevant to the election, wisely suggested that Democrats are promising entitlements that will never come to fruition, and that one-payer insurance would take away health care insurance from 150 million people with private plans. Since there are only 30 million, or so, who are uninsured in America, why reconstruct the entire medical infrastructure at great cost? Obama did the same thing a few years ago and grew the deficit by over $2 trillion.

Sanders and Warren are bull sh—-g America. They are trying to seduce people to vote for them by offering “free” things that are not free and not deliverable. Universal, one-payer medical insurance will never happen because the country cannot afford it. It will take insurance away from millions of satisfied Americans. It will result in massive hospital failures and a revolution by doctors. It will essentially take away money from other American priorities. It will bankrupt America.

It will never be enacted by Congress.

Dealing With Immigration, Iran And Health Care

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Our country is facing a plethora of problems. Dealing with issues has become increasingly more difficult because our government is so divided, as are our citizens.

There are a few situations that are causing great consternation across the country. They include immigration policy, nuclear proliferation and health care.

Immigration to the US emanating from Mexico and Central America has torn our country apart. The immigration dilemma and its effect on our society should not have come as a great surprise. Developed countries throughout the world are experiencing similar demands from large groups of people that have been persecuted and are seeking a better place to live.

So many are trying to escape horrible circumstances that are exacerbated by authoritarian rule, genocide and religious intolerance. The number of refugees stacked up in terrible conditions has reached epic proportions. Food, shelter and medicine are scarce.

Some nations are threatened by the demands of people seeking a better life. Why is this so? Resources in most countries are becoming more coveted every day. Even in the US accommodations for illegal immigrants are impacting American citizens in need. By giving to the people waiting on our doorsteps, the government is depriving services to people who were born in this country and living in poverty.

Further, the migration of many people of different cultures creates an array of societal, financial and political issues. Immigrants must be cared for. Who is going to provide services? Where will immigrants be transported once in the country? In the US they cannot all settle in Texas, Arizona and California. How many people can be assimilated in a short period of time?

Americans have always been sensitive to suffering and agony of the downtrodden. It’s in our DNA to come to the rescue of forsaken people. But how many can we help? Should we open our borders and accept everyone? Is the US able to care for all immigrants that want entry and permanent status in the country? How much of our limited resources can we afford to give to these people? How will another 1,2,3 or 10 million immigrants affect our country? There are more questions than answers. Tough decisions must be made to rein in the immigration problem. Can the US be the destination of persecuted people from all over the world? Not likely.

A nuclear event is the greatest existential threat to our world. The use of a WMD even in a far off places such as the Middle East and the Far East would have dire consequences for millions of people.

Note: The most volatile situation at this moment is North Korea. It appears that its leader is amenable to negotiating a disarmament treaty. Since NOKO has deliverable weapons, it should be the highest priority of US diplomacy.

The most dangerous country in the world is Iran. The reason for this designation is that the country is the leading provocateur of terror in the Middle East. And it is committed to owning nuclear weapons. The Obama nuclear deal with Iran did not ban Iran from developing a nuclear capability. It only deferred this eventuality.

Trump, rightly so, pointed out this radical possibility and abrogated they treaty. Now the US is committed to isolating Iran politically and economically until it agrees to never build a nuclear bomb.

What might the ayatollahs do if they had a deliverable bomb? Under duress they could use it against Israel. This would be a foolish and deadly decision because Israel would retaliate in kind with a much greater counter punch. But if it did occur, the Middle East would be in turmoil for an extended period. And worse, the US might be drawn into the fray.

The US is committed to Israel, and it is likely that we would respond mightily to an Iranian nuclear attack, a contingency that can only be eliminated by preventing Iran from developing a bomb.

As an afterthought, it should be noted that Iran could also direct its venom towards its Sunni opponents. In a large-scale brouhaha, Saudi Arabia and others on the peninsula could also be attacked with WMDs.

Health care is always front and center politically in the US. Obama created a huge conundrum that has tortured Americans and the country’s medical system ever since it was rammed down our throats several years ago. It has cost the country trillions and has made it difficult for any one in this country to feel secure about their ability to pay for a medial emergency.

The latest rage of Democrat liberals is universal, one payer insurance. Private insurance would not be permitted. Millions of people who are happy with their health care would be subjected to an entirely new arrangement that would impact the quality of service, the doctors they might want to use and how much they pay.

Instead of trying to herd millions of Americans into an expensive one size fits all policy, Obama health care reform should have only focused on those who were unable to pay for care. A large Medicaid service available to the needy was all that had to be done. However, Obama wanted to enact a large legacy initiative, and he ultimately screwed up the entire medical system. Now most of the 20 Democrats running for president want a health care mulligan that will further screw up health care.

The solution to the heath care Rubik’s Cube is evasive, but it should not be a one-payer system, and it should not take away private insurance already in effect. If redone incorrectly, the health care system could bankrupt our country.