An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Archive for Health Care
“Above all, I must not play at God.”
Doctors back demands to deny NHS treatment for smokers and the obese
More than half of doctors across the UK have backed controversial measures to withhold treatment to smokers and the obese.
According to a new survey around 54 per cent of those who took part said the NHS should have the right to deny non-emergency treatments to those who fail to lose weight or kick their smoking habits.
Members of the networking website doctors.net.uk were asked ‘Should the NHS be allowed to refuse non-emergency treatments to patients unless they lose weight or stop smoking?’
And although the poll was optional 593 of the 1,096 doctors who participated answered yes.
Uh huh. I see. Well, let’s look a little closer, shall we? The original Hippocratic Oath was quite lengthy, so I won’t copy and paste it here. It’s the oldest binding oath in history. Note the word….BINDING! Obviously, a lot of things have changed since ancient Greece, and the oath which I thought ALL doctors too upon getting their license was still valid.
The modern version (which, yes, I AM copying and pasting):
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.
I will not be ashamed to say “I know not,” nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.
I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.
I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.
Did I miss something? Isn’t this oath just as binding as the ancient oath of Hippocrates? So, since doctors now feel they can withhold treatment of the obese and smokers, what’s next? Being overweight just might not be a matter of eating too much, but rather a genetic issue, or caused by some medical problem. There are medications which pack on the pounds no matter what you eat, or don’t eat. I should know…I’ve taken some of those meds. 
Smoking? Well, if the WHO hadn’t scrubbed their report back in the 90s about how second hand smoke was NOT as dangerous as what the ‘activist nannies’ would like you to believe, then I’d be able to link to it. (Really wish they had ‘screen shot’ back then. sigh… Or I had had the presence of mind to print it out!) Breathing today is hazardous to your health, so who’s to say that a smoker is any less worthy of treatment than a non smoker?
So, what’s next? Will they refuse treatment to gays? I mean, that is an unhealthy lifestyle. How about pregnant women? Pregnancy can also be dangerous. How about those who play sports, or drive cars, or those with allergies? Perhaps they’ll refuse to treat Muslim women because they live in a culture that can be quite hazardous to their health! How about the elderly? I mean, after all, they are going to die anyway, right? Why treat them for a broken bone, or pneumonia?
I have a much better idea. Get rid of socialized medicine, and strip those 593 so called physicians of their licenses!
“Above all, I must not play at God.”
I Am Woman….Hear Me Roar
Look who Democrats wheel out in ‘war on women’
Perhaps she’s never gotten over being mistaken for a hotel maid while serving as U.S. secretary of state, but Madeleine Albright is joining the chorus of the political left today, claiming there’s a “war on women” stoked by Republicans.
Albright, who was America’s top diplomat in President Bill Clinton’s administration, has just penned a fundraising plea for Democrats, saying, “Here in America, Republicans have launched an all out attack on women’s rights. They’ve targeted women’s health care and are trying to roll back basic rights that most of us thought were won more than a generation ago.”
“It seems every time women take one step forward, extremists try to push us back,” she added.
I promised myself, I was not going to be angry all the time anymore. But y’know….some things just PISS ME OFF! This is one of them!
The non-existent Republican ‘war on women’ is nothing more than a left wing smoke screen to cover up the Democrats very REAL WAR ON BABIES! Just what ‘basic right’ is this old bat burbling about? Why, the ‘right’ to murder your child if the mood strikes you, of course! And we’re evil? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight! We aren’t the ones slaughtering children, covered in blood money.
Birth control you say? Close your legs, and stop acting like a SLUT, would be the first line of defense. Have no self control? How about those pills? You can go to Wal-Mart and get them for around $4.00 a month. That’s about the same as a gallon of gas, so if you can put gas in your vehicle, and not bitch about Obama’s ridiculous energy policies, you can damn sure pay for your own ‘good times’. Go to any Planned Parenthood, or even a high school, or middle school, they’ll give you FREE condoms, and even show ya how to use ‘em! Just in case you’re too stupid to grasp the concept!
Now, I’m going to drink my coffee, and calm down. Do a bit of praying, and ask God to forgive me for the things I am thinking about this horrid woman, and her cronies. The devil is alive and well in the Democrat Party.
And FYI, I can’t imagine anyone hiring that woman to be a maid. I wouldn’t even have her in my house! She can’t be trusted, and would likely do a lousy job. She wasn’t too great as Secretary of State, that’s for sure!
Medical Marijuana in Tennessee?
Medical marijuana bill advances in Tenn. House
A proposal to legalize medical marijuana is advancing in the state House.
The House Health Subcommittee approved the measure on a voice vote on Tuesday after similar measures had quickly failed in previous years.
I’m not one of those people who thinks legalizing drugs is a good idea, but when it comes to medical marijuana…that’s a whole ‘nuther story! The problem with the medical version? Well, it doesn’t work as well as the stuff from the good old days. You know the stuff they didn’t add a bunch of dangerous stuff to that could kill you, or make you totally nuts. The real NATURAL pot!
Democratic Rep. Jeanne Richardson of Memphis, the bill’s main sponsor, said the measure would create the toughest access standards among the states that have enacted similar laws.
In Richardson’s words: “Medical cannabis is no longer a radical idea — this is not Cheech and Chong with a bong.”
Ok, gotta admit! That cracked me up! I could tell ya why, and the connection, but I’ll refrain. Hey…I wasn’t always an OL’ broad, y’know! 
Republican Rep. Joey Hensley, a Hohenwald physician, raised concerns that doctors aren’t trained on how to prescribe marijuana.
Seriously? Most doctors are pretty up to date on new medical procedures and such, at least I should HOPE so, and I’ve no doubt that if this bill passes, they could require all doctors who would be affected go to class or some such. From my understanding, the pill version doesn’t really help all that much. I can tell you from experience, a LONG time ago, that smoking it DOES help migraines, and the nausea that goes along with it. I had one for over a week…saw the doctor 3 times, gave me meds that did NOTHING! Got talked into trying it, took a few hits, and voila! Cancer patients lose their appetite, and going through treatments makes it worse. Many suffer from a LOT of nausea. What does pot do? Well, it gives you the munchies, which would aid in the loss of appetite, and it works wonders on nausea. FACT! Luckily, the Mr wasn’t one of those who suffered from any of the side effects from the treatments, but he sure could have used an appetite. Since he’s been declared cancer free, this hasn’t been an issue.
The companion bill has yet to be scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Government Operations Committee.
Now, I’m none too fond of Dem politicians, but in this case, I am hoping Republicans will do some research, talk to people who have had to suffer through migraines and cancer, and their families. Talk to actual doctors who have dealt with medical marijuana, and I don’t mean those pot shop types out in California. I mean legitimate doctors!
New Heart!
Cheney undergoes heart transplant surgery
Former GOP Vice President Dick Cheney is recovering from heart transplant surgery at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Northern Virginia, a spokeswoman said Saturday evening.
In 2010, Cheney had a left ventricular assist device implanted for treatment of end-stage heart failure. The former vice president has been on the cardiac transplant list for more than 20 months.
Though he and his family do not know the identity of the donor, they will be forever grateful for this lifesaving gift, the spokeswoman also said.
I was under the impression that no one is suppose to know who the donor is, right? Oh well. Sending many prayers to Mr VP and his family. Here’s hoping he’ll have a really speedy recovery.
You realize, of course, if ObamaCare was in play, there is no way a 71 year old man would have been able to get a heart transplant. On my even more cynical side, I wonder how many on the left will be making their usual nasty remarks, wishing for death, etc. We know it’s coming…that’s just the type of people (?) they are…why should we expect anything different from them now?
SNAP OUT OF IT!
Obama and the Democrats don’t give a flying flip about human beings! This should have been obvious a long time ago when they pushed to begin the slaughter of innocent babies. Those who have managed to escape the abortionists tools are now at risk of being killed just because it’s uncomfortable to have so many old people. Kill ObamaCare….not Grandma!
ObamaCare
For anyone who still thinks ObamaCare is such a great idea….
- It increases taxes on families earning over $250,000. In 2013, the employee portion of the Medicare payroll tax will increase from 1.45 percent to 2.35 percent for families earning $250,000 or more and individuals earning $200,000 or more. The income threshold is not indexed for inflation, so more and more middle-income families will be hit by the tax hike as time goes on.
- It adds a new tax to investment income. The increased payroll tax rate is also applied to high-earners’ investment income for the first time beginning in 2013. It will hit capital gains, dividends, rents, and royalties, discouraging investment and harming economic growth.
- It puts new limitations on those with HSAs and FSAs. Starting in 2012, Obamacare restricts the products that consumers may purchase with a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Savings Account (FSA)—such as over-the-counter medications—and increases the penalty for such non-qualified uses of HSAs. It also limits the amount taxpayers may deposit into an FSA to $2,500 a year in 2013.
- It adds a new tax on those who purchase medical devices. In 2013, a 2.3 percent excise tax will be applied to medical devices, causing a $28.5 billion tax hike on medical device manufacturers. The industry will pay for this tax by reducing jobs and passing additional costs on to consumers.
- It penalizes marriage. Obamacare creates new taxpayer-funded subsidies for the low and middle classes to purchase health coverage, but the structure of the subsidies allows two individuals to claim more in subsidies alone than if married. This discriminates against married couples and discourages marriage at almost all age and income levels.
- It violates religious liberty. The Department of Health and Human Services included the full range of contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs, among the women-specific preventive services that Obamacare requires insurers to include with no cost-sharing. This mandate violates Americans’ conscience rights and religious liberty. Its narrow exemption for religious employers will force many who find these products morally objectionable—including religious charities, hospitals, and schools—to pay for them.
- It puts Medicare decisions in the hands of an unelected board. The Independent Payment Advisory Board, a board of 15 unelected officials, will have the power to cut Medicare spending without congressional approval. These unaccountable government appointees will be able to restrict seniors’ access to providers, treatments, and services.
- It puts a premium tax on health insurers. Obamacare adds a premium tax on health insurers that offer full coverage beginning in 2014. On average, the tax is expected to increase premiums by 1.9 percent to 2.3 percent in 2014 and between 2.8 percent and 3.7 percent by 2023. Combined with the other provisions in Obamacare, this tax will have a huge impact on the cost of premiums.
- It creates a new unsustainable entitlement program. On top of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, Obamacare created a new long-term care entitlement called the CLASS program. It is actuarially unsound, unworkable, and unsustainable. As a result, the Administration has already put its implementation “on hold.”
- It puts over half of all Americans on a government program. Because of Obamacare’s huge expansion of Medicaid and creation of taxpayer-funded subsidies to purchase health coverage, more than half of all Americans will be dependent on a government health care program (Medicare, Medicaid, or the government exchanges) by the end of this decade.
….please remove your head from Obama’s hind end! NOTHING is free!
Got A Question….
So, the left is all up in arms about insurance companies, and religious organizations paying for ‘women’s health care’, right? Of course, it really isn’t about ‘women’s health care’, it all about contraception, abortions, and morning after pills. What that has to do with health care is beyond me. Seems to me if women were concerned, they do a bit less…..umm…. bed time. But that’s my opinion, so we’ll leave it at that!
So, my question is this….what about ‘men’s health care’? Will insurance companies and employers be forced to buy condoms for men? Will they pay for vasectomies? Or vasectomy reversal? Isn’t that ‘health care’ dealing with reproductive issues? Why are males left out of the argument? Don’t they count?
Just sayin’.
Law Suit For Freedom
7 states sue to block contraception mandate
Seven states filed a lawsuit Thursday to block the federal government’s requirement that religious organizations offer health insurance coverage that includes free access to contraception for women.
The attorney generals of Texas, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina jointly filed the lawsuit in a Nebraska US District Court.
Two private citizens, two religious non-profit organizations and a Catholic school also joined the lawsuit against the contraception mandate, which is part of President Barack Obama’s sweeping health care law.
The lawsuit asks a federal judge to declare the law unconstitutional and enjoin the government from enforcing the requirement.
I’d really like to know why Tennessee isn’t part of this lawsuit. Come to think of it, I’d like to know why ALL states aren’t part of it! It is a clear violation of the 1st Amendment. Ok, maybe I can understand why states like California, or New York, for instance, aren’t part of it, but the states run by rational people?
It was the intent of the Founders to keep government OUT of our religious organizations, not the other way around. Mandating an religious organization to do something that is abhorrent to their faith is unconscionable. Perhaps if there were more faithful people in the government, this would never have happened. But we can see that there are way too many who have turned away from our founding, and feel themselves above God’s law.
A REAL Man Made Problem
Experts fear diseases ‘impossible to treat’
Britain is facing a “massive” rise in antibiotic-resistant blood poisoning caused by the bacterium E.coli – bringing closer the spectre of diseases that are impossible to treat.
Experts say the growth of antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat to global health as the emergence of new diseases such as Aids and pandemic flu.
Professor Peter Hawkey, a clinical microbiologist and chair of the Government’s antibiotic-resistance working group, said that antibiotic resistance had become medicine’s equivalent of climate change.
The “slow but insidious growth” of resistant organisms was threatening to turn common infections into untreatable diseases, he said. Already, an estimated 25,000 people die each year in the European Union from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
Ok, I gotta put my nickel’s worth in here. Do you know WHY there are antibiotic resistant bugs flourishing? It’s because people have gotten so damn germaphobic, our bodies can’t build up any resistance naturally. We are given antibiotics for every little thing, and then can’t understand why we still get sick. Our kids are no longer allowed to actually go outside, play and get dirty. Heaven forbid they would get a cut or scratch! We’ve had antibacterial cleaning products pushed on us, so our homes will be so clean, even one little germ can’t flourish. Pfft! We NEED germs! We NEED to become resistant by exposure to germs. All you people who are so dadburn obsessed with taking your kid to the doctor and pumping them full of antibiotics for a viral cold have turned your kids into a bunch of freakin’ wusses!
Are these dipwads really comparing this problem to ‘climate change’? Seriously? Hey….SFBs…the climate changes, on a regular basis. THIS problem, however, really IS manmade! Or mother made. Or sissy made. Or any other way you want to describe it! The more you obsess about germs in your home, the more you shove antibiotics down your and your kids throat, the more resistant you are going to be to any bug that comes along.
YEP! This is truly a man made issue! Now…what are we going to do about it? First, knock of the germaphobia in your own home. Let your kids get dirty. And for the love of all that’s holy, stop with the antibiotics for colds. They do not work on colds! Your common everyday cold is caused by a virus, and antibiotics do not work on virus’. So, knock it off! We have to build up our immunity and stop whining! People are dying because of this crap.
H/T: Mimosa
Marc Rubio At CPAC
United Against Evil
Obamacare Awakens a Sleeping Giant
The Foundry
It is a rare moment indeed when faith denominations of all stripes unite together in common cause, and it is rarer still when that cause is a political one, with a sole piece of legislation as its principal target. But when that law eviscerates the very foundation of religious liberty in America as protected under the First Amendment, it should not be surprising that Catholics and Jews, charismatic evangelical Christians, and mainline Lutherans alike find common cause in defense of their liberties.
Such is the case with the firestorm of opposition to Obamacare and the Obama Administration’s attack on religious liberty. Under a new Obamacare mandate issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the White House is mandating that many religious employers, with the exception of churches, provide health care coverage for contraception — including abortion-inducing drugs — thereby trampling upon their constitutionally guaranteed free exercise of religion. And it is this mandate that has caused a vehement response in churches and synagogues across the country.
I Don’t Just Think So…..
….. I KNOW so! 
How Many Adults Believe in God?
The vast majority of American adults hold a definite belief in God. Yet, despite this persistence of belief in America and the important place of religious practice in civil society, an increasingly narrow view of religion is threatening to force faith out of the public square.
Sadly, too many are letting the anti faith people dictate what we can, and cannot do. The 1st Amendment has been distorted and twisted to a point where the Founders would not recognize the actions connecting with the words.
Consider the recent mandate by the Department of Health and Human Services that will require almost all insurance providers to cover contraceptives, sterilization procedures, and education and counseling regarding such services—without cost to the insured. The rule includes mandatory coverage of ethically controversial drugs like ella, which can act as an abortifacient.
If a person is forced to go against their faith, to sin against the Word of God, forced to violate their deeply held principles, isn’t that a violation of the 1st Amendment?
Employers with moral and religious objections to providing such insurance coverage will find little recourse in the mandate’s narrow religious exemption. While the mandate’s potential threat to employers’ religious freedom is already causing a stir in court rooms and in the nation’s capital, the struggle to protect conscience rights on morally divisive issues is sure to continue well into the future.
I suppose this administration, and it’s cronies in Congress that pushed through a bill the vast majority of Americans did not want, is choosing to condemn believers to an eternity separated from God. The alternative would be not to provide insurance for their employees, and face the fines. Or, just close their doors and put more people out of work.
Not A Happy Camper
Let’s put it bluntly. This ol’ broad has major bitchiness attacking from all angles….and it ain’t just coming from me. Well, maybe it is, but I’m not gonna take ALL the blame. I could be nice and take it, but I don’t feel nice, so I won’t.
I made it to the hospital, on time. I already had everything filled out, and taken care of before hand. Or so I thought. I provided the info. Is it my fault the person on the other side of the desk didn’t bother to include the proper info that I provided? UGH. Well, he was a nice guy and all, but making me feel like I had screwed up at 6am is not a real good idea. Finally, they figured out someone failed to scan in the proper info from my insurance card. After many apologies, we got it all straightened out. Things started to proceed smoothly. Well, as smoothly as waiting around for hours can be. They finally got me stripped and in that ever so lovely hospital peignoir.
Repeal….NOW!
You may have seen this, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it, and often!
Top Ten Things Obama Never Told You About Obamacare
1. Did you know that . . . since Jan. 1 of this year (2011), you cannot use your flex-account at work (FSA) or health savings account (HSA) to purchase over-the-counter medicines?
2. Did you know that . . . since July 1 of last year (2010), Americans have been paying a 10 percent excise tax on all indoor tanning services?
3. Did you know that . . . starting in 2018, if your health insurance is “too good” or considered a “Cadillac” plan, then you will incur a new 40 percent tax on your health plan?
4. Did you know that . . . Obamacare has 21 new or higher taxes in it, totaling over $500 billion in increased taxes going to the government over 10 years?
5. Did you know that . . . beginning in 2014, individuals and families that do not purchase “qualifying” – as defined by federal bureaucrats — health insurance will be forced to pay a yearly tax penalty?
6. Did you know that . . . 7 tax hikes in Obamacare directly break President Obama’s “firm pledge” not to raise any form of taxes on individuals making less than $200,000 per year and families making less than $250,000 per year?
7. Did you know that . . . the capital gains tax rate under Obamacare will rise to 23.8 percent starting in 2012? That is a 59 percent increase from its current rate.
8. Did you know that . . . in 2013, those Americans facing the highest medical bills and the least ability to pay for them will find their ability to deduct medical expenses is further limited (medical expenses must be reduced by 10 percent of income under Obamacare, rather than current law’s 7.5 percent)
9. Did you know that . . . beginning in 2014, businesses with over 50 employees will be forced to offer health coverage for everyone, or pay a hefty tax for each employee?
10. Did you know that . . . in 2013, Obamacare caps the amount individuals and families can put in their flexible savings accounts at $2500? Currently there is no cap and these accounts are used for a myriad of health expenses including paying upwards of $14,000 in tuition to special needs schools for some parents?
Concealer
Yesterday morning, when I walked into the hospital’s coffee bar, the girl behind the counter said “Wow, you obviously finally got some rest!” My response….with a smile, “Concealer.”
Now, most women know what I mean, and most husband SHOULD know what that is, but for those of you who don’t…. Concealer is that little magic tube of makeup type stuff that conceals minor flaws….like dark circles and bags under your eyes when you don’t get enough sleep. Ok, so it doesn’t exactly conceal completely, but it’s a good start.
That got me to thinking. How many times in our lives to we use some sort of ‘concealer’. There are things we just don’t want people to know about us. I’m basically an open book, but there are many things about me that people don’t know. Frankly, cuz it’s none of their flippin’ business.
There are a few folks who have basically got the big picture, the Mr for one. Why would I try to conceal anything from the man I’m suppose to trust with my life? Doesn’t make sense. So, he knows some of the worst about me. My pastor and a few select friends know a lot, but not everything. And honestly, there are things I just don’t remember, for a variety of reasons.
So, when I started thinking about this, it occurred to me, our so called political leaders use a lot of ‘concealer’. And I mean a LOT! They cover the ugly parts they don’t want you to see, but they are still there, and eventually, come to the surface. Many will keep slapping on more and more concealer, in other words, lie….repeatedly, and expect us all to see and hear, only what they want us to see and hear. We are too stupid to see through the facade, don’t ya know. Haven’t they pretty much told us that, time and time again?
Take for example the comments Steve Cohen made on the House floor.
“They don’t like the truth so they summarily dismiss it,” he said. “They say it’s a government takeover of healthcare. A big lie just like [Nazi propaganda minister Joseph] Goebbels. You say it enough and you repeat the lie, repeat the lie, repeat the lie until eventually people believe it. Like blood libel, that’s the same kind of thing.
“The Germans said enough about the Jews and people believed it, and you have the Holocaust,” he added. “You tell a lie over and over again.”
Here we have a Jewish man, comparing his fellow Americans with Goebbels. Nice. Real flippin’ nice. The problem is, it’s not the GOP that are spewing the lies, and expecting WE, The People to buy into them. That would be YOUR side of the aisle, Stevie! You see, WE have actually READ the bill. Have you? Thank you, once again, for embarrassing the state of Tennessee.
Of course, he did try to do some back peddling. I’m afraid you can’t get the toothpaste back in the tube.
Then we have one of the ‘queens of concealer’, Shelia Jackson Lee. Definitely one of my favorites. /snark Here we have the type of person who will use other people, even through a big fat lie, to attempt to slap down one of the more intelligent people who has interviewed her. One of the HUGE problems is that, it’s all crap! When someone shows up at a hospital, with a trauma, or seriously ill, they are NOT ever turned away. DESPITE their ability to pay.
Just a side note: There are people who use emergency rooms as their family clinic. Illegals come to mind. They are not turned away, even though they don’t pay, and as a consequence, many hospitals have had to close their doors, denying those who could, or would, pay, adequate health care.
Bureaucracies do not save lives. Never have, never will. This bill is nothing more than one huge bureaucracy, with the ability to control your life. Lies. And they keep repeating them. Sadly, many have not attempted to see through the ‘concealer’ to what is really underneath.
If, on the off chance, that Cohen or Lee has actually READ the entire bill, that too speaks volumes about their ability to think rationally, as a freedom loving American. I don’t believe either of them to be such a person. Which is why, imho, they push so hard to deny the rest of us the freedoms granted to us by the Almighty, Himself.
There is not enough concealer in the world to cover all the “flaws” that came out of the Democrat controlled Congress. We see through it!
