- 21:35 I've decide to explore careers in junk bonds, subprime mortgages, and politics. Forget this med school stuff. I want something rewarding! #
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September 2008
September 30, 2008
September 29, 2008
September 27, 2008
September 26, 2008
WaMu Now WTF
The largest bank failure in history occurred this week. Home of
Who brokered this deal? The
Universal Healthcare in the United States
I've been watching Massachusetts a great deal lately since it has chosen to implement mandatory health insurance for all of its citizens. Many have thought that it could be a model for universal healthcare for all of the US. Once again, we get to see just how much reality can kick you in the nuts when you don't look at all the facets of an issue.
The Program in a Nutshell
Companies with 11+ employees pay the state $295 a year for each uninsured worker if the company does not insure 25 percent of its full-time employees or provide 33 percent of its workers' premiums. Honestly, I am not sure if this has to be paid for part-timers. This process has led to the highest rate of insured citizens in the country with 94.6% of the population covered by
It sounds great! Almost everyone is insured and it's cheap! Well... not exactly...
The Downside Part 1
The initial cost estimate for the first year was $472 million. In reality, it finished at $630million That is a full third more than they figured. Compounding the problem, more uninsured are signing up for the state program. I don't blame them, it's
The Downside Part 2
There simply aren't enough primary care doctors. This is a common theme everywhere, but is seriously exacerbated by the increased demand. Wait times to see a PCP is now nearly 100 days in some places. More and more existing docs are not accepting new patients and have to work 60 hours a week to handle their new patient load. This shunts the primary care load to the one place guaranteed to get you in with less than a 100 day wait, the emergency department. Since I have been involved in health care, the ER has been used as a walk-in primary care clinic. The increased load causes delays in care for legitimate ER patients. People who come for level III, IV and V ESI complaints have to wait significantly longer. At peak times, I've seen waits for vag bleeders and abdominal pain last greater than 6 hours. Imagine being that patient and seeing these douchenozzles coming in with primary care complaints. Docs get overloaded and the system slows down even further. It seriously pisses off the nursing staff too. One thing I've learned... never, ever, piss off the
The Solution
There is no solution that I can see that won't be very painful and require a big tax increase and a bigger change in America's attitude towards health care. Universal healthcare works pretty well in small countries with faily healthy lifestyles. Norway is a good example of this. The population doesn't eat cheeseburgers and french fries twice a day and sit at home smoking and drinking till they pass out. Their docs aren't saddled with a ton of debt that has been massaged by compound interest over a decade or so and there is a real emphasis on preventative medicine. Americans want
September 25, 2008
September 23, 2008
September 22, 2008
In Review - Medical School Week 6
I have received a couple emails from concerned folks about why I haven't updated this weekend. Those whom share the heartwarming experience of medical school undoubtedly know what I have been up to.... another web exam for neuroanatomy. I tend to dog on neuro a lot. Frankly, I find it a terribly painful subject. I will say that sometimes... just sometimes... it can stick in my head long enough for something useful to happen. Of course, given the amount of time I have dedicated to it, I should be seeing some results. Apparently my hippocampus is working.
Week 6
More rheumatology! Yes kids, another week of rare musculoskeletal disorders! What was once an interesting subject, has now been beaten to death. Yes, I understand that these exist. Yes, I understand that they have a lot of different factors. Yes I understand that ANA will be negative in certain disorders and would therefore be useless to get in those cases. I would, however, order one anyway because I don't
Pathology is fun. I like its relevance to disease and disorders. I really appreciate the time and effort put up by the members of the department to make the class relevant and provide excellent resources. I also appreciate why dermatopathologists make serious $$$. Wow that is a lot of
Genetics is a very slow class. The material is interesting, but I feel that it would be best suited to the second semester of the the first year. I'd then use the extra two hours a week for neuro enrichment.
Neuro.... my precious ....... How you haunt my dreams.... Your ambiguous nuclei are not just your ambiguous nuclei (if you study neuro that is some funny shit)... A true understanding of its delicate intricacies evades me, much like fame, fortune, and popularity... but what I've learned seems to be working so far. What wasn't working tonight was the Angel system. About 30 seconds from time up, the weary browser decided to REFRESH. Thus, all my answers were washed away much like the hopes and dreams of my youth. Sad you say? Angry even???? Yes! But, you see, my brief time in the military has taught me something. Copies are a wonderful thing. A little itch in the back of my mind floated up reminding me of how one student on exam 1 lost their test to a similar fate. Not to be hosed by man or machine, I thoughtfully hit print just before the dreaded flush. (Now that I think about it, I hope that printing it didn't cause the problem in the first place) Either way, I passed and am eternally thankful.
So... what didn't I do this weekend?
#1 Spend time with my son (he was at his mother's this weekend)
-I miss that kid. I had pizza waiting for when he got home. Hanging out with him is worth the difficulties it creates.
#2 Spend time with my wife.
- Christi won best of breed at the Columbus, OH dog show with Nautica and finished her championship! Go Christi! Now to see if we can get her bred.... the dog that is....
#3 Go to Irish Fest
- why there is a kilted mile run at IRISH FEST is beyond me. I miss the music and the fun. Hogeye Navvy (One of the greatest bands of all time) was there. I hope to catch them next weekend.
It's monday now. Hopefully today the government will have solved all my problems and made friends with all of the rest of the world. Disease will be cured, and all the world will join up in song and dance.... AAAAAAArrrgh... Sorry I must have drifted off into some bizarre
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September 21, 2008
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