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“i for one do not want to live in a country with freakishly tall people (no offense chicken)
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 2, 2009 4:36 PM”
None taken Rob, but since when is 6’1 freakishly tall? It’s not so tall that my feet don’t touch the ground. And I recall Biff being significantly taller than me!
It will not be long before genetic height selection will be available, we are already cloning dogs for goodness sakes. Not saying it’s a good thing, just an inevitable phenomenon.
Posted by: Legion at July 2, 2009 10:15 PM
Computers for Retards program is working very well. Keep up the good work Legion.
Legion- I got the information from the web sites so if its wrong you can contact the webmasters. thanks though for the other information and i will look into that stuff and yes, I’m sure i could accumulate 2000 over the course of a year or two. But unless I misunderstand you, you mean i can have 2000 in that account and still get major medical paid for if it goes over? I’m a little confused on exactly how it works. the websites are a little vague on some points. I have looked up coop health plans. i would love to find one for 60$ a month but the lowest i found so far started at 180 for almost no coverage. Right now I can’t afford that much- I’m looking for work. But I do thank you for giving me some more leads.
Considering my present income on unemployment I might qualify but I have never been on welfare, have always paid my own way and like a lot of others have had a few disasters thrown my way that ruined any financial security I had. I don’t expect anything for free or the government to do everything for me. What I do expect is a better return for the tax money I pay.
Regarding the New Yorker article on average US height. I will give you the point that the study was adjusted for shorter immigrant populations.
But here is the counter-point. Is this height indicative of a true lack of prosperity and healthcare or is it more a function of too much prosperity and freedom?
We have the freedom in the US to eat however badly we want to, however much we want to and whatever we want to. In fact we have a term for this; FastFood nation. We also have an obesity problem and a problem with diabetes. I suspect all are linked, but not by an underlying poverty, more by an underlying abundance of junk food and poor nutritional habits.
Once again, I will also point out that you must compare the United States to other nations which have populations in excess of 200 million and take on the immigration health issues that we do, to make a truly comparative analysis of whether or not our health care system is working to meet the demands of the people.
Also realize that all those Northern European nations cited in the study have benefitted greatly from the largesse of the American people in that funds that we could have been using to beef up our own healthcare system were instead used to protect the entire European continent for about 50 years. We still have bases in Germany, Poland and Eastern Europe. In other words, it is quite easy for the five million or so people in the Netherlands to grow a couple of inches over the past two generations and concentrate on prenatal care, when they don’t have to apply 1/3 of their nation’s GDP to protect against endless stream of despots always lurking about.
Finally, more recent studies show, that Americans are once again starting to increase in height. And don’t discount the looming spectre of technology which has been America’s ace in the hole for about a century now. It will not be long before genetic height selection will be available, we are already cloning dogs for goodness sakes. Not saying it’s a good thing, just an inevitable phenomenon.
The SHIP programs include Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus.
If you have children, your children will be covered as long as you are making less than 28,000 per year as a couple in NYState. Mind you , you will also be qualified for food stamps, housing subsidies and free education.
If you are a single individual, you will qualify for Family Health Plus as long as you are making less than 11,000 per year. It’s not much but also consider that you will qualify for all the other social programs at that level.
Now if you are making say, 20K a year and you are single. You have to make some decisions. This is the hard part because this is where people start with the emotional outbursts about how they should be entitled to do whatever they want. There are consequences however, to our actions. Should you rent a 1500/month apartment? no. should you have a kid with no support structure around you? no. Should you go out nightly to have dinner and drinks at PerSe? no. Sould you live beyond your means? no.
You should pay the 400 per month for Major Medical coverage. A plan that will cover you should a catastrophe happen, as in breaking your leg. If not, you have a high deductable and the knowledge that most people in their twenties and thirties do not have major medical problems.
You should be living with a roomate and sharing expenses. you should be living frugally and enjoying the many free things this city has to offer. You should be saving and working towards a better future. you should be training for a job that has many job openings ; such as home health aid or nurse.
As far as the HSA account, you can certainly roll over the amount into the next year, I know, because I had an HSA account with Oxford. I am self employed and the HSA is considered a medical IRA of sorts, it’s my money.
BXGRL; here’s another solution, if you were to break your leg. You go to any city emergency room, where the law requires them to treat you. You will be treated and billed. If you cannot pay, you will be put on a payment plan according to what you can pay. I know because I have tenants who have done just that. They even have payment plans at HHC city hospitals where you basically pay $15 dollars a month for medical care including visits to the many clinics. Go to Metropolitan or Lincoln Hospitals if you don’t believe me. You say you need medications? the major Pharmaceutical companies are tripping over themselves to give you free medications, if you qualify.
bottom line, you have to pay for some services in life. Some people, simply don’t want to have to pay for medical services.
HSA accounts work on the idea that most insurance companies and persons who have taken a statistics course understand; that most people do not have major medical problems between a certain age. 15-55. Some do, but not the vast majority. As such, taking pre-tax dollars out of your paycheck to build up your health savings account will quickly add up over the course of a few years, say 25-31. Does anyone here recall even seeing a doctor in College? I went once, for a banged up knee. Once in 4 years, and not a single time in the 4 years of post-graduate studies. and again, if there were a major catastrophe, the HSA has the Major medical component which will cover you if you did break your leg and an orthopedist had to set it for 10,000 dollars. The benefits usually kick in after the first 2,000 dollars is spent. Bxgrl, are you telling me, you cannot accumulate 2000 in your health account within 2 years?
Here’s yet another solution; sign up for one of the many low cost health care cooperative plans, through which you will have access, at a low monthly fee of about 60 dollars, to thousands of healthcare practitioners at a lower, negotiated fee schedule. AmeriPlan Health. look it up.
Final solution, if you are that sickly, simply do like many patients do in the hospital systems of new york; apply for medical disibility and get medicare early. I am not joking. I know of people who are on SSI/medicare disability for anything from lower back pain (which 45% of the population has after age 50) to “psych” problems.
Good luck and understand that there is always a way in this great nation. At least until we get to the point where we think the government will solve all our problems.
The 47 million figure is from the American Public Health Association, citing the U.S. Census Bureau, describing 47 million “Americans” as uninsured in 2006.
The declining average in height for Americans was controlled for immigrants, according to the New Yorker article, so they’re factored out.
It’s worse than we think. The U.S. ranks 42 in life expectancy world-wide — for people BORN in the U.S, according to reports published by the Kaiser Foundation. So it’s not just Sweden.
rob- I’m not sure what bothers you about the universal plan but it’s better than a crap private plan that costs too much. Millions of uninsured people cost everyone also.
I’ve never worked for a company that has an HSA plan but the amount of money you can put into them per year and all you’re doing is saving on some taxes- is ludicrous. having gone through 2 devastating hospital stays, the tax free 3000$ max they let you keep tax free is simply ludicrous. It’s totally inadequate for real medical care. The taxes they are letting you save on that amount of money is a pittance.
thank u bxgrl. our company went sort of cheapo and switched from great heath insurance to kinda shitty one. but id rather have a shitty health plan from a company than the universal one. sounds weird i know. tho i do think everyone should be covered. im on the fence with this issue.
“i for one do not want to live in a country with freakishly tall people (no offense chicken)
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at July 2, 2009 4:36 PM”
None taken Rob, but since when is 6’1 freakishly tall? It’s not so tall that my feet don’t touch the ground. And I recall Biff being significantly taller than me!
It will not be long before genetic height selection will be available, we are already cloning dogs for goodness sakes. Not saying it’s a good thing, just an inevitable phenomenon.
Posted by: Legion at July 2, 2009 10:15 PM
Computers for Retards program is working very well. Keep up the good work Legion.
The What (And I’m nuts?)
Someday this war is gonna end…
Legion- I got the information from the web sites so if its wrong you can contact the webmasters. thanks though for the other information and i will look into that stuff and yes, I’m sure i could accumulate 2000 over the course of a year or two. But unless I misunderstand you, you mean i can have 2000 in that account and still get major medical paid for if it goes over? I’m a little confused on exactly how it works. the websites are a little vague on some points. I have looked up coop health plans. i would love to find one for 60$ a month but the lowest i found so far started at 180 for almost no coverage. Right now I can’t afford that much- I’m looking for work. But I do thank you for giving me some more leads.
Considering my present income on unemployment I might qualify but I have never been on welfare, have always paid my own way and like a lot of others have had a few disasters thrown my way that ruined any financial security I had. I don’t expect anything for free or the government to do everything for me. What I do expect is a better return for the tax money I pay.
NOP
Regarding the New Yorker article on average US height. I will give you the point that the study was adjusted for shorter immigrant populations.
But here is the counter-point. Is this height indicative of a true lack of prosperity and healthcare or is it more a function of too much prosperity and freedom?
We have the freedom in the US to eat however badly we want to, however much we want to and whatever we want to. In fact we have a term for this; FastFood nation. We also have an obesity problem and a problem with diabetes. I suspect all are linked, but not by an underlying poverty, more by an underlying abundance of junk food and poor nutritional habits.
Once again, I will also point out that you must compare the United States to other nations which have populations in excess of 200 million and take on the immigration health issues that we do, to make a truly comparative analysis of whether or not our health care system is working to meet the demands of the people.
Also realize that all those Northern European nations cited in the study have benefitted greatly from the largesse of the American people in that funds that we could have been using to beef up our own healthcare system were instead used to protect the entire European continent for about 50 years. We still have bases in Germany, Poland and Eastern Europe. In other words, it is quite easy for the five million or so people in the Netherlands to grow a couple of inches over the past two generations and concentrate on prenatal care, when they don’t have to apply 1/3 of their nation’s GDP to protect against endless stream of despots always lurking about.
Finally, more recent studies show, that Americans are once again starting to increase in height. And don’t discount the looming spectre of technology which has been America’s ace in the hole for about a century now. It will not be long before genetic height selection will be available, we are already cloning dogs for goodness sakes. Not saying it’s a good thing, just an inevitable phenomenon.
bxgrl,
WRONG.
The SHIP programs include Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus.
If you have children, your children will be covered as long as you are making less than 28,000 per year as a couple in NYState. Mind you , you will also be qualified for food stamps, housing subsidies and free education.
If you are a single individual, you will qualify for Family Health Plus as long as you are making less than 11,000 per year. It’s not much but also consider that you will qualify for all the other social programs at that level.
Now if you are making say, 20K a year and you are single. You have to make some decisions. This is the hard part because this is where people start with the emotional outbursts about how they should be entitled to do whatever they want. There are consequences however, to our actions. Should you rent a 1500/month apartment? no. should you have a kid with no support structure around you? no. Should you go out nightly to have dinner and drinks at PerSe? no. Sould you live beyond your means? no.
You should pay the 400 per month for Major Medical coverage. A plan that will cover you should a catastrophe happen, as in breaking your leg. If not, you have a high deductable and the knowledge that most people in their twenties and thirties do not have major medical problems.
You should be living with a roomate and sharing expenses. you should be living frugally and enjoying the many free things this city has to offer. You should be saving and working towards a better future. you should be training for a job that has many job openings ; such as home health aid or nurse.
As far as the HSA account, you can certainly roll over the amount into the next year, I know, because I had an HSA account with Oxford. I am self employed and the HSA is considered a medical IRA of sorts, it’s my money.
BXGRL; here’s another solution, if you were to break your leg. You go to any city emergency room, where the law requires them to treat you. You will be treated and billed. If you cannot pay, you will be put on a payment plan according to what you can pay. I know because I have tenants who have done just that. They even have payment plans at HHC city hospitals where you basically pay $15 dollars a month for medical care including visits to the many clinics. Go to Metropolitan or Lincoln Hospitals if you don’t believe me. You say you need medications? the major Pharmaceutical companies are tripping over themselves to give you free medications, if you qualify.
bottom line, you have to pay for some services in life. Some people, simply don’t want to have to pay for medical services.
HSA accounts work on the idea that most insurance companies and persons who have taken a statistics course understand; that most people do not have major medical problems between a certain age. 15-55. Some do, but not the vast majority. As such, taking pre-tax dollars out of your paycheck to build up your health savings account will quickly add up over the course of a few years, say 25-31. Does anyone here recall even seeing a doctor in College? I went once, for a banged up knee. Once in 4 years, and not a single time in the 4 years of post-graduate studies. and again, if there were a major catastrophe, the HSA has the Major medical component which will cover you if you did break your leg and an orthopedist had to set it for 10,000 dollars. The benefits usually kick in after the first 2,000 dollars is spent. Bxgrl, are you telling me, you cannot accumulate 2000 in your health account within 2 years?
Here’s yet another solution; sign up for one of the many low cost health care cooperative plans, through which you will have access, at a low monthly fee of about 60 dollars, to thousands of healthcare practitioners at a lower, negotiated fee schedule. AmeriPlan Health. look it up.
Final solution, if you are that sickly, simply do like many patients do in the hospital systems of new york; apply for medical disibility and get medicare early. I am not joking. I know of people who are on SSI/medicare disability for anything from lower back pain (which 45% of the population has after age 50) to “psych” problems.
Good luck and understand that there is always a way in this great nation. At least until we get to the point where we think the government will solve all our problems.
Legion,
The 47 million figure is from the American Public Health Association, citing the U.S. Census Bureau, describing 47 million “Americans” as uninsured in 2006.
The declining average in height for Americans was controlled for immigrants, according to the New Yorker article, so they’re factored out.
It’s worse than we think. The U.S. ranks 42 in life expectancy world-wide — for people BORN in the U.S, according to reports published by the Kaiser Foundation. So it’s not just Sweden.
NOP
rob- I’m not sure what bothers you about the universal plan but it’s better than a crap private plan that costs too much. Millions of uninsured people cost everyone also.
I’ve never worked for a company that has an HSA plan but the amount of money you can put into them per year and all you’re doing is saving on some taxes- is ludicrous. having gone through 2 devastating hospital stays, the tax free 3000$ max they let you keep tax free is simply ludicrous. It’s totally inadequate for real medical care. The taxes they are letting you save on that amount of money is a pittance.
thank u bxgrl. our company went sort of cheapo and switched from great heath insurance to kinda shitty one. but id rather have a shitty health plan from a company than the universal one. sounds weird i know. tho i do think everyone should be covered. im on the fence with this issue.
*rob*
i NO i will say legion, the money in our companies HSA health savings account does not roll over. it’s not like a cell phone plan. seriously.
*rob*