No doctor for you

John McCain has completely lost touch with the average American. This can be easily seen in his health care reform plan. There are currently two major problems with health care. Problem #1: Insurance is too damned expensive. My wife and I pay $600 a month for decent insurance. My family pays almost $2,000 a month, and still has $100 dollar co-pays and ridiculous deductibles. Problem #2: You can only get health insurance if you are healthy. Which makes perfect sense to me from a humanitarian and health care viewpoint.
So lets take a look at these problems. While the first problem is more widespread, it is the second that I find the most disturbing. Many people with potentially benign conditions are routinely denied health insurance simply because the insurance companies have determined that they are less profitable to cover. Health insurance operates based on one simple principle: the majority of people are healthy. To restate, people generally don't all get sick at the same time. The problem with sick people is that they don't fit this mold, and thus cause the health insurance company to actually pay for care. This cuts into profits, and God forbid we put people before a CEO's multimillion dollar salary. The worst part of all this is that financial advisers begin to make medical decisions. For example: Ulcerative Colitis is a disease in which ulcers in the colon cause bleeding, as well as other gastrointestinal distress. This disease is easily controlled, however, by medications (Asacol, Azulfidine, etc...). So why is it that Ulcerative Colitis is an automatic disqualification (preexisting condition) for almost every major health insurance company in the United States? Because its curable. The cure? A full colostomy. That's right, the complete removal of the colon and insertion of a tube (which penetrates the abdominal wall) and an external fecal collection bag. Speak with an insurance agent sometime about the matter, they will happily tell you that if you would kindly undergo major surgery(without insurance at this point I might add) and poop into a bag through a tube in your stomach for the rest of your life then they would happily insure you. THIS IS RETARDED. The insurance company is doing this to maintain their profit margin, and your medical decisions are being based on their ability to make money. No doctor who wants to keep their license would suggest surgery for an easily controlled condition! So why the hell should an insurance companies accountant tell you its required?
There is a potential solution to this, however, which allows insurance coverage for everyone while also allowing the insurance companies to maintain their profit margins. The solution is the creation of a national group health program. Not a program paid for by the government, but a group(just like the group you would be in through your employer) that is large enough to incorporate preexisting conditions and still maintain the "lets not everybody get sick at once" rule. This solution should, theoretically, be the best for both parties as well. For the democrats it provides universally available health care (not the same as universal health care) and for the republicans it encourages market competition by forcing insurance companies who do not participate in the national group program to become more competitive. This competition will eventually, through close regulation, bring prices down as well.
John "The Deregulator" McCain does not understand these ideas. McCain want to give every American a $5000 tax refund to pay for health care (while taxing employer paid health benefits). A $5000 dollar tax rebate will not do anything for the average person struggling to pay for health care, because it still requires you to have $5000 dollars to spend upfront. Tax rebates are never flat either, they are always based on income. So $5000 tax rebate almost certainly means "up to $5000" which means that, just like with the 2008 economic stimulus package, those who have more money will receive more money from the government. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Why don't we throw in some oil subsidies while we are at it. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem with a company being profitable or people being wealthy. I just think we should focus government resources on the people that actually need help.
The other blaring problem with McCain's plan is that it does absolutely nothing to help people with preexisting conditions obtain health insurance. The United States contains one of the most unhealthy populations in the world, yet we also spend more than almost anyone else on health care. Why is this? Because we don't take care of the sick. We don't cover preventive health care. We exclude people from coverage because they need to see a doctor. We bang our heads against a wall in an attempt to cure a headache. Great plan Napoleon.
Obama's plan, however, will work. It will allow people with preexisting conditions to obtain health care, and will regulate the market to put a stop to price gouging. It will also, through the emphasis on preventive health care, lower health care costs in the long run. Check out his website, read the ideas, compare them to McCain's. Then go out and vote. We can't afford Johnny McBush leading health care farther down the crapper.

Holy crap, I killed Pepsi

Pepsi-Co announced today that their Q3 earning are down 9.5%. In an unrelated story, I stopped buying soda to drink at home about that same period...

No more sexy time for you

Thank God for California and it's hard-line, no nonsense legislators. California announced today that they have closed two major loopholes in state law, thus making it harder for teachers who have committed sex crimes to remain teachers. Personally, I had no idea there was a state in the country where teachers could sleep with their students and keep their job. If I had, I would have moved there long ago and gone back to high school. And stayed there. But no longer shall immoral teachers corrupt our youth, not while the Governator is on the job. Damn you Schwarzenegger, how dare you make our children safer.

On a more serious note, it amazes me that this is even an issue. But I suppose that only in California could this law go overlooked. And I think it demonstrates a stark contrast (and iron contrast?) between state laws. In California your now less likely to keep your job if you have sex with a student, where as in the south you may or may not be executed for the offense...

Ill-Tempered Blankets

Another interesting headline: Army to step up offensive Afghan operations this winter.

I have yet to encounter this in medical school, but when I do I will be sure to update everyone on the specifics of the surgical corrective procedures used for bed-spreads lacking etiquette.

I took my first med school test yesterday. I was scared to death as I had hear rumors that, on average, 40% of the class will fail the first test. I don't know if there is any truth to that, but I only missed two questions on the test. Yay, I passed with a 93%.

Sensitive Information

I just saw a headline on Yahoo news which confuses me greatly. The headline read "Scientists Reveal Why Some Butterflies Have Eye Spots On Their Wings".

Thank you, o great scientists, for deaming me worthy of this information. After years of posessing this awe-inspiring knowledge you have finally chosen to pass it on to us lesser beings. We are forever in your debt.

Damn those scientists with their expensive research and their basketball....

Medical School Begins

Tuesday marked the begining of my medical school career. Now, during my undergraduate experience I learned something about myself. Chemistry is not one of my stronger points. I can understand it, but I would not invite it over for dinner on a regular basis. So what was my very first class in medical school? Biochemistry, 8am. Yay.
School has been entertaining so far, but I assume it will become rediculously difficult by the end of the week, at which time I will be starting anatomy, radiology, and histology. On the plus side, some of those classes allow me to wear fancy doctor clothes.
Also, today I am a year older. Yesterday I was 365 days older, but apparently that was not a worthwhile accomplishment.

What do you mean "No Internet"?!?!?!!!!!

I finally have an internet connection again. People older than myself will (and have) mock me for my utter dependance on the internet, but I need it. Seriously, try living without it for a while, then try to remember how to operate a phone book, or find something in a new town with no maps...Now that I am connected to the world again, I will be posting more regularly. But for now, I need to be getting to class/orientation stuff...Apparently doctors often need orientating (orienting? Turning Japanese?).