[The Weeping Angel]

The people wo say "We only need to make one example" are sagely nodding



The context being:

They wouldn't cover anaesthetic extension top-up if surgery overran.

Yeah about that

[Andy McDandy]

This may be why, when I needed surgery, they measured and weighed me.

[kreuzberger]

Ahead of a procedure to rebuild my shoulder, my right arm was weighed.

(9.2 kilos, thanks for asking.)

[Bones McCoy]

Out of network,in network, co pay, blah blah.


See the problem.
We may have to wait a bit, but we get medical advice and treatment.
Not fucking economics 101, 102 and 103.

[The Weeping Angel]

The problem is you fell for a Doctors lobbying effor to get out of duping their patients .

[The Weeping Angel]

More reading here

https://www.vox.com/policy/390031/anthe ... -insurance

Yet this whole tumult was badly misguided.

Americans have many justified grievances with insurance companies, which often refuse to cover necessary care.

But this particular fight was not actually about putting the interests of patients against those of rapacious corporations. Anthem’s policy would not have increased costs for their enrollees. Rather, it would have reduced payments for some of the most overpaid physicians in America. And when millionaire doctors beat back cost controls — as they have here — patients pay the price through higher premiums.

Anesthesia services are billed partially on the basis of how long a procedure takes. This creates an incentive for anesthesiologists to err on the side of exaggerating how long their services were required during an operation. And there is evidence that some anesthesiologists may engage in overbilling by overstating the length of a procedure, or the degree of risk a patient faces in undergoing anesthesia.

Starting in February, Anthem had planned to discourage overbilling by adopting a set of maximum time limits for procedures, inspired by data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. If an operation went long for medically necessary reasons, anesthesiologists could appeal for higher payment. But the process of reimbursement would be more arduous.

[Bones McCoy]

How about getting a grown up health policy.

Instead of gambling on a random burst of goodwill from people who give no shits about YOU.

[The Weeping Angel]

How about trying to understand rather than accepting at face value what someone has claimed online? A grown up health policy would in fact be doing just this.

If we want America’s health care system to treat more patients — while charging us all less money for coverage — then there is no alternative to forcing myriad specialists to accept lower payment rates. Ideally, we would do this through a comprehensive system of public cost controls and insurance provision. Failing that, we need private insurers to drive a harder bargain with the most expensive doctors and hospitals. When we demonize insurers for doing precisely that, we aren’t standing up against our health care sector’s profiteers — we’re sticking up for them.

[RedSparrows]

I don't think Bones was directing that at you, as such.

[Bones McCoy]

I don't think Bones was directing that at you, as such.

I was addressing America in general - while understanding that few of them read this.

[The Weeping Angel]

I wouldn't be shocked if the killer turns out to be a loony.

Called it.

[The Weeping Angel]

So he was a Bernie bro radicalised into violence.

Whoever did the killing was almost certainly not the one who wanted the killing to happen, just someone who was willing to carry it out.

He calmly walked away. He was seen making a call on a burner phone (recovered) just before the shooting. He wasn’t bothered by anyone else. He wasn’t fazed by a gun jam. He had an escape plan so had no desire to be caught and wasn’t thinking on the hoof after something opportunistic. None of these facts are disputed and all have been established already.

I suspect this is someone hired by someone else who either (a) had a friend or relative who was shafted by some sort of heavy-handed insurance denial and subsequently died or was put through some severe financial and medical hardship, or (b) the message planted on the shell casings was deliberately done to suggest (a) as a theory but the real reason is related to the antitrust issues he was under investigation for.

Either way, whoever did the hiring clearly has the contacts and finance to hire someone who knows what they’re doing as opposed to some edgy guy from a local bar who doesn’t like big business and owns a few guns.

He got caught because he went to McDonalds.

[Youngian]

Is it me or is Trump acting like he’s been visited by Dickensian ghosts and now just wants a bit of love and respect from the grownups? He no longer disarms political allies, foes and world leaders. Who will just smile, indulge and work around him until he fucks off or dies in office. Even someone with his complete lack of self awareness must detect that after 80 years he doesn’t have any real friends.

[Crabcakes]

I wouldn't be shocked if the killer turns out to be a loony.

Called it.

Called it wrong, you mean. Though I will grant you I am very surprised it wasn’t a hitman.

Very much not a loony though, outside of clearly being angry enough to kill. Someone who - despite wealth - had been personally on the receiving end of policy short shrift in relation to a spinal injury and also seen it in his grandparents (if initial reports are correct).

Also, if you think he got ‘caught’ in McDonalds with all his gear after executing a flawless getaway, I have a crypto coin to sell you. Because what he did do is get himself arrested well away from the crime scene, on his terms, in a public location. Much, much less likely to get shot. This is someone who clearly wants their day in court.

[Andy McDandy]

Is it me or is Trump acting like he’s been visited by Dickensian ghosts and now just wants a bit of love and respect from the grownups? He no longer disarms political allies, foes and world leaders. Who will just smile, indulge and work around him until he fucks off or dies in office. Even someone with his complete lack of self awareness must detect that after 80 years he doesn’t have any real friends.

What I've noticed is similar to his behaviour after his 2016 win - rowing back on the locking up threats, and keeping tight lipped on policy, with lots of "we'll see" and "that certainly needs to be looked at". Only thing he seems to be confident on is tax cuts and tariffs, and pardoning some of the January 6th mob

I'm no psychologist, but I wonder if he's remembering the last time - all the advisers he appointed who turned out to be useless, the ones he thought were loyal to him and then turned on him, the times he was blocked, or had to appease some backer. He's come into power leading a coalition of the crazy, and now his basic nature is coming into conflict with the pet causes of all his backers. He doesn't give a shit about vaccines and medicines aside from are they there when he needs them? Now he's got to accommodate Kennedy. He couldn't care less about religion, but he's got the Christian right insisting on being in the room. Far as he's concerned, nothing wrong with abortion - saves on the old maintenance payments and employee severance/hush money packages.

And yes, he's seeing very little incoming respect. All that "respect the office, not necessarily the holder" guff aside, did you see him at Notre Dame? Lots of people looking at him like he's something scraped on the hassocks off someone's boot. He's grinning, looking for recognition, and getting just disdain.

He's realising that he has been returned to the White House by a very angry and fickle mob, and that he's not going to satisfy them unless he basically sets fire to the world. For starters.

[The Weeping Angel]

I wouldn't be shocked if the killer turns out to be a loony.

Called it.

Called it wrong, you mean. Though I will grant you I am very surprised it wasn’t a hitman.

Very much not a loony though, outside of clearly being angry enough to kill. Someone who - despite wealth - had been personally on the receiving end of policy short shrift in relation to a spinal injury and also seen it in his grandparents (if initial reports are correct).

Also, if you think he got ‘caught’ in McDonalds with all his gear after executing a flawless getaway, I have a crypto coin to sell you. Because what he did do is get himself arrested well away from the crime scene, on his terms, in a public location. Much, much less likely to get shot. This is someone who clearly wants their day in court.

He got caught in a McDonald's crabcakes he wasn't a master hitman and his whole ideology was incoherent gibberish and he's background was wealthier than his victim.

[soulboy]

I think we debating the use of the term "loony" here. First up, I am not comfortable with term. It is an ableist slur that reduces the complexities of mental illness to a single word. We are better than that.

If we take the term "loony" to mean someone who is criminally insane, and therefore not capable of rational thought it does not seem to apply in this case. Far too much planning appears to have taken place, too many opportunities for sober reflection and a step back.

[Crabcakes]

I think we debating the use of the term "loony" here. First up, I am not comfortable with term. It is an ableist slur that reduces the complexities of mental illness to a single word. We are better than that.

If we take the term "loony" to mean someone who is criminally insane, and therefore not capable of rational thought it does not seem to apply in this case. Far too much planning appears to have taken place, too many opportunities for sober reflection and a step back.

Precisely. This is not the sort of behaviour exhibited by someone who is severely mentally disturbed (I’m also not very comfortable with loony, and to be honest I should have made more effort to not use it in reply so apologies for that).

This isn’t to say the killer doesn’t have some questionable behaviours, but there is no way in hell he could plead insanity either. He knew what he wanted to do, did it, did not harm anyone else, got away, and seemingly allowed himself to be caught in a public place.

And if you don’t think he allowed himself to be caught, I would suggest that someone who is able to slip away from a broad daylight shooting in a major city, then slip out of the city, then out of state, and who has no issues with access to funds and will be aware CCTV of them is circulating, really isn’t likely to suddenly become so careless as to just stroll into a fast food place with all their gear and no attempt at disguise. This was absolutely on his terms - perhaps because he wants a trial, perhaps because he was wary of being caught in a more private environment where he could come to harm. We may never know.

[mattomac]

Yup got all the way to Pennsylvania only to be caught in a McDonalds.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Some reports suggest he gave himself up in Maccydoos - thus avoiding being shot on sight.