Gee, ya think?!?!!?!!?!?

[Cherry Kelly]

kbot - with the new digital x-ray -- prices have dropped considerably. WHY - because x-ray machines of old cost more in maintenance, repair and often if the first x-ray doesn't take quite right they have to take more. With digital yes expenses were great at first, but with quick response time dr's do not have to wait as long. (Heard that from several hospitals that have new digitals - ones hubby used to have to work on older models. Believe me - going through 14-16 MB's in those to find what flip-flop wasn't working or other problems - was very time consuming. Let alone cleaning the film processor units and all the chemistry involved with those.
BTW - one hospital that I know about is only $300 for a single chest x-ray. (neighbor had one at a local hospital)
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BUT the deductibles -- some are even higher than $5k. Was a discussion on care in the stage of GA - in politics chat. Someone said it was higher in south of GA than in north... Haven't checked it out but he claimed his brother's was higher for the same one he got in northern GA. (They both are married and over 55, but not retirement age.)

[kbot]

kbot - with the new digital x-ray -- prices have dropped considerably. WHY - because x-ray machines of old cost more in maintenance, repair and often if the first x-ray doesn't take quite right they have to take more. With digital yes expenses were great at first, but with quick response time dr's do not have to wait as long. (Heard that from several hospitals that have new digitals - ones hubby used to have to work on older models. Believe me - going through 14-16 MB's in those to find what flip-flop wasn't working or other problems - was very time consuming. Let alone cleaning the film processor units and all the chemistry involved with those.
BTW - one hospital that I know about is only 0 for a single chest x-ray. (neighbor had one at a local hospital)
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BUT the deductibles -- some are even higher than k. Was a discussion on care in the stage of GA - in politics chat. Someone said it was higher in south of GA than in north... Haven't checked it out but he claimed his brother's was higher for the same one he got in northern GA. (They both are married and over 55, but not retirement age.)

We went digital about ten years ago now. There's quite a bit more to it than the speed. Image quality is another. A digital image can be manipulated n a number of ways. It used to be that in order to see greater detail on an x-ray, or a mammogram, that he radiologist had to use a magnifying glass. Now images are generated digitally using charged plates that capture and image and are read by a laser (computerized radiography), or a detector panel is used - similar to what is used in a CT scanner (digital radiology). In either example, the image is captured by a computer and sent to other computers - such as PACS system, where the image can be digitally enlarged, reversed (negative/ positive image), window and level settings can be adjusted to enhance fine detail and 3D reconstructions can be generated as well. I'm glad the chemicals are gone - I remember when we used to develop films by hand, and mixed developer and fixer in huge 50 gallon barrels. Then we had to dispose of the stuff afterwards.....

We "charge" $185.00 for a chest x-ray - along with a number of other studies. That doesn't mean that this is what we get PAID - far from it...... And (scratching my head over this one) Massachusetts healthcare is supposed to be so "expensive" compared to other states..... Our rates aren't all that different from other facilities.

[kbot]

Meet the Humble Nuns Who Just Shook Up the Obama Administration

Who takes care of poor people when they get old—when they are on their deathbeds? For thousands of people, the answer is Little Sisters of the Poor.

“The elderly are at risk, with no one to speak up for them, no one to stand up and to express to the world and show the world that these people are still valuable,” explains Sister Mary Bernard.

The Little Sisters take care of more than 13,000 poor men and women around the world who are elderly. They dedicate their lives to running homes for these most vulnerable.

As you can imagine, this isn’t a profit-making venture, providing free care for the needy.

Starting in the new year, Obamacare would force these sisters to direct their insurance provider to include abortion-inducing drugs and contraception in their health insurance plan—something that goes against their beliefs. If they don’t, the fine (up to $100 per employee per day) would be in the millions of dollars.

But Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor granted the sisters a temporary halt on this Obamacare mandate just hours before the New Year’s Eve countdown. The Obama Administration has until 10 a.m. today to respond to the stay.

The Obamacare mandate (also known as the HHS mandate, for Health and Human Services) punishes people like Little Sisters of the Poor for holding beliefs that spur them to compassionate service in the first place.

And they are far from alone. There are now more than 300 individuals, charities, schools, and family businesses suing over the coercive rule.

So far, things aren’t looking good in court for the Obama Administration. To date, federal judges have granted temporary stays against the mandate in nearly 90 percent of the cases they’ve considered, including a flurry of injunctions for non-profit charities and schools over the past week.

http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/03/mee ... istration/

Sorry, I think Obama's on the wrong side of this one......... I can (kinda) understand Obama's rush to pander to the ultra-Far Left members of his party and ope the medicine cabinet to the people at Planned Parenthood - heck, the GOP does the same thing with Big Oil, Big Pharma and all the rest. But, it's totally unreasonable to even try to force people against their deeply-held religious beliefs from doing something that is against their beliefs. I think that the Romans did the same thing in Israel once........

[Cherry Kelly]

kbot - first off - ayup on those digitals! AND the old film processors with the chemicals - let alone the water that could cause even more problems. Oh yes, back in time did help my husband with those processors until the hospitals went with a new chemical provider and I could not be around the new type. A lot of rollers to be cleaned, replaced, etc. Times when some spots would show up - bad film, or something that got into the chemicals or even the water from their supply had chemistry added that oops caused problems. Reading those films too - with a magnifying glass. Oh yes and one time at a hospital on open clinic day when car accident victims brought in and poor tech had films to read. Yes I actually stood there to help get films up on the light panels and when the tech looked at one and had problems - told him look at certain rib cage - he did get out a magnifier and yup, cracked rib. Felt sorry for the poor tech - he'd already put in an overnight of work and other tech - was still at the accident scene as he'd been on his way in to work and came upon the accident. YES I stayed there (we couldn't clean the processor) and helped move films - carried one back to dr with the cracked rib situation. Five injured with one rushed to surgery. Later got a thank you letter from the hospital...for "extra help". (letter is a keepsake and just reminds me of how things used to be)

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Anyway - glad to hear more about digital and yes, some hospitals have had them longer than others. I do think they have helped improve the medical world.

[Cherry Kelly]

AS if the ACA wasn't bad enough - now there are 141 new rules and regulations - most from EPA. THOSE do to environmental issues - like coal electric productions.

READ: http://dailycaller.com/2014/01/03/happy ... nly-3-days

NOTE especially the "warnings" about how your electric bills will go up....

and one to "test procedures for residential furnace fans" -- there go your fireplaces - and wood burning stoves - and maybe even pellet stoves - and all other home heating as the "regulations" are not even listed on how they will enforce and what standards must be met... etc."

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GEE and this after a HUGE section of the USA is being hit with record low temps? TIME to get RID of or CURB the EPA!

What's next?

[voguy]

and one to "test procedures for residential furnace fans" -- there go your fireplaces - and wood burning stoves - and maybe even pellet stoves - and all other home heating as the "regulations" are not even listed on how they will enforce and what standards must be met... etc."

Ohio is one of eight states trying to eliminate, or cap the amount of wood/pellet being burned as part of the Clean Air Act. Supposedly, (according to one of our dumber senators), now that we have cleaned up auto emissions, it's time to put filters on fireplaces to reduce the products causing global warming.

[Cherry Kelly]

voguy -- was that OH character on that global warming cruise that got stuck in Antarctic ice?

just has to say that...

Whole lot of people burning wood and pellet stoves to keep warm in this frigid weather.

At 11°F with winds at 18mph (gusting higher) -- I'd love to see some of those EPA guys out checking furnace/ pellet stove, wood stove filters. yaaaaaaaaa...

[kbot]

Never met a regulation that actually reduced costs.

What exactly is this administration's energy policy. I hope that all their eggs aren't in the wind-farm basket...... They hate coal and oil. Forget nulcear after Fukashima and Chernobyl. For all the early talk about natural gas, it's going up and the industry is now complaining that the northeast is "too dependent" on natural gas. So, there goes the price......

[Cherry Kelly]

The northeast at one time was all fuel oil - cutting gas production to create fuel oil for furnaces. NOW its natural gas so of course that price has to go up.

ya we'd all like to see those 141 new regulations (most of which are EPA). AND don't forget "ignorance of the law is no excuse". so how about it GOV'T PEEPS - lets see these NEW regulations (read laws)...

[kbot]

I remember - not all that long ago - when we had oil tankers stopped dead where Narragansett Bay met the Atlantic - the ships couldn't get up the bay ebcause of hazards, and we had an oil shortage. So, when the powers that be paid "natural gas", there was a move to switch over at the home-level because (we were told), natural gas is plentiful. Now, that's not the case.......

Still, I'd rather use my woodstove and pellet stove

[Cherry Kelly]

Pellet stove works as does wood stove - but oh my the EPA wants to get rid of wood stoves -- air pollution. (article posted today about EPA and wood stoves)

[kbot]

Just stopped my my local Tractor Supply Company to pick-up some pellets and BioBricks to keep warm with. Got a nice blazing fire in the woodstove. By local small-business lumbar yard - where I used t be able to buy this stuff by the pallet, just told me that they're gong out of business - Home Depot strikes again........

These products are made from sawdust and they burn great - beats stacking cord wood.

[Cherry Kelly]

Pellets burn cleaner and completely. We had one kind last year - that was a problem as the pellets were obviously wrong kind of sawdust mix. Pellets fell apart, some were too long and often caused problems. This year different manufacturer and seem to be much better (different place).

[kbot]

The brand you use definitely makes a difference - you can get longer or relatively shorter pellets. The problem is the longer pellets need to get broken-up inside the stove and you may hear some loud banging sonds as this occurs.

Then the pellets are eitehr soft or hard wood and there is a preference there. But, sometimes if moisture gets inside the bag, the pellets will break apart and you can end-up with the auger getting jammed with sawdust. Happened to me a couple ff years ago - the auger was so clogged that the stove wouldn't work at all.

But...... compared to gas or oil, I'll take the wood stove and pellet stove any day...

We have two small miniature daschunds and they love to camp out in front of the wood stove, especially on days like this.....

[Cherry Kelly]

Indeed the pellets do "odd things" but brand new bags that are bad - not good.

We clean the stove on a regular basis (after a week or two of constantly running - it needs to be thoroughly cleaned - auger and burning area. Does work a lot better that way for sure.

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two other news bits... GEE the Guy who is to investigate the IRS is big Obama donor... nononoo bad

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Christie and the bridge bit - seems it was someone in his office who did that???