Tag Archives: Heart disease

Therapeutic Nihilism

The HIV/AIDS epidemic caused fear and panic in the 1980s. Yet physicians stepped up, set new protocols, and continued to treat patients without requiring HIV tests before seeing them At the time this disease was 100% fatal and they did not fully know how it was transmitted. Today, COVID-19 if you are under 60 the crude mortality rate is less than .4% and if you are under 30 this rate is less that .2%. Yet even with known precautions, patients with severe NON-COVID disease are being put off, sent to the ER or ignored. It’s an embarrassment to the medical community. Most of the heroes of the HIV era are gone, replaced by physicians that would rather cower behind overblown fear than take care of their patients.

A part of the modern hippocratic oath as taken by physicians today says:

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.

John Smith, (not his real name) waited weeks for an appointment to meet with the orthopedic surgeon to remove infected bone from his hip. He had already been diagnosed with osteomyelitis (an infection in the bone) in his hip. After waiting two weeks as his infection raged in his hip he developed a fever but was finally able to come to Birmingham for his appointment and leg and life saving surgery. Upon arriving at his doctor’s office they took his temperature. Then sent him away.

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9gO6sCzcnc

It does not take much intelligence to figure out why he had a fever. Instead the doctor puts his patient at risk by refusing to see him. He will now have to go through an emergency room and will likely lose his leg or his life.

Another friend of mine, call her Jill, has been diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia. She has tested negative for COVID. The pneumonia is getting slowly worse. Her doctor refused to see her for two weeks. This too will most likely result in an ER visit at the point her life is in danger.

Where are the physicians, those heroes that took the Hippocratic Oath, the one’s who swore to do something to help the sick and injured, who swore not to do nothing. Yet, doctor after doctor is letting their patients get sicker and sicker, even die rather than take the chance a patient might be infected with COVID. Even when they know their patient does not have COVID from testing, they are turning them away, or delaying seeing them.

This used to mean something.

I have been unable to see my cardiologist for 3 months past when they told me I needed to be checked. If I had a problem, they would let me go to the ER or have a heart attack before I was treated. No heroes there, and I have tested COVID negative.

These few examples are being repeated millions of times across the country. Yet physicians have gone along with this approach to healthcare, intentionally putting their patients at risk rather than seeing any patient that might carry the disease. The patient and the doctor can wear masks and limit the time of exposure yet fear rules these former heroes.

Since when was being a physician supposed to be risk free? Each one signs on to treat sick people. Healthy people have no need for doctors. With the advent of COVID, they are violating, en mass their commitment to patients. Is this why they are so highly paid, so they can cower behind policies that keep patients away. It’s like a roofer that won’t go up high because he might fall. But the roofer is at much greater risk and has far more fortitude than those that are not caring for their patients.

From: https://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-real-estate-hiring-a-roofer-story.html

No one is measuring the deaths that could have been prevented with normal care. So if a patient waiting to see his physician gets COVID he or she is more likely to die or to be sicker than if they had been treated properly.

We should call it the hypocritical oath instead. These former heroes took an oath they refuse to uphold. It is a shameful response to a virus that seldom kills anyone without underlying disease. If they had not taken such an oath I would not hold these physicians responsible, but they did take the oath. History is full of physicians that took much greater risks in order to treat infectious patients. Yet, even knowing a patient does not have COVID many of these doctors are still not seeing their patients or are delaying treatment.

No wonder our ERs are full, everyone with an issue, or fever, or cough is being sent to the ER, even if the cause is known. This exposes these patients to COVID when it is completely unnecessary. Even if they did not have COVID, by the time they leave the hospital or ER, they will have it. Where are the doctors that took the Hippocratic oath? Why don’t they speak up against this crime against their patients? This approach to personal safety is putting every patient at risk. It is killing many of them.

Thanks to WebMD My Healthcare is Worse

Many companies will take money for just about anything.   Thanks to WebMD and others such as AARP that promoted Obamacare my ability to afford the doctors visits I need has been compromised.  My quality of my overall healthcare as a post open heart patient is greatly diminished while my costs have sky rocketed. WebMD was paid 14 plus million  to promote Obamacare.  In addition, their contract has just been extended.   It’s like selling juggling knives to blind people.

So, a web site that supposedly cares about people’s health is contributing to the destruction of the very system that used to provide some of the best healthcare in the world.  Across the spectrum, seniors have less benefits than before and they pay more for the reduced benefits, those in middle age now get free checkups, but can’t afford to see a doctor if they are actually sick.  Doctors and hospitals are being weeded out of the system at a time when they are more needed than ever.   We are watching the wanton destruction of the very thing that once made America exceptional.  I may have to go to Canada to afford treatment.

Of course the media knows and ignores this horror.  ABC, CBS and NBC do not dare report the truth as it would sink their socialist agenda.  I already dropped AARP for its support of Obamacare.   It is time to hold all these groups accountable.  If you advertise on WebMD I hope no one will buy what you sell ever again.   They were advertising a depression drug today.  Their willingness to get paid to throw peoples health under the government bus is depressing.

Obomacare — Kiss Your Old Age Good Bye

Image     Yesterday saw the government taking a huge bow for reaching the 7 million mark in enrollees. Never-mind that over half of those signups came from people who lost the insurance they liked.  Only a third of the signups are among the previously uninsured.  So, the law, designed to insure the 40 plus million of Americans who did not have insurance only insured 2.1 million of those people.  And folks, that is a best case scenario since many of those people have not paid their premium so are really not insured.   Looking at the best case scenario, the program only achieved 5 % of what it was supposed to do.  A 5% success rate is the good news that our government is celebrating. 

So what is Obamacare actually doing or has it done?

 

  1. Taken the free market of 100’s of plans and forced those into just a handful of plans with higher deductibles and copays.
  2. Substantially increased the cost for the majority of Americans, often by 50 to 100 percent.
  3. Increased insurance overhead by over $300 per person with no benefit whatsoever.
  4. Caused an ever increasing number of doctors to plan to withdraw from the system or retire.
  5. Eliminated access through insurance to many of the best hospitals and cancer centers.
  6. Given the government a new way to track every American’s behavior.
  7. Given the government a way to control the behavior of every American.
  8. Proven that the government does not need to go to Congress to change a law it does not like.
  9. Made Congress totally powerless.
  10. Implemented death panels by eliminating expensive care
  11. Start to bankrupt insurance companies.
  12. Proven the AMA and AARP have nothing but their own pocket’s interest.
  13. Destroyed the best healthcare in the world.

If you plan to live a long life, you and I and everyone we know need to get people in place to repeal this thing completely.  It is already a source of oppression, and has already endangered the lives of the people it is supposed to protect.  If you expect your future heart disease, cancer or other debilitating disease to be treated by government run healthcare, think again.  The whole country should march on Washington.  Not a single incumbent should remain in office.  Recall elections for every Senator not up for election should be held.  Obomacare is the loss of freedom, the future of state oppression, and the death of our Constitution.  I don’t know what all it will take to stop this, but if it is not stopped, you can kiss your old age goodbye.

Letter to Jeff Sessions

Senator Sessions,

You can’t keep your group healthcare plan if the premium portion the employee pays goes through the roof. I am a heart patient and because of rate increases I will most likely lose the coverage I am happy with in two weeks. I don’t qualify for subsidies but cant afford more than I am already paying per month for my family. What right does government have in destroying a system that worked for the vast majority of Americans. President Obama lies to the American public and boldly states he will not uphold the laws of the United States, a clear violation of his Oath and not one Congressman or Senator truly works to bring articles of impeachment. The changes in the health insurance market place may kill me sooner than I would die otherwise. Many others have been put in more immediate jeopardy. The effort Congress and the Senate have put toward stopping this carnage is pathetic.

As much as I like so much of what you do, in this area, every member of both houses is responsible.

Claims Department — Affordable Care Act

Hello, welcome to the IRS Health Claims pre-approval hotline.  If you are calling about a prior claim please call our Claims Service Hotline, otherwise for pre-approval,  please enter in your social security number and press # when done.  Someone will be on the line to assist you momentarily.

                                (2 hours later)

“JIM”:   Hello, this is Jim, welcome to the IRS Health Claims Pre-approval hotline.   I see that you have indicated that you will

need approval for the treatment of heart disease.   Reviewing your current information, I see that you have had a heart attack previously,

is that correct?

“GEORGE”;  the patient:   Yes, that is correct.

“JIM”:   What procedure do you need to have approved?

“GEORGE” : According to my doctor I need blood work for cardiac enzymes, a stress test, a catheterization, and most likely stents.

“JIM”:   Our records show that you are 58 years old.  Are you planning to return to work after the procedure?

“GEORGE” : Why does that matter?

“JIM”:   This information is used to calculate your available lifetime medical benefit under the affordable care act.  Since you already used $256,432 of your maximum benefit we need to calculate how much additional benefit you qualify for.

“GEORGE” :  How is that benefit calculated?

“JIM”:   We at the IRS take great care to calculate that benefit from all the information that you provide or which is already in the file we have on you.  It is our goal to make that determination as fairly as possible given all the factors.

“GEORGE”: But what are the factors?

“JIM”: Expenses already incurred, the likelihood that more expenses will be incurred, your age, your estimated productive remaining years and such.  Now, please just answer the questions as they are addressed to you. 

“JIM”:  Are you planning to return to work after the procedure?

“GEORGE”: yes.

“JIM”:   Do you currently work for a profit or non-profit organization?

“GEORGE”: profit

“JIM”:  How many times did you eat fast food last month?

“GEORGE”: about 20.

“JIM”:  Do you smoke?

“GEORGE”:  Used to.

“JIM”:  Do you vote in presidential elections?

“GEORGE”: What?

“JIM”:  Do you vote in presidential elections?

“GEORGE”: Why is that pertinent?

“JIM”:  Sir, you need to answer the questions.  These all have statistical correlations.

“GEORGE”:  Ok, yes I vote.

“JIM”:  Would you classify yourself a more liberal or conservative?

“GEORGE”:  I don’t see….

“JIM”:  Just answer the question sir!

“GEORGE”:  Conservative.

“JIM”:  At what age do you plan to retire?

“GEORGE”:  65.

“JIM”:  Thank you sir for answering the questions.  The system is reviewing your information. 

Based on the computer’s projection we will approve all the diagnostic tests and procedures.  Should you need stents or some other therapeutic treatment the Affordable Care act will not cover those.   You are already close to your lifetime maximum.

 “GEORGE”:  Are you telling me that if I try to get my heart fixed, you will not pay for  it.

“JIM”:  That is correct.

“GEORGE”:  Surely there is some way to appeal this.

“JIM”:  Sir the ACA does not provide for any appeals the decisions of the IRS are final.

“GEORGE”:  but….

“JIM”:  Thank you for calling the IRS, have a good day.  CLICK!

 Back at the IRS office Jim speaking to his co-worker says, “There is one more white conservative who won’t be voting next year.  High FIVE!!!!!”