a "been-there" mom of six offers encouragement
to wives, young mothers, and those not so young,
and simple common-sense approaches to
the "ings" of life:
child-rearing (hints and helps), homemaking (all areas),
cooking (simple, cheap, and do-it-yourself)
making (toys and gifts), preparing (for the unexpected),
maintaining (sanity and peace in this increasingly crazy world) and more---
all aspects of making the most of making do on little---
and having fun in the process.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

The USA (and it's Healthcare) is in . . . Critical Condition

Continued from yesterday

In spite of what most television channels and newspapers would have us believe . . . 






Shouldn't we wonder why the government is trying desperately to foist a health care  plan on all the rest of us at the very same time they are exempting themselves and their families? 



          Here is the complete Wall Street Journal article I posted portions of yesterday. Even though it is quite long I think you will find it worth your time ---- no matter who you are, where you are in life, or your age.
          Realistically, no matter how important something is, lengthy is not a popular word in today's culture. Everyone has become accustomed to and receptive of "sound bites" and bullet points even when the magnitude of a problem/situation demands more. 

I am going to start off by asking a question and giving the answer just in case you fall into this "cliff notes" generation. 

What is the cure?


                           WE the People 




Why the Doctor Can't See You

"The demand for health care under ObamaCare will increase dramatically. The supply of physicians won't. Get ready for a two-tier system of medical care.

"Are you having trouble finding a doctor who will see you? If not, give it another year and a half. A doctor shortage is on its way.

"Most provisions of the Obama health law kick in on Jan. 1, 2014. Within the decade after that, an additional 30 million people are expected to acquire health plans—and if the economic studies are correct, they will try to double their use of the health-care system.

"Meanwhile, the administration never seems to tire of reminding seniors that they are entitled to a free annual checkup. Its new campaign is focused on women. Thanks to health reform, they are being told, they will have access to free breast and pelvic exams and even free contraceptives. Once ObamaCare fully takes effect, all of us will be entitled to a long list of preventive services—with no deductible or copayment.

"Here is the problem: The health-care system can't possibly deliver on the huge increase in demand for primary-care services. The original ObamaCare bill actually had a line item for increased doctor training. But this provision was zeroed out before passage, probably to keep down the cost of health reform. The result will be gridlock.

"Take preventive care. ObamaCare says that health insurance must cover the tests and procedures recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. What would that involve? In the American Journal of Public Health (2003), scholars at Duke University calculated that arranging for and counseling patients about all those screenings would require 1,773 hours of the average primary-care physician's time each year, or 7.4 hours per working day.

"And all of this time is time spent searching for problems and talking about the search. If the screenings turn up a real problem, there will have to be more testing and more counseling. Bottom line: To meet the promise of free preventive care nationwide, every family doctor in America would have to work full-time delivering it, leaving no time for all the other things they need to do.

"When demand exceeds supply in a normal market, the price rises until it reaches a market-clearing level. But in this country, as in other developed nations, Americans do not primarily pay for care with their own money. They pay with time.

"How long does it take you on the phone to make an appointment to see a doctor? How many days do you have to wait before she can see you? How long does it take to get to the doctor's office? Once there, how long do you have to wait before being seen? These are all non-price barriers to care, and there is substantial evidence that they are more important in deterring care than the fee the doctor charges, even for low-income patients.

"For example, the average wait to see a new family doctor in this country is just under three weeks, according to a 2009 survey by medical consultancy Merritt Hawkins. But in Boston, Mass.—which enacted a law under Gov. Mitt Romney that established near-universal coverage—the wait is about two months.

"When people cannot find a primary-care physician who will see them in a reasonable length of time, all too often they go to hospital emergency rooms. Yet a 2007 study of California in the Annals of Emergency Medicine showed that up to 20% of the patients who entered an emergency room left without ever seeing a doctor, because they got tired of waiting. Be prepared for that situation to get worse.

"When demand exceeds supply, doctors have a great deal of flexibility about who they see and when they see them. Not surprisingly, they tend to see those patients first who pay the highest fees. A New York Times survey of dermatologists in 2008 for example, found an extensive two-tiered system. For patients in need of services covered by Medicare, the typical wait to see a doctor was two or three weeks, and the appointments were made by answering machine.

"However, for Botox and other treatments not covered by Medicare (and for which patients pay the market price out of pocket), appointments to see those same doctors were often available on the same day, and they were made by live receptionists.

"As physicians increasingly have to allocate their time, patients in plans that pay below-market prices will likely wait longest. Those patients will be the elderly and the disabled on Medicare, low-income families on Medicaid, and (if the Massachusetts model is followed) people with subsidized insurance acquired in ObamaCare's newly created health insurance exchanges.

"Their wait will only become longer as more and more Americans turn to concierge medicine for their care. Although the model differs from region to region and doctor to doctor, concierge medicine basically means that patients pay doctors to be their agents, rather than the agents of third-party-payers such as insurance companies or government bureaucracies.

"For a fee of roughly $1,500 to $2,000, for example, a Medicare patient can form a new relationship with a doctor. This usually includes same day or next-day appointments. It also usually means that patients can talk with their physicians by telephone and email. The physician helps the patient obtain tests, make appointments with specialists and in other ways negotiate an increasingly bureaucratic health-care system.

"Here is the problem. A typical primary-care physician has about 2,500 patients (according to a 2009 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), but when he opens a concierge practice, he'll typically take about 500 patients with him (according to MDVIP, the largest organization of concierge doctors): That's about all he can handle, given the extra time and attention those patients are going to expect. But the 2,000 patients left behind now must find another physician. So in general, as concierge care grows, the strain on the rest of the system will become greater.

"I predict that in the next several years concierge medicine will grow rapidly, and every senior who can afford one will have a concierge doctor. A lot of non-seniors will as well. We will quickly evolve into a two-tiered health-care system, with those who can afford it getting more care and better care.

"In the meantime, the most vulnerable populations will have less access to care than they had before ObamaCare became law."

Mr. Goodman is president of the National Center for Policy Analysis and the author of "Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis" (Independent Institute, 2012).

A version of this article appeared August 15, 2012, on page A13 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Why the Doctor Can't See You.

I am Simply Gail, whose government, unfortunately and bit by bit, continues to complicate our lives under the guise of caring for its people in hopes we will begin to feel we are not smart enough to make decisions for ourselves. 

The government of the United States was created for the people and by the people. 



Friday, August 17, 2012

Can Doctors Still Call Their Own Shots?

Simply Gail is not a political blog but today it is my blog as a concerned citizen, a wife, a parent, a grandparent and a friend.  I am simply a law-abiding individual ---- concerned for EVERYONE EXCEPT the GOVERNMENT who have exempted themselves.

Dave and I went to the doctor this week for our yearly "60,000 mile check-up."  We had no symptoms or problems; this was just the event we have scheduled annually for many years to ward off potential symptoms or problems.

 The results were good! The eating changes we started 10 weeks ago are starting to show up, both in our lab work and weight loss.

The disconcerting part of the visit was still more new and invasive paperwork and routines required by the government---at check-in, during the actual visit, and at the lab for the blood draws. Additionally new that is, from the new requirements introduced last year.


  • Privacy laws are good to a point ---- and they are past that point --- to the point of ridiculousness!
  • For some unfathomable reason, you now  have to identify your specific race/color. We are Americans for crying out loud (unless we are illegals, but I am sure they are not allowed to ask that).Amazingly they let me answer the questions for Dave, whose appointment followed mine. Since he has been out in the sun a lot I told them he was tan.
  • The front desk gives end-of-life packets to fill out if you haven't already done so. Our doctor is not a geriatric doctor but since we are geriatric patients that makes sense. Hopefully they make them available to every-age patient since dying is a fact of life. 
  •  They also encourage you to sign a form regarding arbitration as an option to suing if you encounter any problems with the doctor. Fortunately this isn't currently mandatory but they are required to ask every six months!
  • In the exam room, we learn from our very competent doctor of 12 years, that the government has changed the rules! Since we aren't ill our visit is a wellness-visit. A government-defined wellness-visit is limited to conversation! That's right --- 
          He can ask how you are feeling and if you have any concerns.  He can counsel you on life-style                     changes that should be made (based on the past year's visit) and  inquire about your end-of-life plans.

But, whoa!!!! Here is the loony part. . .

If you have had a  previous problem and the doctor wants to have the lab check your current status on the previous problem it can no longer be a wellness-visit!

And, if you ask the doctor to check out  a spot on your back you can't see but can feel, the code must be changed again.  Basically you can show and tell but he can't look or touch until he changes the code once more.

And, unfortunately this is just the tip of the needle that our government is trying to inject into us, our families and everyone in the United States of America --- the land of the free!

Trying to inject EVERYONE EXCEPT the GOVERNMENT who have exempted themselves.

In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame,
two is a law firm and
three or more is a congress.

John Adams, 6th president of the United States
30 Oct 1735 - 4 Jul 1826 
 
Coincidentally on the day of our check-up, the US edition of the The Wall Street Journal ran an article by John C. Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis and the author of "Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis" (Independent Institute, 2012).

I ask that no matter what your party affiliation or current personal views on the controversial  subject of ObamaCare you will read the excerpts below. Tomorrow, I will post the entire article, for those who want to know more, because I don't' know how long the article will be available on-line.

Please read this eye-opener with open minds and share it if you will.  

Why the Doctor Can't See You

The demand for health care under ObamaCare will increase dramatically. The supply of physicians won't. 

Are you having trouble finding a doctor who will see you? If not, give it another year and a half. A doctor shortage is on its way.

Most provisions of the Obama health law kick in on Jan. 1, 2014. Within the decade after that, an additional 30 million people are expected to acquire health plans—and if the economic studies are correct, they will try to double their use of the health-care system.

Meanwhile, the administration never seems to tire of reminding seniors that they are entitled to a free annual checkup. Its new campaign is focused on women. Thanks to health reform, they are being told, they will have access to free breast and pelvic exams and even free contraceptives. Once ObamaCare fully takes effect, all of us will be entitled to a long list of preventive services—with no deductible or co-payment.

Here is the problem: The health-care system can't possibly deliver on the huge increase in demand for primary-care services. The original ObamaCare bill actually had a line item for increased doctor training. But this provision was zeroed out before passage, probably to keep down the cost of health reform. 

Take preventive care. ObamaCare says that health insurance must cover the tests and procedures recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. What would that involve? In the American Journal of Public Health (2003), scholars at Duke University calculated that arranging for and counseling patients about all those screenings would require 1,773 hours of the average primary-care physician's time each year, or 7.4 hours per working day.

And all of this time is time spent searching for problems and talking about the search. If the screenings turn up a real problem, there will have to be more testing and more counseling. Bottom line: To meet the promise of free preventive care nationwide, every family doctor in America would have to work full-time delivering it, leaving no time for all the other things they need to do.
                                                                                 rest of article to be continued tomorrow....

Can you see the red flags here?  

Unfortunately the information above is not information you will hear from the White House or find in the mainstream media. Neither President Obama nor the mainstream media he somehow controls, has the transparency he fervently promised in 2008. 

Our way of life is in danger. The  Republic for which we stand is in danger. The United States of America, as we know it, is in grave danger. 

I am Simply, Gail and I ask you to please 
seriously consider this information and share it if you will. 








Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Simple, and Simply Delicious, Broccoli-Cheese Casserole

This surprisingly yummy dish is oven-ready by the time
the oven has pre-heated!

Dave and I are trying hard to increase our variety and consumption of vegetables and fruits. To that end, we picked up our first community fruit and veggie order recently

Each week, as we receive our order, we will be "forced" to try things that we normally wouldn't think of buying, along with some things we may occasionally consider buying and probably things we always buy.  It should be fun --- and it will probably be challenging at times.

Neither of us are broccoli fans so naturally two bunches of broccoli stared at us defiantly as we opened our first veggie box. 

My computer search turned up many recipes and as I plowed through them I found a couple that sounded edible as well as doable. I read reviews, I added, deleted and combined, and . . . came up with
a simply quick, easy, adjustable/versatile and delicious main dish I'll call ---

Cheesy Broccoli Souper Stuff 

Turn oven to 350 degrees.

4 to 6 cups steamed or blanched broccoli florets (or frozen, chopped), drained
2 cans of cream of chicken* soup 
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1-1/2 cups grated sharp** cheddar cheese 
approximately 2 cups dry stuffing mix*** (like Stove Top) divided

In large bowl combine all ingredients except for one cup stuffing mix
Spread in 9x13 pan or casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining stuff mix. Spray lightly with butter spray if desired.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

As I said this is a very forgiving dish so feel free to adjust as desired. I would recommend always including the lemon juice, although you may wish to change the amount.

* can be any cream flavored soup or combination of flavors, or a home-made cream soup base. A great plus is the canned soup doesn't taste like canned soup!
** I use sharp but any cheddar will be fine.
*** you can also use seasoned dry bread crumbs or seasoned croutons that have been lightly crushed

We have also included 2 cups chopped cooked chicken. 
You can use a broccoli-zucchini, broccoli-cauliflower, all cauliflower, or a combo of veggies, fresh or frozen.
You can use 1/2 cup mayo or sour cream instead of 1/4 cup of each.

Cheapskates are like-minded --- it seems such an extravagance to throw out the broccoli stalks you paid for.  
Here are some ideas I found at 

Ideas for using broccoli stems
  • Freeze – Cut them up into bit sized pieces and freeze in a bag. It probably would be best to only freeze them if you plan on cooking them before eating.
  • Use in Soup – This is my favorite way to use them. I make a veggie soup using whatever veggies I have, including broccoli stems. The last time I cut up broccoli I had a whole cup of broccoli stem pieces, that’ll really help stretch my next soup!
  • Juice in a juicer – If you have a juicer you could juice your stems in a veggie drink.
  • Peel the tough outside and cut the inside into sticks and enjoy as a tasty snack(idea from The Complete Tightwad Gazette).
  • Shred the stems and use in a coleslaw (idea from my mother-in-law).
  • Another idea my mother-in-law suggested was if you do want to cook all of the steams, but the outer skin is tough, just peel it off and cook up the rest.
Broccoli Leaves: You know those little dark green leaves that are often on broccoli stems? I remember reading once that they’re really nutritious, so leave those on and cook them up too!
We liked this combination so much I hope broccoli is included in each box---and with so many variations I won't need to search out another broccoli recipe for some time. Plus, we will probably plant some in our coming-up fall garden. 
'til we eat again,
             Simply, Gail