Healthcare Reform: Sept. 2009

"Postcard from Canada: Why I Missed Obama’s Speech" - Single Payer Westerchester. 9/13/09.  After President Obama's speech on his push for healthcare reform in Fall of 2009, this blogger remarks on the benefits of a single-payer healthcare system based on their experiences in the Canadian system.  An interesting first-hand account that many naysayers often hide.

"Class Warfare"  - Tim Allen Journal. 9/21/09.  When I first read this I was amazed that Tim Allen wasn't only a funny man, but also someone who is able to understand certain economic ideas that some politicians and people just refuse to accept or think about.  He makes a good point about how social programs such as a public option in the healthcare reform package are intended to be subsidized for the good of all, and profit-making isn't a primary goal.  Only point is that the USPS is not directly subsidized by tax money.

"What’s the fuss with a public option?
Well, the post office for one...As a business it’s hard to defend sometimes with lines and spotty service. As a ‘social’ program it’s a wonderful place to assure a reasonable fee to get written or printed material and packages anywhere. If you asked FedEx or UPS to mail a letter, the carrier would scan it and you would wonder why you are paying $12.96 to send something when you could use the Post Office and mail it for under 50 cents. That’s the cost advantage provided by a ‘public option’. We are taxed to keep the price ‘fixed’, the fix augments the price of

Happy 200!!!

HAPPY 200th PUBLISHED POST!!!!!

Yes, the 200th post is finally here and is a confirmation that I am still alive. Apologies for the extremely long hiatus since my last official post on 11/11/09, school work and a sense of lethargy on writing a blog that no one really reads made me reluctant to continue blogging. However, with Summer break here and a enormous list of bookmarked websites and news articles in my browser's "ToBePosted" folder have persuaded me to resume. Although I will try my best to include everything I have wanted to talk about (politics, entertainment, rants), I can only include items that have been preserved in that aforementioned bookmark folder; stuff I thought about while in the shower maybe forever lost to time. Details/opinions may also be brief. I will also add a date to give it some context.

Now, on to the celebrations! A quick recap of the last 100 posts! (The 100th post was published 2/5/09.) Get ready for a barrage of hyperlinks but trust me, it is worth the read:

• Cooper Union builds, completes behind schedule, and gets 'Ugly' (future posts show Cadillac and Time Warner Cable are lovin' it too)
• Health Care Reform: Why I Fought for my Uncle Gen
• My growing love for livability
• Re-electing Bloomberg on my own, but was it a mistake? (future post)
• I'm there for you, MTA, but we can all help
• My attempts at super-local reporting
• And I'm still looking for my Obama button :(

Here's to another 100 and thank you for stopping by and hope to see you again soon!


Post 200 Dated 5/19/10, see 200th post for reason
Comment below! - and leave an ID/email to get replies

Links Gone Wild: Health, Sesame St, Berlin Wall, Diarrhea

Just a bunch of links to news stories which I had been meaning to talk about, but just never found the time to, and now I don't really feel like leaving it backlogged any longer. Enjoy!

Health care reform barely passes House, awaiting annoying Senate: LA Times
Sesame Street Turns 40! I wish it could still make my day everyday (USA Today)
Google celebrates importance of Sesame Street in educating the world's youth: Google
20th Anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall, Communism?, but are world relations comparably better?: Associated Content
Why Won't My Parakeet Eat My Diarrhea?: Huffington Post

Post 199/207
Comment below! - and leave an ID/email to get replies

Top 5 Health Care Reform Lies

Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill."1 What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans.2

If you'd like to read the actual section of the legislation that spawned these outrageous claims (Section 1233 of H.R. 3200) for yourself, here it is. It's pretty boring stuff, which is why the accusations that it creates "death panels" is so absurd. But don't take our word for it, read it yourself.

Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options.3 Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down.4 If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.5 But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford health care now.

Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!

The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.

Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.6 And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.

Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits.7 Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.8

Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!

The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy. Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.9 The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade10—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses.11 Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.

Source

Post 181/189
Comment below! - and leave an ID/email to get replies

The Case for Healthcare Reform, Part 2

This is Part 2, for Part 1 click HERE.

In addition, a national development of a computerized records system, such as those pioneered by the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics which have helped enhance the outcome of its patients and have reduced the cost of healthcare, is an important goal. As for opportunities for the private sector in healthcare reform initiatives such as computerized records, many companies have already stepped in with their programs, such as Microsoft HealthVault, Google Health, and Dossia. Healthcare reform would mean a greater use for these services. This is an example that while private industry is integral in innovations in a free market, when there is an exclusive product or service that, if made more accessible to the entire population, would benefit all, then the government has a right to step in and make that happen.

These and other actions proposed by the President as well as countless economists and independent research organizations leads to lower long-term healthcare costs and a better lifestyle for everyone, with fewer worries. Take a look at Canada, the UK, France, or even Cuba; they have a nationalized healthcare system which includes 'perks' such as paid maternity leave that led to healthier, longer lives for their citizens and a more productive economy. Worries in the US about paying for the healthcare of illegal aliens is simply untrue, and is one of many lies fanned by such closed-minded reactionaries such as Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, who recently has conjured up terms such as "Obama's Death Panel."

The public option is also a major component of healthcare reform since it allows individuals and families to do what makes America a great capitalist nation: purchase the health plan of their choice. This creates more competition and makes HMOs lower their ridiculously high premiums and provide better value for the money to compete. The President's plan to also make individuals pay for basic health insurance (with certain exemptions) will ensure that the responsibility of staying healthy is shared by everyone, since an illness here will affect everyone else.

The need for healthcare reform in this great nation is best summed up by a quote from John Locke, one of the great Enlightenment philosophers whose ideas helped patriots establish the American government. In Locke's Second Treatise of Government, he said,

"This makes him willing to quit a condition, which, however free, is full of fears and continual dangers: and it is not without reason, that he seeks out, and is willing to join in society with others, who are already united, or have a mind to unite, for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties and estates, which I call by the general name, property."

When our freedom is attacked, do we all not band together to defend it? This is the question we must ask ourselves now but for healthcare - can we risk continuing to fear whether or not our guardians of our health (doctors) and their employers (private insurance companies) are truly caring for our well-being whenever we get sick? More and more, we see doctor's pledges to the Hippocratic Oath being more and more overshadowed by the promise of pay from insurers. Or will we form a better society by investing in our physiologic and economic future by ensuring that everyone has the same fair access to healthcare that people better off get? Let us honor the late, great Senator Ted Kennedy, who fought for decades for better healthcare for Americans. Let us make the right choice as a united country for the betterment of ourselves and for our future generations. Let us say yes to the President’s healthcare reform.

Post 169/175
Comment below!

The Case for Healthcare Reform, Part 1

We need healthcare reform NOW. This can be accomplished in two ways: 1) Regulating insurance companies; the word regulate being one of the most hated words in the Republican dictionary, and 2) Overhauling what HMOs can do and providing a Public Option, as the President has proposed. Frankly speaking, the most likely reform to pass will undoubtedly be the second option, although this does not mean I am on the GOP’s side. This article addresses why we need healthcare reform.

For too long, we have let the people of this country go without a security that if they get sick, they will be provided the necessary health coverage to get better. Insurance companies cannot be trusted based on its 30+ years history - they terminate a patient's health insurance when it becomes too costly for them. They pay doctors and hospitals for the amount of tests they conduct, rather than how much better the patient gets. They deny coverage to people which ends up costing everyone more through higher premiums by not giving them the proper care they deserved originally. A sick worker leads to lower productivity and increased costs for businesses as well as higher long-term costs in the world economy and increased burdens on future generations.

Republicans and Conservatives claim that the government will not be able to handle national healthcare since it already cannot effectively handle Medicare and other government-regulated industries. They claim that Medicare is bloated and that people should instead go and buy their own insurance. But if someone is sick, how can they possibly afford the time to review the offers of private insurance companies when the companies are only in for profit? President Nixon started Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) because it provided a way for private companies to earn a profit off our illness. True, having perfect competition is a key value of democracy and capitalism in America, and a free market with individual choice is key to ensuring the best quality. But when it comes to healthcare, something that is so integral to our lives, we just cannot trust large corporations who pocket our money for their happiness to ensure that we will be better off. From an insurance companies' point of view, if a patient is going to be too expensive to keep insuring, then they just cut them off, regardless of the fact that the patient has paid them continually beforehand for an assurance that they will be taken cared for in times of need. Is that not what insurance is for?

And trust me, I am not only behind healthcare reform for myself, I am also writing for my uncle, who for nearly a year has been in and out of area hospitals and has most recently been diagnosed with leukemia. What made my family’s dealing with this crisis worse was brought on by his insurance company's ridiculous terms. When the hospital chose to place him in a 1-person room, his HMO denied payment since they would only pay for his hospitalization’s room and board if he stayed in a "semi-private" (2-person) room. This dispute took place at a time when he was suffering immensely as a result of sometimes-failed treatments and numerous blood transfusions. Another incident was when he had to be rushed to the hospital after being released due to a sudden change in his condition. The HMO accused him for not notifying them beforehand about a hospitalization, but in an emergency, would anyone really be willing to spend precious time waiting on a phone with their insurer to let them know that they needed to go to the hospital? Besides, the hospital, with its numerous staff and resources, should have the responsibility to notify the insurance company.

Having the government step in and level the playing field is critical in the healthcare industry because they realize that since our tax dollars are being used to pay for it, there has to be a good return for the investment. Instead of waiting until a patient is sick to treat them, more emphasis is placed on ensuring that patients get better preventative treatment by increasing the availability of tests which help spot problems before they occur. Rewarding health practitioners for the quality of care rather than the quantity of care they give, the reverse of which was the status quo, is also a key goal of healthcare reform since it does not make sense for hospitals to release patients before they fully recover to only have them return soon for the same problem.

Part 2 - Conclusion - will be available tomorrow.

Post 168/174
Comment below!

Health Reform is NOT Socialist

President Obama's Healthcare reform is not socialist: just take a look at this TIME cartoon which illustrates that if Republicans had their way, there would be no such thing as public school in America. Where would we be without public options?



Post 165/171
Comment below! - and leave an ID/email to get replies

Virtual Different Looks of NYC Looks Real (SimCity 4)

/// An updated screenshot of my NYC as well as ones taken from my beta testing of CXL should be available August 2011 ///
I have been working on my SimCity 4 version of New York City for over two years (since January 2007) and have gotten my way through Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island, and a region bordering the East River. My road network is pretty accurate (with the exception of S. Brooklyn - I'm planning on redoing that later on) and major landmarks and public spaces are included, all with the help of Google Maps. However, after seeing what lucky7 has done with his "The Different Looks of NYC" City Journal at the highly-popular SimCity 4 forum/exchange site Simtropolis has made me consider giving up on my city. His road and transportation network is so intricate and exact it looks as if it were a satellite photo. My opinion is that he can make it that accurate due to a custom-made, larger map size. Although he has yet to fully populate his city, it is fantastic and deserves his award. I myself do not have a City Journal, but will hopefully have something that is comparable!

Of course, Monte Cristo's Cities XL is coming out later this year, and so far it looks far superior to SC4, partly due to plenty of user feedback about the shortfalls of SC4. It looks and has a much more realistic gameplay, as evident from Simtropolis' Webmaster's review of an invitation-only review.



Published Post Number:121/127
Feel free to comment below!

FDA May Get Chance at Regulating Big Tobacco

Finally, after decades of irrefutable scientific evidence that smoking harms the health and the creation of smoke-free environments in numerous cities, the Food and Drug Administration may finally be able to regulate the tobacco industry. Last Thursday, the U.S. House approved a measure that would allow the FDA to "regulate the contents of tobacco products, make their ingredients public, prohibit flavoring, require much larger warning labels and strictly control or prohibit marketing campaigns, especially those geared toward children." However, companies can continue to put the harmful nicotine and tobacco in cigarettes. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Waxman (D-CA) in the House and by Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) in the Senate. However, Rep. Buyer (R-IN) is proposing a bill that would threaten that power. Honestly, the ill health effects of smoking are so upfront that no one should be going up against something that may save lives. Of course, in China

Published Post Number:120/126
Feel free to comment below!

No More Flying and Driving Without a License

Sad news from the aviation and train simulation games world - Microsoft has canceled the production of their sequel, Train Simulator 2 as well as closing the production team for their more than a quarter-century long enterprise, Flight Simulator. Both games were pretty fun to play and will be sorely missed. Train Simulator had been canceled several years earlier, but was restarted shortly after that. Flight Simulator has had 10 releases in 27 years, making it the longest-running video game franchise. This announcements comes along with Microsoft's decision to cut 5,000 jobs worldwide.

Published Post Number:108/114
Feel free to comment below!

HAPPY 100!!!

HAPPY 100th PUBLISHED POST!!!!!

Yes, this is my 100th published post (more about the number at the end) and I just wanted to give a recap of my more than a year of posts while being a little self-congratulatory! My first post was published Wednesday, January 23, 2008 (Oops, forgot to celebrate that) on Mayor Bloomberg's new coalition with California Governor Schwarzenegger to build a better America (I misspelled the title when I first published it, hence the 'ayor' in the URL. :P)

Shortly after that, I started posting about the shortfalls and criticisms of the Bush Administration. Throughout the year, I published more of that but also included events in my personal life (such as my graduation), politics-especially about the 2008 Presidential Election, my position that the environment needs to get more attention and action, and better healthcare. I also moved my news reporting from my site to the blog.

As the year progressed, and I became a commuter, I began to be very passionate about the funding woes for New York City's (and the nation's) mass transit systems. I have watched the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's fiscal situation (MTA) go from somewhat hopeful (May) to desperate (today).

If I had to pick my most descriptive and passionate posts, I would have to go with Car #1224, and my series of posts about what an extraordinary mayor Mike Bloomberg is (he is one of my heroes.)

So, although I know that I don't have that much of a constant readership, and no one really does comment (maybe I should switch to Wordpress?), I will continue to blog about everything that happens in my life and in the world. I have always been lost before I started blogging; I've always wanted to share some info or thought with the rest of the world, but never truly had the means until this blog (I did experiment with posting my thoughts on a Geocities page, but haven't maintained it in a long while.) So thanks for reading through this celebratory post and for reliving my thoughts with me and I hope you will continue to come by every now and then. And of course, comments are always welcome. Just be nice. :)

---
Last but not least, posts in the past week or two have included a "PostID." This is mainly for administrative purposes; a way to let me know the # of published posts / the # of unpublished posts (drafts). This has now given way to the "Published Post Number (PPN)," that is until I, in my rush to send a post hot from my keypad out inadvertently change it to something more easily remembered (PPID).

Published Post Number (PPN):100!/106

Obama: Win & Loss in 2 Days

Yesterday, President Obama's nominee for both the Secretary of Health and Human Services as well the director of the new White House Office of Health Reform, Tom Daschle, withdrew from his nomination because of his tax troubles. Obama had counted on him, with his years of experience dealing with the health industry, to reform health care. Personally, I believe that Daschle should not have withdrew himself - everyone has a skeleton in their closet and he revealed it before he took office and was transparent about it in the past month or so about it. This is a major blow to the commitment that Obama made to provide better access to healthcare to the country. I hope he will find a replacement with as much (or more) experience soon.

Today, Obama overcame the sad news yesterday by ordering a pay freeze on executives of companies which were receiving taxpayer money from any bailouts. The salary would be capped at $500,000; any additional money paid by the companies would have to be issued as stock that cannot be sold until the company has paid back its government loans. This move is especially important, considering how companies still paid their executives over $18 Billion in bonuses last year, and many more bonuses, such as Wells Fargo continuing their annual tradition of an exclusive 2 week retreat for top-performing employees - this time a trip to the pricey Wynn in Las Vegas - until public outcry forced them to cancel it this year.

PostID:98/104

Hospital Security Lax

Recently, a friend of mine visited someone at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan. They walked through the revolving door of an auxiliary patient building, clearly passing by a sign which stated that all visitors must obtain a visitor's pass from the front desk which was several yards from the door. After going through the door, they turned towards the elevator bank. The person at the front desk was chatting with another worker and did not stop them at all. After the person arrived at the patient's floor, they proceeded into the patient wing. Another sign, posted at a sliding door before the rooms and next to a nurses' station, stated that all visitors must check-in with the nurses' station. The visitor passed through the doors and proceeded directly into their friend's room without being questioned by the nurses at the station. When they left the hospital through the same lobby, they witnessed other visitors coming in who were also not stopped by the front desk and/or security.

Clearly, this is an extremely dangerous situation. If we cannot even secure our hospitals, a place for the sick, how can we say that we are safer after spending billions of dollars shoring up our airports? We maybe preventing terrorists from hijacking another plane, but if our hospitals can even be compromised by regular criminals, there could be a tremendous loss of life and if terrorists get a hold of a health treatment facility, one less place for the ill to get treated.

Minority Report: Now (Nearly) in Stores

I'm not talking about the awesome 2002 movie which starred Tom Cruise, although it does involve the technology featured in it. I'm referring to the display where Cruise used hand gestures in the air (after fitting on a specially-made glove) that would enable him to interact with the computer. Turning his fist right would fast-forward a video, making a rectangle with his two hands would select a certain video frame...etc. All along, we have been trapped by the mouse/keyboard and have never been truly able to be able to express what we want on the computer in a quick and intuitive way.

However, in the past two years, Perceptive Pixel, a company led by Jeff Han, has been developing technology that would enable users to forgo the mouse and typical keyboard and instead use your hands to interact with the super sized upright display. Of course, this still requires you to physically touch the display, but is definitely a step up from the current computing interface. The multi-touch technology that it relies is already on the market today, primarily by Microsoft's Surface, Apple's iPhone/iPod Touch/MacBook trackpads, and as of recently, T-Mobile/Google's G1 phone.

This past January, the first of his displays was showcased by CNN during the caucuses and primaries in the U.S. Presidential Election. Dubbed by CNN as "The Magic Wall," its usefulness and popularity has since spread to the other major news networks, including FOX and ABC. As materials get cheaper and demand increases, these multi-touch displays will no doubt be seen in more high-profile locations.

Speaking of CNN, this was not the first time they took the lead in demonstrating new technology. In January, CNN's Anderson Cooper held up a "Virtual Pie Chart" to display the results of the Iowa Caucuses. It was based on cameras that was aimed at the placard he held, and a a computer rendered a pie chart over it. On Election Day in November, CNN once again took the prize when they beamed a "hologram" of music artist and activist will.i.am, who was in a studio in Chicago, to speak with Cooper, who was in New York City. This time, the set-up was much more elaborate: dozens of cameras surrounding will.i.am in a circular fashion, which was also surrounded by a green screen. In CNN's NYC studios, computers added in a 2D image of him that was only viewable on a television screen, not visible in the actual studio.

Of course, all of these technologies are only a small peek into the future of the many applications that can be created to enhance our experience with computing that will make it as easy as interacting with real life. I await the day when I can view and organize my pictures or do research at home with the feeling that I truly have control over my actions.

A parody of the Magic Wall on Saturday Night Live:

Google's Got the Flu...in Sight

Dr. Google is only a few keystrokes and clicks away. Someone who is sick can 'diagnose' their sickness by checking their symptoms online. Of course, this is not the recommended way to treat oneself, as a certified physician is the best way to go. However, the innovative company Google has taken the search data and found an interesting correlation with the actual spread of the flu in the United States. A spike in searches of flu symptoms and related health information occurs shortly before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues data on the flu. Called "Google Flu Trends," the project aims to give an early warning to "accelerate the response of doctors, hospitals, and public health officials." (NYT) The project is managed by Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org.



>>>The New York Times-Google Uses Searches to Track Flu’s Spread

Insured by Michael Moore

Is your health insurance company denying you coverage? Are you not getting a crucial treatment because your HMO is greedy? Then join Michael Moore's SiCKO Health Care Program! Simply showing your card or blackmail your HMO and have a chance to live!

OK, maybe it won't work every time, but it is an interesting attempt at mocking the horrendous American health care scenario. And yes, I have seen his documentary, SiCKO. You should too.

>>>Michael Moore.com - What Can I Do: SiCKO Health Care Card

More crane collapses

This morning, yet another crane collapsed on the job site in Manhattan, this time killing the crane operator and causing heavy damage to nearby buildings. Debris from the construction site and the crane littered the streets and caused many nearby buildings to be evacuated. The incident occurred at 354 East 91st Street (1st Avenue). This is the 2nd fatal crane collapse and 9th death in Manhattan these past 2 months, amidst growing criticism that the city and the Department of Buildings are not doing enough to secure construction sites. In March, the DOB instituted a new policy requiring that both before a crane is to be raised and during its operations, on-site workers must have meetings with city engineers. The cause of this incident has not yet been determined.

>>>View screenshots of images from Eyewitness News.
>>>NYTimes:At Least One Killed by Crane Collapse in Manhattan

walkme2

Any Venture Capitalists out there with some extra cash? I was browsing around Hong Kong Island in Google Earth the other day and found a Youtube video titled "2 Causeway Bay MTR from Hong Kong Stadium". I clicked on it and a video of someone walking from the stadium to the MTR (Hong Kong's metro) appeared. I browsed around the rest of the island and found many more videos title "2...from...". I clicked on the video and was led to walkme2.com, a Hong Kong-based startup. Anyone can upload a video of a walking guide from one point of interest (say, a landmark) to another (say, a MTR station entrance). The service claims to be accessible from "popular multimedia mobile devices like the iPhone or your desktop." This seems to be an interesting way to guide lost travelers, when GPS is too 'blind' to show street details and when Google Maps Street View is too impersonal.

>>>Walkme2

Congestion Pricing Gone

It really sucks that the New York State Assembly did not even gather a vote (thanks to the pain in the butt Sheldon Silver) on New York City's proposed congestion pricing plan. It won wide approval in the City Council, and would have raised hundreds of millions of dollars to help improve mass transit. It would also help plug a $17.5 billion deficit for the MTA. After this blow to the city, I found others who shared my beliefs that congestion pricing was (and still is) greatly needed in NYC. In today's polluted and high-gas priced economy, we need greater mass transit to improve all of our lives.

>>>Second Avenue Sagas | Blogging the NYC Subways
>>>Streetsblog.org

Reform (or get rid of) HMOs Now!

Apparently, the new health insurance plan I am now covered under only allocates one checkup for every two years. The recommended interval and the ones other major HMOs use is once every year. What happened?!?! Since a single checkup is expensive if someone does not have insurance or uses up more than the alloted amount, this creates a dilemma. Decreased checkups = less diagnoses of diseases, illnesses, or other ailments = a more sickly person = decreased productivity = decreased revenues for the business they are employed in = increased costs in paying for that worker's worsened health problems or hiring more workers to make up for the lost productivity! Abolish (or at least reform) HMOs now! It works in Canada, the UK, France, and Cuba, so why not the U.S.?