National service is a fantastic idea. It would give the youth of the nation some idea of responsibility and working for a greater good instead of being the obnoxious self-centered goobers so many of them are today. Doing something where you work for the betterment of others is a great way to get perspective.
And no, it doesn’t mean the poor end up in the military and the rich skate by. There are all sorts of interests that both can do that would apply. The most important thing is working for the common good, and getting perspective of what it is like for others in this country we share.
AltaGuy has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him. He has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people, whether he is speaking to a room of three or an arena of 30,000.
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: At le pub...
Exp:
I actually have come around to the staunch belief that Bernie is going to be the next President. He'll get out the young people and progressives in the swing states enough to carry them. Polls show he's the strongest Democratic candidate in those states that matter.
What a crazy time. Orange goblin followed by 60s era socialist (if I'm right). At least one is a really good person, even if some of his ideas are a bit whack.
Here's the thing about this anecdotal evidence. Both are likely accurate based on the situation of the individuals in question.
One individual lives in the 3rd largest metropolitan area in the nation, and is fairly affluent, based on their commentary. It is very likely they have a really good job, get paid a lot, and have a benefits package that most would consider gold plated or Rolls Royce. So they have an advantage of having low deductibles and excellent access. Being in the 3rd largest metro area has its advantages as well. Chicago has 91 hospitals in a 20 mile radius of the center of the city. Illinois is also a very liberal state where there are a huge number of insurance programs available. There is a high density of good service providers and specialists. You have a high degree of choice and your plan likely allows a high degree of choice between service providers, including specialists.
The other individual lives in the 47th largest metropolitan area in the country. Population density is a fraction and access to providers is obviously going to be restricted. Tulsa has access to 29 hospitals within a 50 mile radius of city center. This individual is not affluent and more of a member of that shrinking middle class. It is likely the individual does not have a high paying job, is limited on benefits, and has to make due with those benefits provided by employer. Oklahoma is a state which fought the idea of health exchanges and has very limited choice in the system for those who have to buy from that marketplace. The majority of these programs have high deductibles to keep insurance costs down and pass a lot of the costs off to the insured. Depending on where the individual lives in Tulsa, they could be subject to "rural medicine" classification, making access to services extremely difficult.
Context of this issue is important. Listening to someone who has fantastic insurance and lives in the middle of a large urban area can give the impression of everything being rainbows and unicorns. Listening to someone who lives in a smaller population center and lives paycheck to paycheck, the picture is very different. Both can be right, but it is the contrast that shows you everything that is wrong with the system itself.
Did you just call me poor?!?!?!!??!
I do agree both can be accurate. Something I meant to articulate in response to Eldrick was that my situation with copays is similar to his. They are usually pretty reasonable. I can actually go to an urgent care near me for run of the mill stuff and get charged a normal visit copay. So that is nice if the kids pop up sick and we can't get in to the pediatrician as quick.
Also, for someone that asked me about my deductible/plan, we have a traditional PPO plan as opposed to the newer high deductible plans that include the HSA money. I looked at the billing summary and we actually maxed out our yearly out of pocket maximum for our son, so I'm not sure why the bill was that high. Both our kids had tubes when younger and I think at the time were on my insurance and the amount was still similar.
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... Yes it does. Unless they're too sick to make it to court. Literally all that has to happen to avoid this is to show up every couple of months and say "I cannot afford to pay this bill, here are my circumstances".
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
... Yes it does. Unless they're too sick to make it to court. Literally all that has to happen to avoid this is to show up every couple of months and say "I cannot afford to pay this bill, here are my circumstances".
I think the point is that they shouldn't have to. It's gross that guys like Weitz get some sort of schaudenfreude from people being unjustly punished for breaking ridiculous rules.
The "well, those are the rules, you should have just followed them" are the worst kind of people. The fact that these sleazeballs are taking a cut of bail money from other people's misfortunes is just so USA in a nutshell. This is the worst of capitalism and it's a dystopia when you really stop to think of it.
I think the point is that they shouldn't have to. It's gross that guys like Weitz get some sort of schaudenfreude from people being unjustly punished for breaking ridiculous rules.
The "well, those are the rules, you should have just followed them" are the worst kind of people. The fact that these sleazeballs are taking a cut of bail money from other people's misfortunes is just so USA in a nutshell. This is the worst of capitalism and it's a dystopia when you really stop to think of it.
I do? I was calling out a misleading headline and comment in the OP.
Judge David Casement entered the courtroom, a black robe swaying over his cowboy boots and silversmithed belt buckle. He is a cattle rancher who was appointed a magistrate judge, though he’d never taken a course in law. Judges don’t need a law degree in Kansas, or many other states, to preside over cases like these. Casement asked the defendants to take an oath and confirmed that the newcomers confessed to their debt. A key purpose of the hearing, though, was for patients to face debt collectors. “They want to talk to you about trying to set up a payment plan, and after you talk with them, you are free to go,” he told the debtors. Then, he left the room.
Also, as to why people might miss:
Quote:
Tres Biggs stepped into the courthouse in Coffeyville, Kansas, for medical debt collection day, a monthly ritual in this quiet city of 9,000, just over the Oklahoma border. He was one of 90 people who had been summoned, sued by the local hospital, or doctors, or an ambulance service over unpaid bills. Some wore eye patches and bandages; others limped to their seats by the wood-paneled walls. Biggs, who is 41, had to take a day off from work to be there. He knew from experience that if he didn’t show up, he could be put in jail.
(emphasis added)
So we can get all holier than thou and say that these people are at fault for missing court, but maybe we should reevaluate the fact that the people in this position are often the least able to make it.
It's literally one day every three months. Obviously they "shouldn't have to" in the sense that the health care system in the USA shouldn't be creating circumstances where people have to pay bills they cannot afford to pay in the first place, but FFS, if you're subject to a court order - in this or literally any other circumstance - show up to Court. Do not ignore a summons. There's just no excuse for it.
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
It's literally one day every three months. Obviously they "shouldn't have to" in the sense that the health care system in the USA shouldn't be creating circumstances where people have to pay bills they cannot afford to pay in the first place, but FFS, if you're subject to a court order - in this or literally any other circumstance - show up to Court. Do not ignore a summons. There's just no excuse for it.
When you're up to your ears in debt, missing a day of work is a big deal for people. What if they can't get the time off? Missing a day of work every three months is a nuisance.
It's pretty awful that a red state like Kansas continues to refuse federal funds so poor adults can be on Medicaid, then sends them to court/jail for not paying their bills. These states had no reason to refuse that funding other than hatred for Obama and his policies. If you make less than 100% of the poverty level and don't have kids in these states, you literally have no realistic option for any kind of health insurance, so of course there are going to be people with unpaid bills.
It also goes to show how even if the Federal government offers a working solution, the lengths state legislatures will go to stop it from working even if it means hurting their own residents.
He actually called someone at his rally on Sunday, a "lying dog-faced pony soldier". I guess it was a joke because he and others laughed (okay boomers)?
Yeah, Biden using the race card on Pete is a bit rich but Pete's record with minorities as mayor is atrocious and it's one of the many reasons he's polling so poorly.
