TODAY'S POTOURRI

Why no blog yesterday? Did you really expect me to write one? I would have done so if I did not have a date with the “Water boarder” (Dental Hygienist) in the morning and being overwhelmed with the train wreck.

The Hoboken terminal reminds me of the day’s eons ago when the CRNJ terminated at the Jersey City Terminal where one could catch a ferry to Cortland St and walk to the subway or another to the 23^rd St. dock.

*There will be no report by me on the Council meeting Monday night. With its typical sensitivity for 

 ALL residents of Plainfield, (few as they may be now) this meeting is schedules on one of the most holy Jewish holidays.

I will review the agenda tonight and comment on it sometime this week end.

*Did you see where the CarePoint Hospital System has sued BCBS Horizon, alleging the payer owes CarePoint $76 million in unpaid and underpaid claims?

Horizon in return is charging CarePoint-a for profit system that includes hospitals in in Bayonne, Hoboken and Jersey City, with having “a history of “price gouging” and calling the lawsuit part of a deliberate strategy to maximize its profits. Instead of negotiating with the insurance company to determine reasonable rates, Horizon said CarePoint has instead billed customers and insurance company’s excessive charges that drive up the cost of healthcare for everyone, regardless of their insurance coverage.”

This dispute started last year when Horizon created its OMNIA two tier plan with a limited primary group  that includes in  our area the Atlantic Health Care System as well as the RWJ/St Barnabus group JFK and St, Peter’s were  excluded to the 2^nd tier.

Likewise there was a two tier system of   medical providers that a patient could use at a lower “co-pay” and a second tier where the patients copay would be higher.

This is more than a simple suit because it represents what is wrong with health care today; it is a dollar based industry run by two competing factions. The insurance companies who want to control the cost of care by limiting procedures and choice of doctors and medicines; and the Hospital industry try to control all aspects of reimbursement including their own captive doctors.

You and I, the patient are the losers.

THAT DEBATE

Was it a debate? Not in the traditional sense Hillary was composed and all smiles. Donald was his usual bombastic self. He interrupted Hillary at least 25 times in the first half hour.

Both like all politicians uttered half-truths and falsehoods as irrefutable facts. The Washington Post posted the following fact checker:

(https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/09/27/fact-checking-the-first-clinton-trump-presidential-debate/?tid=a_inl )

NBC News listed 6 “key moments” in the debate:
(http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-presidential-debates/6-key-moments-first-presidential-debate-between-trump-clinton-n655121?cid=eml_nnn_2016092)

Most viewers felt that Trump had done poorly, although he will not lose his dedicated followers.

Trump’s surrogates in the spin room were downbeat, and the candidate himself has already begun making excuses: “They gave me a defective mic,” he complained to reporters during a gaggle. “Did you notice that? My mic was defective within the room. I wonder, was that on purpose?” There was no clear problem with his microphone during the debate, Jose DelReal notes.

Rudy Giuliani, a top Trump surrogate, even suggested that Trump should skip the next two debates unless he gets concessions. “If I were Donald Trump I wouldn’t participate in another debate unless I was promised that the journalist would act like a journalist and not an incorrect, ignorant fact checker,” he said.

The moderator was not obtrusive’ HOLT let the combatants carry the ball RARELY INTERRUPTING. Many were disappointed that he did not focus on Hillary’s emails or Trumps taxes.

INTERM BLOG

The debate ended too late for me to write any commentary. 

Then, I slept too late this morning, finishing breakfast after 10 am. I have needed errands to run his morning which seems to be my fate every day this week.

After reading the pundits I will post a commentary late today.

Suffice to say, Trump n ever answered the first question directed to him; how would he bring back industry that has fled to other countries.

The Times editorial Monday was a well written and worth reading on why Trump should not be President.

I don’t believe that editorial or even the so called debate will change any committed voters.