WOE IS ME

Woe is me. I had written a long blog on why I had not posted today when that too suddenly left Word for somewhere beyond recovery. Things started bad at 12.15 am when I heard what I thought was a branch rolling off the roof and hitting the ground. When we  got dressed enough to look outside we found  one of the three trunks of a wild cherry tree that was by the street  had broken off and all 50 plus feet were lying parallel to the street on the property.Fortunately no damage to any thing but he tree will have to come down.

If I can the pictures off my camera I will post them. My cell phone is still inoperable.

PUNT TIME TODAY

Supermarket time this am. Jets  and Indians/Cubs tonight. The Times to read in between so no room for FU blog on Health care today. I am working on the essay and should post in the next two days. I
also having trouble with my cell phone which the local Vedrizon store would not even examine because "It was a month out of warranty and I had no insurance". The weekend is no time to call V erizon.

Meantime this Borowitz's report should lighten the mood for ther next 10 days.http: (//www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/queen-offers-to-restore-british-rule-over-united-states?mbid=nl_102916%20Borowitz%20Newsletter%20(1)&CNDID=29591638&spMailingID=9782894&spUserID=MTMzMTgzMDIwMTY3S0&spJobID=1022341033&spReportId=MTAyMjM0MTAzMwS2)

ABOUT HEALTH CARE TODAY #1

Sorry folks I keep falling asleep  either at the computer or while  watching  the “tapes” of TV programs I did not have time to watch; and thus my blog on the status of healthcare never seems to be written.

I have collect some long news articles but have not had the time to collate and condense the information. Suffice to say the trend that started with the HMOs and has progressed by the ACA has turned health care into a for profit business.

When physicians became “providers” instead of doctors and nonprofit hospitals expanded into profit making enterprises the quality of care the consumer (I mean patient) received deteriorated.

Today the large merged hospital chains are dominating the market place because they can make deals with insurers and government agencies that squeeze the independent hospital out of the insurance companies preferred institution for patients. JFK is a local example and as rumor goes is now seeking a buyer,

JFK is surrounded not only by the large RWJBarnabas group which now includes Rahway and Somerset hospitals, but also the Atlantic Health System to the north(Overlook, Morristown), Meridian Health System (Perth Amboy etc.) to the south which is rumored seeking a union with the  Hackensack University System.

JFK was left out of Horizon’s first level providers.

I am ignoring for now that the individual or independent small group physicians are like the dodo bird. Over 60 % of doctors are now salaried mostly by hospitals and hospital affiliated groups. There are a few large non-hospital independent groups such as the Summit Group which competes with the AHS affiliates.

I have not mentioned the overt for profit hospital chains which have taken root in this state, and are the future of institutional health care.

 
The fact is that today’s health care is dependent on money and the battle between the insurance companies and the hospital conglomerates. More on this subject and the government’s legal impact as well as the election issues next.

STAB IN THE BACK

My Virginia son-in law emailed that the “Stab in the Back” should have brought back memories of a most famous speech of FDR that I had the good fortune to be present when it was delivered.

This was in 1940 and the President was to deliver the commencement address at UVA since his son was graduating from Law School.

Although I had just finished my first year in Medical School it had been combined with what would have been my 4th College year so it was also my time to receive my BA degree.

Graduation at UVA in those days was scheduled to be held outdoors on the amphitheater at the base of the “Lawn” Unfortunately one of two bad happenings took place that hot humid day. In Charlottesville it was raining so the proceedings were moved into the Gym where space was limited and only two family members could attend. That meant that my steady was saddled with my sister for the duration

The other happening was Italy’s invasion of the reeling France the night before.

FDR instead of a routine speech to graduates delivered his famous “Stab in the Back” speech in which he openly pledged all aid short of war to the British and French resistance fighters. This included the “lend lease destroyers for convoy duty”. It marked the end of our isolation ship policy and actively expressed our anti-fascist principles.in favor of the civil freedoms promised by democracy.

We began to prepare for a war which seemed inevitable and began a year later with Pearl Harbor and the attacks in the Philippines for which Trump’s hero Mc Arthur was so unprepared that aircraft were lined up on the tarmacs and thousands of American troops died in the Japanese attacks and subsequent captivity.

Could any of you have had such a memorial commencement address?

FIRST THOUGHTS SUNDAY

15 days until the election. One week to a bastard combined Council meeting. Fall has arrived with a bang. A sports buff would not know that winter is approaching; we can still watch baseball, it’s the middle of the football season, soccer is still in progress and we have already started the hockey schedule with pro basketball on the ticked starting this week followed in a few weeks with the college game.

This is grocery shopping day and despite the football games on TV that takes precedence over everything including bog writing.

Yesterday our Trump gave his Lincoln Gettysburg Address. Well it was supposed to be a major policy speech, however the scrip went out the window. Instead he ranted on how the election was rigged and berated the media for being against him. He called the stories of his assaulting women as lies and promised that the day after election , that is November 9^th he will  be in court to sue each one of them. I suppose he means after he is elected which is a  despots tactic; punish your enemies.