So it's the last day of NaBloPoMo and I only managed to blog about half of the 30 days we were supposed to. I suck. In more ways than one, I'm afraid.

That truth is, I just couldn't prioritize blogging over sleep, my financial class, attending my brother's birthday party, brushing the dog, cooking & eating, being sick (and thus sleeping some more) and working. In other words, I guess I have more of a life - such as it is - than I originally thought.

So, I owe you lovely people of the Innernet an apology: I was going to write about healthcare this month and I only got marginally started. I'm sure you were all just sitting around with bated breath waiting for the posts which never came. (Note sarcasm... heh.) I am sorry. Very, very sorry. My intention was to do it and be excited! about! healthcare reform!, but we all know what the road to hell is paved with...

Anyway, it is - as I've noted before - an area of great interest to me, so please watch this space and I will continue to research and post thoughts and information as I gather it. I will also attempt to do this before the primaries in the spring (No promises, but I will try) because again, area of interest.

Continue reading "NaBloPoMo and More Depression" »

Posted by Zee at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So I am staying home in bed today, trying to feel better.

You'll notice that I've failed, in more than one way, to keep up my end of the NaBloPoMo bargain. But my excuse is that I am much more tired than usual on account of this STUPID viral cold infection thingy.

Tuesday I finally got tired enough of the stuffy nose, clogged ears and scratchy throat to call the nurse, who prescribed Drixoral and called in the prescription to my pharmacy. So I've been taking that twice a day and it is helping with the stuffy nose part - but I still feel awful. I've also, on advice of said nurse, been creating steam-baths for myself by boiling water in a pot, putting a towel over my head and breathing in the vapors.

My skin has never looked better. Meanwhile, my eyes have big dark circles under them, which enhances the look of my freshly-steamed skin quite nicely. :-P

Anyway, I feel too lousy to write much more, but thought I should at least acknowledge that, this year, I have failed in my NaBloPoMo attempt. Oh well.

Also, one other thought before I go: is anyone else disappointed in the quality of Boston Legal's writing this year? It's just... well, it's not funny anymore. Sigh. All good things must come to an end, I suppose.

Posted by Zee at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So I've started doing some research on my chosen topic for NaBloPoMo (yeah, I know, I'm a bit behind) and in doing so I ran across this timeline on PBS' website. It's basically a snapshot of the American medical system, by decade beginning in 1900.

I need to do a lot more reading and research before writing up my "brief history" (or whatever it is I end up offering up) but I found this little tidbit about healthcare in the 40s to be enormously interesting:

President Roosevelt asks Congress for "economic bill of rights," including right to adequate medical care.

President Truman offers national health program plan, proposing a single system that would include all of American society.

Truman's plan is denounced by the American Medical Association (AMA), and is called a Communist plot by a House subcommittee.

Seriously, a communist plot? We don't have a national healthcare system because the AMA and a House subcommittee are afraid of a few communists? Un-freaking-believeable...

Good gravy, this should be interesing.

Posted by Zee at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Athough I usually don't write about work, I have to report that we got an email from our HR department today letting us know that we are switching health insurance companies beginning in the new year. Turns out our existing insurance company had a rate increase of nearly 30% for the coming year (with "cost-saving campaigns" like this, I'm not surprised...) so my company did research and chose a new provider. (One with RBCBS as its initials and "Blue" as its signature color....)

The good news is that my neurologist, my internist and my psychiatrist are all "preferred providers" with the new insurance company. Additionally, it appears that Regence will also cover my Copaxone and most of the other medications I'm on. The bad news is that, at a glance, it appears that our out-of-pocket costs for office visits and drugs are going to go up. It also appears likely that alternative care is going to be signficantly cut.

Obviously, we've not gotten much actual information yet so this may be blind speculation on my part. The company itself is not terrible, honestly. I had them when I was in Boston and then again when I came back from Boston and had to get on the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool. (They would have been better in the latter case if I'd picked a plan with a lower deductible.)

Continue reading "Healthcare Changes..." »

Posted by Zee at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)