[-]Why doesn't Obama insure the uninsured, tax us to pay for it, and leave our insurance alone? That's the compromise he's going to end up doing. And if the his plan is so great, why is Congress exempt from it?
51 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]because a lot of people that have private insurance get screwed too. The reforms are designed to make sure that private insurance actualy does what it claims it does, and also to an extent will probably lower the number of peple moving to the public/subsidized option (E.g. people that couldn't get private insurance because of pre-existing conditions).
[ Reply | Options ]who should be paid to insure those people, and how much? if we just pay the insurance companies the premiums that they would charge most of those people (who include the young and poor, but also tons of very ill people), the cost would be astronomical. under the current set-up, there is nobody who is willing to insure these people at reasonable rates--which is the whole problem with our system. something needs to change.
[ Reply | Options ]I'm in favor of a public option, but only if all MoCs and Senators, and their families, are required to use it. If it isn't good enough for our reps, it isn't good enough for us.
[ Reply | Options ]ita - all Senators should have to use it. Ted Kennedy doesn't have too many quality years left, but he's getting the most aggressive treatment possible. The same may not be available for you if the time comes.
[ Reply | Options ]If Teddy didn't have his Congressional plan he could be covered by Medicare. (They say no less than Bridgette Nielson.) Medicare gave my 90+ year old grandmother a space age new hip that was good for at least 20 years. The surgeon actually said that. "It will last at least 20 years." I pointed out that the last 15-18 of them would probably be in a hole alongside a church in Nassau County. (My dad didn't think I was funny.)
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the thing is that there is a myth that medicare coverage is not good. the irony is that the ones who often deny services/coverage are the PRIVATE insurers. It is the private insurers who are more likely to not pay doctors for their services. If you talk to a lot of doctors (not necessarily specialists) who prefer the single payer system.
[ Reply | Options ]Medicare no longer pays for virtual colonoscopy but many private insurance companies do. Some guy wrote about it in the WSJ recently and said his father died from complications (a clot, I think) from the traditional kind and blamed Medicare. I don't agree with him, because his father could have just paid for the procedure he wanted out of his own pocket, but this is an example of a situation where Medicare benefits are not as generous.
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here's my question. he keeps talking about the savings from streamlining the process. why not spend a year streamlining the processes we have (medicare and medicaid) and then say "look, we saved 500 million a year. let's use that and how much should we add to it so that we can also cover x number of additional people".
[ Reply | Options ]because they have to do it now before they lose control of the House or the Senate in the 2010 elections
[ Reply | Options ]np: Traditional Medicare costs about 3 cents per dollar to administer. 97 cents goes to care. Non-profit HMOs pull between 20 and 30 cents per dollar out of the health care system and for-profit insurers another dime more than that.
[ Reply | Options ]do you have a source for this number? i find it hard to believe that the gov't can administrate something like medicare for three cents on the dollar.
[ Reply | Options ]why would you have trouble believing this? They don't pay to advertise. They don't have high cost executives. Google CBO and administrative costs.
[ Reply | Options ]i have trouble believing it b/c most gov't run programs aren't exactly smoothly run. i just did a little research and i didn't see the exact number you quoted. but i did see a lot of discussion about how medicare has a relatively low administrative fee when compared to the total amount spent. but that's b/c medicare participants tends to have greater expenses. the per person charge is most likely greater for medicare than for private insurers.
[ Reply | Options ]If you look, you will find several discussions of Medicare vs Medicare Advantage. The Medicare Advantage product is Medicare paying HMOs to provide the care (or more specifically allowing seniors to take their Medicare premium to an HMO and buy an HMO plan with that money.) A GREAT APPLE:APPLE COMPARISON. The administrative costs of just the Medicare piece here is 2 cents/dollar. The Medicare Advantage is 11 cents.
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I don't WANT him to leave my insurance alone - it's bad now and gets worse every year (and I work for a fortune 500 company and make good $$$).
[ Reply | Options ]If there is a Federal gatekeeper standing between you and every insurance claim you put in, it will be far worse than anything the insurance companies already do.
[ Reply | Options ]scare tactic mentality makes this country drag in every possible sector. it's such a suck on our society. it fatigues me.
[ Reply | Options ]Have you looked at National health care plans in England lately or anywhere else where they have them? Do you see their life expectancy? Do you see how long you wait for a service WHEN THE GOVERNMENT RUNS HEALTH CARE???
[ Reply | Options ]It is like you people just can't see the truth. Are you going to tell us next about how Steven Hawking would be dead...
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France and Switzerland are TINY countries - you can't compare them to the U.S. Look at England - why are they coming here for health care?
[ Reply | Options ]English healthcare is very different than American health care because of WWII in more ways than most people realize. In England, they were bombed so heavily that basic care, primary care became their focus. This was true in the 40's and it never changed. In the US however, our healthcare system was growing up in a very different scenario. The really big call to arms back home was for catastrophic care. For prosthetics and big cases. So our system evolved into something different. Comparing the US to England is silly. We don't have the same systems and nothing they are talking about in DC is going to change that.
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He isn't taking anyone's insurance away. What will happen though is your employer will move to his cheaper plan rather than keep the one they pay for now.
[ Reply | Options ](sigh). My dh is a partner in a law firm paying almost $20,000 for a family insurance plan for the three of us and even with that, insurance claims are getting more and more stringent. But honestly, the idea that someone from the government would act on top of what the insurance companies do already, frightens me. It can't be a good thing - it will make things worse.
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[-]I currently work in residential real estate as a broker and am thinking of asking a former client, with whom I had a great relationship, about making a switch to his I-Bank, under the guise of asking him for "advice." What is the least tacky way to do this? He is very high on the totem pole at his firm and I am legitimately curious.
9 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]don't worry too much about it- a residential real estate broker isn't going to be qualified for a job in investment banking!
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Take him to lunch and tell him you are looking for a career change and what opportunities there might be in his industry for someone with your background. If he wants to do something for you, it will occur to him. If not, you still gain helpful knowledge.
[ Reply | Options ]That is a helpful answer. Thank you. I should note I've never had to do this sort of thing before and so I'm a little nervous. My client relation skills are pretty solid and I'm looking for something that involves a little more intellect than day to day real estate. I love the game, but the level professionalism of other brokers is starting to annoy me. I am also knowledgeable about all things financial, read the FT everyday, etc.
[ Reply | Options ]To be clear I am not in iB, or HR or anything related. But it seems like basic networking to call and ask to pick his brain. Do some research so you can ask intelligent questions. Good luck!
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OP here: Thanks! I've always found jobs on my own so "networking" like this is new and I need all the advice I can get. I'm also nervous because I always felt there was a slight attraction between us and I don't want to seem like I'm hitting on him. I'm sure he gets enough of that already. I just want a more stimulating, professional job.
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my advice is to make sure you are educated and up the learning curve before you have lunch with him. he should not be your try out, pick his brain interview -- you can present it like that, but you should be REALLY up to speed before you actually meet with him if you want him to take you seriously.
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[-]A few years ago I was turned down for a marketing job at AMEX after two rounds of what I thought were great interviews. I always wondered if my shaky credit at the time was the reason. I missed a few student loan payments and was in a low-paying job. How important is the credit check in the interview process? I'm fine now, but I wondered, if all other things are stellar, how important it is.
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Why do they check your credit anyway? Do all companies do it when you sign that blanket form for the background check?
[ Reply | Options ]credit check is a separate form from the standard background check. companies consider it a way to know if a)you're super in-debt & likely to embezzle, steal products etc or b)they liken the ability to pay your bills to be like the ability to finish projects on time. i don't subscribe to this, btw
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For what department? If applying for a position in the financial department, they will most definitely turn you down for having poor credit. If it's for AMEX publishing they have a bit more leeway. Not sure about the marketing department.
[ Reply | Options ]Here's what I don't understand about turning someone down for having poor credit: Sometimes life bites you in butt and stuff happens: job loss, poor job choice, medical bills, etc. Would love to hear an HR person's perspective about this.
[ Reply | Options ]Not in HR. It's true life can throw you some financial curve balls, but at the same time you are competing with people for jobs with good credit and some with excellent credit. Now how they kept their credit clean is a whole other story, but I can see how good credit is a plus for certain companies/positions.
[ Reply | Options ]HR Mom: Yes that is totally true, but in today's corporate culture where there is such competition for jobs companies don't "have to" take a risk. It's awful but if there are no tax credits or other financial perks to take a risk or do something charitable a for-profit company won't risk it. especially if they're public. it sucks, but it is. my advice try to get work in at smaller companies or even non-profits. the experience and distance from your credit issues will help.
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[-]i hate those teenage shows where kids have expensive cars and are dressed to the nines - makes me feel inadequate for providing for my daughter when she becomes a teenager..I could never afford that sort of thing for her.
4 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]and thank god. those kids are disgusting and their parents clearly have no moral standards. trust me, it is better for her that she grows up a humble person.
[ Reply | Options ]I don't feel that way. I don't want my child driving in an expensive car and growing up thinking that she can have anything she wants without working for it.
[ Reply | Options ]http://silok.sbilya.com/addictio95/index.html Addiction Recovery
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Interesting thread about how mean people attract and keep friends. I expect it wears thin after some years with them. That type describes the majority of female parents in my dd's school - constant comparisons, no reciprocity, complete ego all the time. As a relative once said "To hell with you and hooray for me - that's life".
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[-]Question for finance moms: I have spent the past two years working successfully as a real estate broker, (I'm 30) but I am *very* curious about going into institutional sales. I have very strong client relations skills and know quite a bit about finance as well. Do you think it could be a realistic transition?
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this is a tough time in the economic cycle to make the switch; there are a lot of people with experience out there looking for work; maybe you should pursue a CFP instead
[ Reply | Options ]Finance mom here: To get in at an i-bank or buyside, you will need to have either excellent educational credentials, or a CFA, or directly related experience (or some pretty serious connections). Its very very competitive out there right now. (lots of people with top experience next in the pipeline for jobs.)
[ Reply | Options ]I am a headhunter for financial firms, and I agree with the comment made by the person who said that it's a tough time in the cycle to make the switch. If you don't have directly relevant experience for an open position, chances are that there are dozens of unemployed people who do....
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[-]I've found the way to make stress stop. Don't turn on the TV or radio. News is what stresses people. I no longer find it important to find out every 10 second disaster in the world.
7 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]I haven't owned a tv for nearly 10yrs. I read the news on the bbc website once a day but often skip stories that I would find distressing (child abuse etc). I still know what is going on in the world but I don't need/want to see all the gory details. I'm sure it is better for me this way.
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[-]What do you do for a mouth breather who has chronically dry mouth issues? My dh has to drink fluids ALL DAY LONG and when we travel, it's difficult. Then in the hotel room, he's gulping water periodically - is there something he can do about this? It's like living with someone who needs a hydration pump all the time.
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Mouth breathers have dry mouths all the time because their mouths are not only partially open, they breathe through their mouths as opposed to their noses. They have to breathe while they eat - don't ask. I always tell dh never to eat soup or cereal in front of a client and he doesn't.
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Take him to a ped ENT. He may have enlarged tonsils. Regular ped could miss this.
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oh, I thought it was a DS. Oops. Well, in that case see an ENT for grown-ups. Could still be same issue of enlarged tonsils.
[ Reply | Options ]OP - I did some tests with DH this evening - I covered his mouth with my hand and saw that he can breath through his nose but he does so because his mouth was covered, not by choice. He said his tonsils and adenoids were enlarged when he was a child and he had them all removed. He does have a long, narrow face and a high arched palate - perhaps that has something to do with it.
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[-]When did your dc achieve maturity enough to find friends who appreciated and loved them? Because it's taking my teen dd an AWFULLY long time to figure this out - she still has a lot of growing up to do and she's 16. There's nothing mentally wrong with her - I've had her checked out from stem to stern for years, but she's late regarding social maturation - when is it going to happen? Keeps making the same mistakes over and over again and girls are merciless - and she's in an all-girls school and no, she can't change now. It's driving me crazy because I'm the recipient.
27 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]no offense, but you sound like you may be part of the problem. "there is nothing mentally wrong with her"-what kind of parent thinks like this? We are talking about a teenager who is growning into a woman. Of course she will mak mistakes, even the same ones "over and over" My suggestion get her involved in something that she loves outside of school and hopefully she can mak better friends there and will not care as much about the girls in her school. good luck and remember show empathy and be supportive.
[ Reply | Options ]checked out stem to stern for years? yikes, she might not be getting the compassion she needs at home.
[ Reply | Options ]In OP's defense, I can understand the "checking out." I've definitely known kids whose social awkwardness/cluelessness has later been diagnosed as autistic spectrum/Aspergers or something along those lines. I don't think this necessarily implies a lack of sympathy.
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The best thing you can do for a child like this is build her confidence. That will really help her find friends who appreciate her and share her interests. You reference to having her checked from stem to stem implies you think there is something wrong with her. I'm afraid that is not the way to make a child feel confident. Make sure she know you think she is great just the way she is. It may take some time, but this is the best way to help her find lifelong friends.
[ Reply | Options ]np: that's probably because your child doesn't have any issues. it doesn't sound odd to me, as the parent of a child who is also very immature. I have no answers, op, but I am sorry she's at an all girls school as I can see how that would really compound the issue. Are there other activities that she likes to do outside of school where she might meet a different set of friends?
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I was your DD in high school. Took me until sophomore year of college to really come into my own - but what helped me most in high school was going away for a month-long summer program where we lived in a college dorm for a month and took college classes. A taste of independence, and no one I knew from my school or town. I made friends I still have today. Ask her what she would really like to do (in my case this was journalism), find a program away from home and let her pursue it over a vacation or a summer.
[ Reply | Options ]depending on what kinds of mistakes are being made, and how good your relationship is, maybe you could talk through some of it and try to teach her how to interpret what is happening. Math Ph.D. mom here, and I can tell you there really are "all kinds of minds" and people who are stronger in math/engineering (girls as well as boys) do tend to be weaker at reading social signals. We are a math-heavy family, and we sometimes sit in coffee shops and spy on people at other tables and have fun making up stories about what is going on (later). There are countless ways kids and teens "one up" each other all the time, and your teen needs to be good at reading these signals AND sending them, else she will be targeted. Give it some thought, and good ...
[ Reply | Options ]OP - I appreciate these responses. To clarify though, when I said "from stem to stern" I meant regular physical exams where pediatricians talk with dd, and all assured me everything is fine. I never let dd feel I thought something was wrong with her - it's just what I've noticed regarding her peer relations. She seems to be always that "odd girl out" when other girls are around. She gets along much better with boys her own age - as people boys seem to be nicer individuals. I think the summer course at a "precollege" program sounds like a great idea - she was a CIT at her old camp this year. But pre-college programs vary - some are better than others and are supervised differently. Good thoughts though.
[ Reply | Options ]You said "boys always seem to be nicer individuals." Not nec true. I prefer to look at each person individually. But perhaps she picks up on this thinking from you, and perceives other girls to be not nice thus avoiding friendships with them? Just a thought.
[ Reply | Options ]more likely she has weak social skills and the boys are less sophisticated socially, so she fits in better with them. Fewer games. I think the social discussions mentioned above might indeed be helpful. Does not mean anything is "wrong" just that this is not her strength. No reason not to coach her on it though. I never understand why we give help on so many things but expect the social stuff ALL to come automatically to EVERYONE. It does not.
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Having worked with teenagers, I will agree that boys do tend to play less head games. That said, do some role playing with her. Ask her what in what social situations does she awkward and do some role playing where you both take different parts. Maybe enlist her dad or a very close friend of yours she trusts to help with the role playing. Sometimes simply giving your son or daughter the words to say for any given situation can go a long way.
[ Reply | Options ]OP - we do try to role-play but it's hard because we can't know how teen girls interact with each other - verbal and body language, the culture of harassment through exclusion. Somehow, most girls have radar when it comes to whom they value and whom they don't and once they decide they don't, you could be dead to them for years.
[ Reply | Options ]Then I would help her foster the friendships she has with boys. There are plenty of teenagers with friendships of the opposite sex which are non-sexual. Don't keep worrying/pushing to make friends with the girls at school. Help her make new friends with girls outside the school. It's not a perfect solution but it takes the sting out of being "shunned" at school. Find out her likes and look for a class or group she can join.
[ Reply | Options ]Be sure to mention to the group head or teacher that your daughter is shy and suss out if the group/class would be a good fit for her. My friend teaches a hip-hop dance class for beginners and most of her class is made up of shy awkward kids. The class is non-competitive and very supportive and no one ever gets singled out and the point is not to get the steps right but to have fun. Look for classes like this. She teaches in Chicago so I can't recommend her. LOL.
[ Reply | Options ]Just to give you an inspirational story. My mother was tall, awkward, shy and had 1 friend who happened to be her cousin. My grandmother (who I love) was quite mean to her and made fun of her acne and lankiness and the fact that she would never speak up for herself and even said she looked like a boy. My grandfather's girlfriend (grandparents divorced) took her an enrolled her in modeling school back in the 70s. Barbizon to be exact.
[ Reply | Options ]^^^ They taught my mother how to clear up her skin. How to walk. How to fix her hair. How to look and feel good WITHOUT make-up. My mother was 15 at the time. I photographer liked what he saw when he came to speak to the class. My mother went on to do jobs for Flori Roberts (sp), Halston, Ebony Fashion Fair, wigs for Naomi Sims, etc.
[ Reply | Options ]OP - That is a very inspirational story. I wish it could happen for all shy people. People perceive shy people to be weak, but it's just that shy individuals haven't identified their strength yet. And they get trampled on when they're still weak about it. But I'm convinced that one day they'll stand up for themselves and count in the world.
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