HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Healthcare Changes : Restarting the discussion with a few more ground rules.

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
1 23 4
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/27/2013 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
142, Nothing I said was meant to be in any way critical of you. Just a general observation that, whatever the topic, making a negative comment is often decried as "political," even when politics has nothing at all to do with it. I have great respect for you and the other moderators, as I think I've stated on many occasions.
Posted 10/27/2013 2:28 AM (GMT 0)
Clock - all is good, thanks for the positive vibes.


In this situation positive and negative comments are political if they are attributed to a source.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the phrase can set the tone.

If I say "In the present situation I have a $10k deductible. Next year it will be $11k." is a statement of fact, while "because of the new law I'll be out $11k" is assignment of blame, and inherently political. In fact, it may simply be my company's reaction to higher costs, without regard to why they happened.

Because my cost increases were on the horizon long before the political landscape was changed, I find the assignment of blame to be a bit laughable. Costs go up because costs go up. Nothing I buy today costs less than it did in 1977. Things change, and sometimes, but not always, for the better.
Posted 10/27/2013 3:01 AM (GMT 0)
142,

Every television I buy costs less than the one before.
Posted 10/27/2013 3:26 AM (GMT 0)
Frack - ok, I've owned three, bought two (one was a replacement after a burglary in 1985). Don't remember what the previous one cost, it was in 1975.
Posted 10/27/2013 3:35 AM (GMT 0)

FrackMe said...
142,

Every television I buy costs less than the one before.

New better technology included? Every tv I have bought has cost more than the previous and I never fell for that 3D tripe stuff.
Posted 10/27/2013 3:52 AM (GMT 0)
David G:

What's wrong with 3-D? Why call it tripe?


I have had so much enjoyment with my latest television, big Vizio set with passive 3-D. On Charter Cable, they are now showing 3-D movies both for free, and for rent, and I own over 25 3-D movies currently and growing.

It add an amazing dimension to the whole thing, in my opinion, and added so little to the cost of the television I have people coming to my house just to experience the whole 3-D thing.

In my little world, and with as much time as I have on my hands and the fact that I am often awake for 20 hours out of the day, television is an important part of my world, at least a source to the emptiess I feel being left alone for so many hours a day.

You can now buy 42" sets for what a 32" set cost just 2 years ago, I agree with Frack, generally, the cost is going down and down, and one can pick up many new features for little increase, or even less, such as the 3-D capability and/or being a "smart tv".

Why do you think it is tripe?

David in Sc

Posted 10/27/2013 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
On the ACA subject itself, from a cancer patient's perspective, I find the following huge:

- The no pre-existing clause itself is huge for any patient with a cancer present, past, or future, or if they have dealt with multiple cancers

- The ending of lifetime caps is huge too. In the existing systems, what is typical has been 1 or in some rare cases, 2 million dollar lifetime caps. That might sound like a lot of money until you really start clocking up the bills with either multiple cancer events (Like I have had, 4 so far), or a long term cancer even like some of us are dealing with - with multiple, expensive treatments.

My two major radiation events ate up nearly 1/2 million dollars by themselves.

I find these new rules of engagement to be encouraging to many people, myself included, knowing that I can never be denied health insurance, for what I am undergoing now, and whatever the future holds.

Being on Medicare only, and soon to have VA medical care to boot, I don't believe I will have any direct impact in what has been an outstanding level of health care thus far.

david in sc
Posted 10/27/2013 4:01 AM (GMT 0)
First, and most important: I think the price of my televisions, if you adjust for inflation, have stayed fairly flat. That $400 Sony I bought in the early eighties still looms as an imposing edifice of unjustified expense.

Second, the way I set the rules tends to bias the discussion of the new healthcare laws in a slightly positive direction. The law being new, and mostly not yet deployed, means that very few people have a lot of experience with it. By requiring that the discussion be fact-based and applicable, and in the absence of much actual experience with them, the new policies will be discussed mostly in terms of their intentions. The discussion of whether those intentions will prevail, or will succumb to the law of unintended consequences, remains for later discussions when we know more precisely what we are talking about.
Posted 10/27/2013 4:06 AM (GMT 0)
every time I took the kids to see a 3D movie in the last 5 years I always walk out with a massive headache. I just couldn't imagine seeing them at home too. But that's just me, the word "tripe" was a bit strong.

My dad took me to see the first 3D movie in London when I was 7, it was an old black and white creature from the black lagoon movie. I thought it was so cool at the time. Actually saw a 3D movie this summer in Amsterdam, that World War Z one.

I went from the small tube tv to a big tube tv, to a small non HD plasma to an HD plasma to a bigger HD plasma to a big LCD to a LED and the cost was always higher.
Posted 10/27/2013 4:07 AM (GMT 0)
My first 10 meg computer cost $3500 . My first calculator in 1972 cost $250 and it could only do four basic functions. Thousand of other examples,especially in electronics. I also made $ 10.5k straight out of grad school, thank god that went up.
Posted 10/27/2013 4:12 AM (GMT 0)
David,

3D films are less likely to give you a headache if you sit towards the rear of the theater. The 3D effect is less extreme and more convincing if you sit in the back.
Posted 10/27/2013 4:16 AM (GMT 0)
Someone please tell Apple to start lowering their prices because those always go up.
Posted 10/27/2013 4:24 AM (GMT 0)
Edited

But in all my increases in coverage for my healthcare insurance it was increased this week by an amount I never saw before. Still my plan won't affect my prostate cancer journey as long as the status quo stays the same. I am highly privileged by being a very good friend of my top notch and well known physician.

I am still in a good way even with the "legislative" adjustments. Working for a top technology conglomerate corporation that has a great competitive employment plan has me in a position that is not the same as a man who cannot afford his care.

I support getting all men diagnosed with prostate cancer to have that same opportunity. Unfortunately, I don't think the ACA gets them all there.

Tony

Post Edited (TC-LasVegas) : 10/29/2013 4:49:50 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/27/2013 4:32 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah, Apple household here, it hurts, specially around Christmas...

We'll have to see how they do without Jobs, the iOs 7.0 upgrade was a disaster in my opinion, hate it.
Posted 10/27/2013 4:33 AM (GMT 0)
I don't have cable (a reserved parking space to help with my gout mobility issues got those $), and have never been to a 3D movie, in spite of the fact that I don't care to go out in public places, as I have no immune system thanks to my RT.

Anyway, my second paid TV was more than double my first paid tv, as best I can tell from the receipt files. Plus I had to buy a new VCR that has a tuner, since I use air broadcast. That cost more than the TV, but counts in the total.

I've always bought my computers off the "off lease" market, and am on my fourth. I'll have to do something here soon, as my XP does not seem to be current these days. Each has cost much more than the previous, and the software companies seem to want to abandon customers like (well, I thought better of that analogy). I'll have to spend $200 on something I already owned since they don't provide upgrades. And that's just one program.

It is expensive to wake up for another day in this $$$ driven world.
Posted 10/27/2013 4:43 AM (GMT 0)
The first computer I personally bought was a California Computer Systems S-100 CP/M system with a 3mhz 8080 processor card and 64k of static ram. With a serial IO card, a monitor, and a Decwriter LA36 terminal it came to right at $5k in 1978. That remains my single largest personal computer purchase, even without adjusting for 35 years worth of inflation.

I'm too cheap to buy Apple products. They're nice but I can't get past the fact that they cost three times as much as some of their off-brand competitors with similar specs.
Posted 10/27/2013 4:52 AM (GMT 0)
I still have my very first computer I ever owned. A 1981 Timex-Sinclair, with original box, all cables, manuals, etc. If I had an old b/w tv set, I am certain it would still work. Came with 2k of memory, and I bought the optional plug in 16k module. At the time, I wrote and sold simple children's educational s/w on it for a Canadian firm, they paid me 500 bucks a title, all written in Sinclair BASIC.

David in SC
Posted 10/27/2013 4:56 AM (GMT 0)
Going back to 3-D on television before I forget. Makes a huge difference if it is active 3D or passive 3D.

If your 3D glasses require batteries, then its active, and the 3D effect is done by flickering the lenses back and forth at high speed. With active 3D, there are reports of headaches, visual overload, and can cause epilepsy problems with some people. With passive 3D, like my Vizio uses, the glasses do not use batteries, and look more like sun glasses. One side of the lens sees the vertical signal transmitted, and the other side sees the horizontal signal, so when you wear them, the combined effect gives you the 3D effect. Haven't heard of any "health" issues for those using passive 3D. Something to think about if you are choosing a 3D television set. Active glasses can easily cost 50-150 a pair, where the passive glasses can be had for as little as 7 bucks a piece.

With both tv 3D technologies, you need a blue-ray player with 3-D capabilities to watch movies on DVD.  But not to watch aired or broadcast 3D movies, and it pays to have super fast Wi-Fi capability, because you are down streaming two signals simultaneously.  With most 3D TV's, the tv needs to see the signal in Side-by-Side mode, again, one vertical signal and one horizontal at the same time. 

david in sc

Post Edited (Purgatory) : 10/26/2013 11:00:35 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/27/2013 8:35 AM (GMT 0)
Back on topic, I cannot remember exactly where I read it but my understanding is that ACA covers more of the costs involved in PCa clinical trials.

However as Sephie pointed out, that may only be after a huge deductible is satisfied, not sure but suspect it is not considered preventative.

LupronJim
Posted 10/27/2013 2:19 PM (GMT 0)
well in general....when a TV first comes out...or a new technology...its overpriced. I normally wait a year or so and then buy one....not only is the price down but the kinks if any are worked out.

In general...they do get cheaper. I bought a 65 inch Sony way back when (not flat screen for 2200 bucks)..I just bought a new 60 inch LED for 1300 bucks....but if you remember ....when LEDs first came out...a 60 inch one was over 4000 bucks. So yes...in a way the prices do go down. Just takes awhile to get over the novelty.....same thing applies to most electronics.
Posted 10/27/2013 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
As far as 3d...have to agree with daivid.....those things give me a headache....not to mention if you wear glasses already you have to wear a cheap pair over the top of them.....maybe someday if they come out with a pair of prescription 3D glasses.....I might buy the TV.
Posted 10/27/2013 2:29 PM (GMT 0)
Casper: the technology is quickly evolving to "glasses free" 3D. First over priced sets incorporating that is already on the market, it should take care of most of those issues. That's the problem with the shuttering effect on the active 3D glasses, the brain can't figure out what is going, with the shutting going as much as 100 times per second in some cases. Thus, a big advantage of the cheaper passive glasses.

david in sc
Posted 10/27/2013 2:33 PM (GMT 0)
Never liked 3D movies much.
Posted 10/27/2013 2:49 PM (GMT 0)
Buddy,

Give them another try. The technology has improved. Find a good one in a decent modern theater ("real" IMAX 3d is good) and don't sit too close (back third of the theater). You might try "Gravity."
Posted 10/27/2013 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
saw trailer to Gravity and thought it would give me an anxiety attack.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
1234