Prime Time Thread

I once waited in an ER with my mom, also in the middle of the night, for 4 hours.

I waited with my daughter about 3 weeks back – 10 hours before they got her a room.

I once waited 7 hours in an emergency room—and 4 months for my hand surgery.The only time you don’t wait is if it really is an emergency or life threatening–same as with any other country.A friend of mine fractured his hip biking in France–had major surgery that day. When he returned he had a top doctor in NYC look at him, and the french doctor did an amazing job.

Also about the waiting thing… when I had to get an MRI, they had to check with my insurance company first, then once they approved it I had to wait another two months to have it done. Actually, I had to wait about a month before I could even see the neurologist after getting the referral from my GP, so it was about 3-4 months waiting.

Honestly, the most efficient, caring, and professional service I’ve ever had was at the VA medical center in Birmingham. I was in, seen, and out in thirty minutes.The worst medical care I ever received was at a hospital in Des Moines. After waiting seven hours to be seen, the doctor had an attitude and it took me about five minutes of coughing and arguing with him to realize he thought I was a drug-seeker. I had bronchitis and all I wanted was to stop coughing.

When I was a teenager, I got severe food poisoning from some bad clams at an Italian restaurant. My mom took me to the ER and we waited about 5 hours in the middle of the night to be seen. By the time I was seen, I was fine. I had thrown up everything in my system.

When I lived in California the DMV was a series of lines. It often took hours and drove me nuts. i have no idea how it works now. But this has nothing to do with health care.A medical facility is only as good as the people that manage it (assuming the staffing and funding is adequate).Government-managed programs cannot work if the politicians staff the program with their dildo friends or relatives. We need qualified people and must pay them well. Our new health care system will be a major screw up without the right people in charge.Thank God we have Obama and not the stupid chimp.

There are lines here in Denver to get a license or id, but that’s because they cut down on the available locations as a cost cutting measure. As a result, there’s actually nowhere to get a license or id anywhere in the city proper. You have to hike it down to Lakewood or west of the city. There use to be at least two locations downtown, literally in the middle of downtown Denver and a block from the capital building.Of course, this is the plan. Cut city services – trash pick-up, public transportation, indigent care, library/park services, etc- then when people complain, point to how government is broken, not the answer, a bureaucratic nightmare, and then push for a solution in the magical free market privatized paradise.

There should be a poll, “How long would you wait in line for medical treatment if you didn’t have to file bankruptcy when you the bill?97% of Democrats would wait as long as necessary. 3% have no opinion because they were high.40% Republicans wouldn’t wait any longer than the time it takes them to go through a drive thru liquor store. 60% of Republicans have no opinion because the fastest healthcare is the healing power of Jesus.75% of Independents would wait as long as necessary. 25% of Independents won’t wait any longer than it takes to catch a flight to Europe.Just some random thoughts in my mind.

Last December waited 4 hours in emergency room with daughter whose hand was bleeding and scary looking from a dogbite–she got the Nurse Ratchet treatment because she wasn’t sliced in two, apparently. Butterfly bandages and antibiotic cost $800–no insurance, still paying it off.In ’01 I had to go with neurosurgeon who could do neck surgery in 6 weeks instead of the first one I was sent to who couldn’t work me in for 2 and a half months. I had to hold my right arm over my head for about 30 seconds every 5-10 minutes or so to ease the intensity of the nerve pain running down my arm. My triceps in that arm lost nerve conduction and I couldn’t push open a door without slamming my face into it (I found out the hard way with a big glass door). When I finally got the surgery it took 2 months of PT to get my right arm to work again.My veteran friend, however, has gotten some great care through the VA. It isn’t always perfect but it sure beats the hell out of what my daughter has.DMV? Longest I’ve waited was maybe 2 hours one time, usually less than one for drivers license, 5-20 minutes for tags but I do that online most years.Joe, I love your random thoughts.

I must admit that when I lived in PA, the DMV was eye-openingly efficient. But then…you could get license plates, registrations, etc., at a notary’s rather than having to go to the DMV itself. Hey! maybe THAT’s what made it efficient!

Also, last I checked, nothing you do at the DMV is life-or-death. So who cares if you wait in a long line to get your license renewed? Chances are, you won’t bleed to death (and be left there for hours) while you wait.

Joe—drive through liquor store? wow you guys up north have some really cool ideas. A drive through liquor store. That will get me through the week, thanks!

On my last trip to the DMV, I spent about four minutes at a drive-through window. Seriously.There was later a quick email exchange with the woman in charge of the office, but that was it.

vera, there are package stores across the south with drive-thru windows. There’s one down the street from my apartment. You want I should pick you up something?

GIthe Joe,

75% of Independents would wait as long as necessary. 25% of Independents won’t wait any longer than it takes to catch a flight to Europe.

Yep, Independents typically won’t wait for bullshit to inundate them. They’ll go look for different bullshit somewhere else.

There needs to be another prime time special. In fact, another prime time special right at the beginning of the August recess. He could close with “Right now your representatives in Congress are home for vacation. Give them a call…”

yes Matt–surprise me please. I do like a refreshing mojito.

isn’t that what he’s doing tomorrow Nano?

I’m not sure but he needs to do it when they are actually in their districts and can be pestered with a flood of calls and visits. I thought they weren’t coming home for a week or two.

Nano, I say he shouldn’t let them go home until they pass a bill.

Agreed Matt.It may just be a presser Nano. You are right, he should wait, unless he will do it again.What is this I am watching? Crazy Lou Dobbs is a birther?

Oh that is richLou Dobbs…”Obama is undocumented…”Wow, just when you think the crazy cannot get any crazier, and then BAM.

Yeah I’m for that, too, Matt, but since it hasn’t been mentioned I’m guessing he’s not inclined to do it.Can you imagine Harry Reid’s apoplexy if Obama called them into special session? Oh God (Thor) that would be something to see. He already takes whatever opportunity that presents itself to remind everyone that Obama doesn’t control the Senate. His head would explode in fury. Well, explode in whatever passes for fury for Harry Reid…

What would have been really great is if one of the major networks had shown the PBS program on health care called “Sick Around the World” – showed different systems – how they work, how they’re paid for, waiting (or not waiting, as the case may be. It was a serious, intelligent, interesting look at how other countries deal with it.If you’re interested, there’s a comparison chart here, and the entire program is available online.And it would have been nice if some of the Congresscritters had watched it. Maybe they could have borrowed some ideas from places where it works & works well instead of using American ingenuity and trying to reinvent the wheel & coming up with some sort of spheroid thing instead.

I don’t think I’ve seen it yet, but it would not surprise me to learn that our fair princes and princesses in Congress had done none or very little research about systems abroad but continue to hold forth expertly whenever a microphone or camera is anywhere nearby.

I heard Steny Hoyer said today in response to the repugs and blue dogs, we have been talking about this for 18 months…it isn’t like this is new.Steny Hoyer? Shit, Nancy bugs me but she sure has gotten the House moving on this. Good for her.

No point in talking about the congessional dickweeds watching anything. They are only motivated by bribery. BRIBErY. BRIBERY.Your vote doesn’t count.Bob is on to this unfortunate state of sorry bullshit.

My dog’s health insurance is better than mine. I was stricken with hellacious recurring MRSA for about two years, and it liked to show up on Friday nights, so I’m pretty well-versed in the ways of the ER. Hours and hours and hours waiting. Weeks to wait just for a doctor or dentist appointment. And I pay through the nose for insurance.

The last time I used the ER I had to wait for over five hours to get my broken wrist looked at and let me tell you that was a fun experience!