The Joy of Ruminating: Part one

Today, miscellaneous observations and thoughts:

I'm very thankful I have, and my family has, healthcare insurance. I'm also glad about my social security income each month. I earned it, at least the first 3-5 years of it. I took it to young, and I'm missing bigger payments, but it helps coming in now.

Healthcare: 

Everyone should have access to affordable healthcare, including mental health. Period. I'm lucky. I retired from the state of New Jersey with 39 years pension, in 2008. I had accumulated 25 years before they changed the law in 1997, so I pay no premiums for my HMO/PPOs. Yes, I do make co-pays, but only $10, ridiculously low. My insurance only covers 80% of my psychiatrist visits tho, but I'm not complaining at all, I'm surprised its that much.

I think paying over $400 a month for family coverage like my self-employed friend has, is outrageous. Maybe co-pays of $25 or $35 max would decrease that. I hope the new exchanges improve out-of-pocket costs.

But this brings us squarely into the topic of insurance. The concept is that healthy people's premiums will pay for services not only for them when they need them, but for other "sick" adults and children as well. I don't think so. The high costs of MRI's, CAT scans and other tests, just to diagnose the real problem, as opposed to treating it, are just to high. Tests are among the highest costs in healthcare care right now, especially unnecessary tests. Out of control, because doctors and hospitals make make bigger profit margins on them. We've passed the threshold where premiums cover the services. 

Kinda like social security, when we went from every 3 workers paying for 1 collector, now down to 2. Unsustainable. These systems are doomed to failure. New models are needed. I'm meditating on that, just like the unsustainable model of advertising to generate sales; a hit or miss proposition. At least, finally, its becoming more targeted like on Facebook and Google! Show me something I might actually be interested in for God's sake, instead of inane, shotgun based, TV and cable commercials that I watch but could care less about. So many are trite, not even funny like the old Benson & Hedges TV ads, or the Super Bowl half time.

And take social security. If you've paid into SS, and used up all your own contributions into the system, and are solely collecting from the government, why in the world should the government, us taxpayers, pay for your spouse and/or children to receive payments after you die? Your spouse and children didn't earn those benefits! It's not a full retirement plan like a 457, it's a contract you earned from your employer, bolstered by the Feds. It's only one small leg of the retirement stool. And its meant for you, you only to my way of thinking.

But . . . I am sympathetic to the man or woman who was the breadwinner being able to support their non-working spouse, perhaps during child-rearing years. Janet stayed home with our kids and quit her full time teaching job. However, she had many part time jobs during that period, as much to bring home needed income and for the sanity of being around other adults. So I'm saying even the stay-at-home spouse can work part time if the breadwinner has at least a job with normal hours (shouldn't we all). And the State and Feds need to provide much better job training, as do our schools - at all levels. It's not all about an academic college career.

So stay-at-home spouses should also be able to earn SS credits. 

Does that mean all employees should be guaranteed pension income of some kind? Absolutely! And that means every American should have a job to boot, and become vested to earn it. At least get the unemployment rate down to a natural turnover of 5% and not 7% or more, which means millions of more people unemployed. Each 1% represents 19 million American working age adults (Wikipedia). And at the very least, as is mostly done, a laid off employee should receive his contributions and matching funds back upon severance, or roll them into another plan.

Hospitals

I like Capital Health, with it's new Hopewell location, and Helene Fuld in Trenton (one of the few left there), and previously Mercer Hospital on Bellevue Avenue in Trenton, now practically closed (because of Hopewell, a better facility).  I've been to all three. The emergency room with Janet a few years ago to Hopwell, to three polynoidal cyst operations (for the same cyst) at Mercer, as well as a fractured arm, to psychiatric diagnosis at Helene Fuld. Yes, of course we need hospitals and emergency rooms, and now, the burgeoning emergency clinics/doctors.

My mother even worked at Mercer for years, in maintenance, and I traveled its hidden passageways and elevators first hand when visiting. No yellow, blue, or green dots in the middle of the floor for them. Now there's no dots anywhere, just signs - if you're lucky.

Take Capital Health Hopewell. I've already been there multiple times for doctor's visits (yes, its full of doctors offices, a smart thing), to the maternity ward for friends babies, and recently my Dad's stay, who's now on a ventilator (prayers welcome for the Will of God).

So with no more dots, signs are critical. And what are most critical to me? The men's room and coffee shop. They have a beautiful large cafeteria on the lower level, open late. A coffee shop/bistro on the first floor, and a smaller coffee shop on the second. Great! But the signage? Poor. Hard to know their there, with the large cafeteria called a cafe, something small to my mind. 

And some bathrooms are unisex, even when there's two right next to other. I have to ask myself, "What woman wants to go into a bathroom that a man has just used?" Pee all over the toilet and/or seat. And by the way, all toilet seats, everywhere, should have an embedded plastic handle on the side to lift it. I really don't like pulling up the seat from underneath. Nobody should be allowed to sell those seats without the handle.

Another thing, elevators. Signage poor again. Their off to the side and you'd almost miss them. There should be overhead signs, easily visible, Elevators. And, the small signs that are there say "Blue elevators," "Gold elevators," and "Green elevators." What the heck does that mean? What's the difference? They take me up and down don't they? And of course the worst possible signage, no map of the floors for first time visitors. Standing in line for a badge while the receptionist gives long directions to others is very frustrating, especially when I know where I'm going.

And security at Capital Health Hopewell? Non-existent. At the two entrances, Main and Emergency Room, a guard should be posted 24/7. Recently I only saw one at one entrance the five days i was there. A room with cameras with one guard monitoring is not enough for my taste. And besides, even while walking the halls, seeing security has been rare.

So, today, just a few observations, thoughts. Hopefully more coming.

You're experiences with Healthcare/hospitals?