I went to a urologist a couple years ago. He examined me and told me he was 85% sure what I had was not serious and would resolve on its own. However, if I wanted to be 100% sure, there was an in-office test ($450) and an MRI ($350) that he could order for me. I got the feeling he was probably really 95% sure I was fine. The urologist likely offered additional tests out of defensive medicine and the fact that some patients desire more care than others. I was cash pay so I opted out of it.
Category: Devon Herrick
White Men are Abandoning the Labor Market. Is it Poor Health? Disability? Addiction? Laziness? Coasting on the Wife’s Income?
A former neighbor was a machinist. He worked for a variety of employers. At one company he made helicopter parts, while at another he made printing press rollers out of lightweight aluminum that were reinforced from the inside with fiberglass. His son was my friend and he worked in a ceramic tile factory, then for an industrial adhesives manufacturer. He later moved away and got a job in a factory that made cabinets. Both these working-class men made decent lower middle-class livings. Their respective careers were part of their identity. The son told me he always wanted to work in manufacturing.
Investigation: The Feds System To Ban Bad Actors from Medicare Does Not Work
There is considerable waste, fraud and abuse in federal and state health care programs. Part of the problem is the government relies on the Honor System when people are banned from Medicare and Medicaid. Those banned are expected to self-report their criminal histories or infractions when moving to a new company. According to a Kaiser Health News investigation:
Does Grandma Need a roommate? (Alternatives to Long Term Care)
Nearly 70% of seniors will need long-term care at some point in their lives. There are nearly 66,000 long-term care (LTC) facilities in the United States, with a total of about 1 million licensed beds. That will not be nearly enough as the Baby Boomer generation approaches the period in their lives of declining health. The average LTC resident is a woman, accounting for two-thirds of residents. Women stay an average of 3.7 years, compared to men who stay 2.2 years, on average. The reason women outnumber men two-to-one and spend more time in nursing homes is due to women outliving their husbands.