Last week, about midway through my bout with the flu, I woke up to an empty cupboard. Well, not “empty” exactly – but out of breakfast foods. And since I didn’t have the energy to comb my hair, much less fry pancakes, I was forced out into the wild. Fortunately, “the wild” includes a Dunkin’ [...]
Wed, October 28 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
Last week I was mostly wiped out with the flu – not fun. Now that I am recovering, I discovered one helpful benefit from the disease: it burned off a lot of my excess fat. I’m not a particularly muscular guy – nor was I particularly flabby – but what muscles I do have are [...]
Wed, October 28 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
I’ve been cooped up in my house for five days, getting over this cold – which I am now prepared to call the flu. I have gone a bit stir-crazy, got a touch of the old cabin fever, that gnawing claustrophobia telling me the walls are closing and squeezing in and I must do something. [...]
Fri, October 23 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
A few odds and ends – what others call a tab dump, except I include a little more commentary: Ian Pearl has muscular dystrophy; naturally, his insurers describe him as a “dog” and a “trainwreck”. They cancelled insurance policies in an entire community, so they could get him off the books. One of the most [...]
Fri, October 23 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
I write a lot of posts critical of “tort reform”, because it’s often a bad idea. In fact, it’s often the same bad idea, over and over again: damages caps, which don’t help doctors and punish patients. That said, I will be the first to admit that our approach to malpractice needs serious reform. If [...]
Fri, October 23 2009 » Uncategorized » 1 Comment
You know the one: “How Drug-Industry Lobbyists Got Their Way On Health Care“, by Karen Tumulty and Michael Scherer. It’s worth reading if you’re not familiar with the issue, but there are a couple of aspects important to patients that the authors don’t quite spell out. First, this bit: But there’s a dilemma: policymakers want [...]
Thu, October 22 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
I’ve had a lot of fun reading the last several editions of PFAM – especially since I didn’t have to compile them. I find I can guess who reads the various hosting blogs by what posts they include, and it’s been interesting to discover new patient blogs through the hosts’ work. The different hosts are [...]
Wed, October 21 2009 » Uncategorized » 4 Comments
Tue, October 20 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
I am on record as being disappointed with HCAN’s insistence that health benefits remain untouched by taxation. Honestly, I find alienating their labor-centric focus, and I haven’t been nearly as active as I could be. Now HCAN is running ads asking the Senate to get rid of the proposed excise tax on excess health benefits. [...]
Tue, October 20 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
I’m a few posts short of my usual goal for PFAM (~10) so I’m accepting any last minute submissions you might want to send my way. Usual deal: name, blog name, post name, post URL. Also, if you have read any good posts on other blogs, let me know and I will track them down. [...]
Mon, October 19 2009 » Uncategorized » No Comments
A novel crime against decency by Duncan Cross
