Interesting interview

[Joe Cool]

Sorry about post

Sorry about post

Hey everyone, I am sorry to have posted an interview that caused so much contention. I have really benifited from your experiences and don't like to see you all at each other's throats. I hope that we all can be a little more civil in our discussions next time.

 

[Andyrdj]

To RCB: german surgery

To RCB: german surgery

All I can say is that it looked quite attractive to me, going to Germany, given the excellent reputations of their hospitals for keeping down MRSA, and the generally efficient "Alles in Ordnung" attitude of our Teutonic friends.

I speak fair German, have friends over there, and although I would probably need another 3-4 weeks to recuperate before flying home, it would still be cheap enough to find accomodation for that time, though it wouldn't work for everyone - perhaps easier for Europeans. But shopping around in the USA is another option.

As another alternative, RCB, you could campaign for your country to set up a National Health service similar to that in the UK and other countries.
Such a thing tends to standardise the cost of surgeries. Pay the money in tax instead of health insurance.

It would be a truly fair and wonderful legacy to leave, that your health doesn't depend on ability to pay - truly, an act of compassion worth contemplating for a nation so wealthy.

 

[OldManEmu]

Costs

Costs

Anything medical or pharmaceutical costs much more in the US than other western countries even if it is made in the US it is usually cheaper outside. Hospital costs in the US are also vastly more than other western countries, that?s why travel insurance has a special box to tick if going to the US as you are hit with a surcharge. As Dennis S said most western countries with the exception of the US have a public hospital system that treats patients on the basis of clinical need not their capacity to pay. The countries with public hospital systems often have a parallel private system, however it is somewhat cost constrained by the existence of a public hospital system (if your charges are too exorbitant you don't get enough patients). Medical costs for example are inflationary in Australia by about 2-3 % above the general inflation rate nothing like the 300% Dennis S speaks of with his premium increases. As for Andy if I was a UK citizen and the procedure was not available in the UK I would certainly consider going to Germany, being an EU member state you may even be able to use some type of reciprocal medical arrangement with the UK. Many of our members have travelled a lot further inside the US for surgery than from the UK to Germany. The health care system there is very good and affordable, one of our US members who is currently in Germany and had a visit to the ER, mentioned the bill was a fraction of what he had come to expect in the US. India is gearing up for a lot more medical tourists the Apollo hospital network over there specialises in foreigners. I must say I wouldn't be keen on the India option. I agree with Andy the health insurance and cost problem will only get worse in the US unless some kind of universal insurance scheme is introduced, the 50 million uninsured will continue to grow.

 

[Dennis S]

X factor

X factor

This is one of the great things about this board-issues and possible solutions are not limited to national boundaries. Now, it would be possible to talk for months about the relative strengths and weaknesses of national healthcare vs. private pay. And if the discussion continues to be as informative as it has been in these recent posts I will enjoy reading. But I don’t want the one point that got this going to be lost.

Namely: Figuring out how to pay for the procedure has not been an issue for many in the US in the past. Private insurance has been largely affordable and attainable. There is a lot of evidence that this is changing. Therefore, I think it is wise to realize that an option which practically guarantees a second surgery includes a very large X factor-will I be insured and what will the deductible be at that time. This doesn’t seem to get much discussion from our members, and that’s why I wanted to address that question.

 

[Andyrdj]

nice one OldManEmu

nice one OldManEmu

Encapsulated my own beliefs soundly. You USA chaps are probably costing yourselves more in the long run by not having Universal Care, because it shoves the money into the hands of insurance companies and hosptial shaerholders.

Good bit of thinking outside the box there, OldManEmu. That seems to be a far better and more humane solution than making everyone have the same valve - which would stifle development too!

If every company went down one route and that route proved impossible to develop the ideal prosthesis, then humanity overall would miss out in the long run. As things stand we have some promising 3rd generation tissue valves, tissue engineering, and the ON-X (possibly others) all as independant contenders for the prize of "perfect, anticoagulation free valve".

RCB, what was in your mind, proposing this debate? Was it as Devil's Advocate, or just to see what people's ideas were? Or do you wish to see people live with a choice they're not happy with?

 

[RCB]

All I can say is that it looked quite attractive to me, going to Germany, given the excellent reputations of their hospitals for keeping down MRSA, and the generally efficient "Alles in Ordnung" attitude of our Teutonic friends.

I speak fair German, have friends over there, and although I would probably need another 3-4 weeks to recuperate before flying home, it would still be cheap enough to find accomodation for that time, though it wouldn't work for everyone - perhaps easier for Europeans. But shopping around in the USA is another option.

As another alternative, RCB, you could campaign for your country to set up a National Health service similar to that in the UK and other countries.
Such a thing tends to standardise the cost of surgeries. Pay the money in tax instead of health insurance.

It would be a truly fair and wonderful legacy to leave, that your health doesn't depend on ability to pay - truly, an act of compassion worth contemplating for a nation so wealthy.

Hey Mike- a little advice, lighten up! It was a joke. Otherwise, the easiest thing to do is block my post. It takes less than a minute and will save you from burning up (pun/joke).>>> <<<

Andy,
Socialized medicine has its good points, just like communism, however I?ll stick with the good old U.S.A. which has given me affordable access to the best healthcare in the world since my stroke in 1981. We can debate a lot of things, but no one can make
a credible case to me that I would be alive if I were in any other healthcare system in the world. I?m sure that is true of others on the board.

You raised the argument of whether our society should pay for people like me who don?t have the ability to pay for healthcare- sometimes I wonder about that myself. That is especially true of my last surgery, since it allowed me to live, but didn?t really restore my heart to normal function. However, I do know that whenever I have had surgery, I have pushed the surgeon and the hospital to test its limits. While 90% of the people who have HVR surgery are routine surgery, the medical field has always advanced with the experience my surgery provided them.

Of course, there are those who feel that my demise would bring them great joy and wouldn?t spend a penny on me. They will just have to console their bitterness at my every breath, knowing that it is medical histories like my own that have paved the way for their successful surgery.

Your concern for my legacy is heartwarming, but far greater men and women have tried and failed at changing the healthcare system of this country. With my meager means, I would stand no chance! I do have a project that may leave a tiny footprint if you
and others are interested in. We are starting a campaign to petition to have a documentary made to honor the surgeons who performed the first successful artificial heart valve surgery in 1960. If anyone would like to volunteer to send out letters, we have the templates already written and would appreciate the help.

Now let have a real knock down, drag-out, bloody good (as you limeys would call it) fight about this topic:

If he needed HVR surgery, what kind of valve (tissue or mech.) would Superman pick?

 

[catwoman]

Now let have a real knock down, drag-out, bloody good (as you limeys would call it) fight about this topic:

If he needed HVR surgery, what kind of valve (tissue or mech.) would Superman pick?

Sure wouldn't be kryptonite!!!!!

 

[MarkU]

Heavens forbid! We couldn't get along without our Resident Curmudgeon!

Hey, RCB's ruffled my feathers on at least one occasion too, but we can all learn a lot from what he's been through.

One thing he's right about here is that everyone here needs to lighten up a bit. No purpose served when discussions deteriorate into personal attacks and name-calling. Opinions on both sides need to be respected, even if you don't agree.

My one suggestion is that we clearly label speculative discussions as such. I fear that new visitors seeking factual information to make life-changing decisions will be misled by some of the "what if" discussions. Particularly when they come in the middle of a hijacked threat that has morphed from a factual to speculative topic.

Mark

 

[geebee]

I think it is really great and necessary to be optimistic on this site. However, I think we should lean more towards facts and not too much speculation. Although we have some really good research going on out there, the fact remains that patients should make choices based on what is available today if they do not want to take the chance of being disappointed down the road. I would hate for new members to read only the content of speculative discussions and not "see" the word "speculative."

RCB - I would be lost and bored without you.

MikeHeim - I must have missed the post you refer to as:

incendiary, mean-spirited, an inappropriate

Was it deleted?

 

[Nancy]

I think that everyone here, including myself, has to remember that these are "written" thoughts and are devoid of all human expression. If we could see some of our members faces and body language while they were posting, some of the posts would not appear to be so inflammatory.

There aren't too many on this site who want to deliberately insult others---well, RCB MIGHT be the exception (can't see my expression or body language). We just have strong opinions.

RCB just has to be his old curmudgeony self, and does like an argument. Mightn't you be Irish, RCB? They love to debate and even argue. At least in my family they did.

 

[RCB]

Kill me- I have sinned

Kill me- I have sinned

Ladies,
I tried to make a joke (as it was clearly labeled) out of what Andy had said in past threads. This is not an insult, but a technique many writers use to make a point. The problem is the joke doesn't work unless people recall the quote. If someone wants an explanation of the joke, you may PM me and I would be glad to help you with it. It is the old problem of ?being too clever by half". Andy and I are probably the only ones that got it- not a good thing.

Nancy, actually my roots are a little south of Andy in a little place called
Totteridge, London on my father side who was a Brit. and I get my love for song from my mom who was from Wales where they drink less and are better singers than the Irish.

Ladies, I would never argue with someone as sweet and goodlooking as you are.

 

[Superbob]

Hey, wit is appreciated when this contentious topic is discussed, even when (or maybe especially when) it is acerbic/curmudgeonly wit.

 

[Nancy]

Acerbic wit is good. Thank goodness Joe has the same sense of humor. Others don't, and he can get them going pretty good--sometimes they get mad . I just give it back in kind and add some on top.

So RCB doesn't bother me one bit.

Growing up, my father ( a trial attorney) thought it great fun to try out his technique on me. When I grew old enough to back him into a corner, it was my great pleasure.

So, I would suggest that anyone reading RCBs contrary posts, do so with an image of him liking to stir the pot.

That being said, this man has lots of knowledge and makes some very important points. So I never discount what he says. He's pretty darned smart. But contrary.

 

[RCB]

A Sassy Lassie

A Sassy Lassie

Growing up, my father ( a trial attorney) thought it great fun to try out his technique on me. When I grew old enough to back him into a corner, it was my great pleasure.

Wow- you are IRISH!- please forgive me for anything I said about them- they do have great Tenors.

 

[Debster]

I absloultely think it is great to debate tissue vs mechanical, because people can use this information on both sides to decide what route is best for them or their loved one. I know I did that by lurking around here before mom had her valve replaced. I feel that obviously there are pros and cons to each choice-and it was so helpful to read all sides and get all the angles to pass on to mom. Like I have posted before-mom's surgery was risky and the dr's were not sure she would make it-so if she had to have had a mechanical/tissue hippo valve and been required to drink antifreeze everyday to make sure she would come out okay-I would have been all for it!: Deb BTW-I have a friend with a blood clotting problem and is on Warfarin for the rest of his life-he's 38-and I am sure he feels that being on that beats the alternative!!!

 

[Nancy]

You'd better behave, I'll get the Shelaligh after ya And I don't have to forgive you, I just considered the source.