Trumpcare: For the Rich and Healthy

I was looking at the presumed plan which states "Fully repeals Obamacare and replaces it with Health Savings Accounts".

What does that mean for the average consumer?  Most employers offer HSAs as an option to their employees. Let's take a closer look at an actual first-hand use case.

First, we must understand that the 'H' in HSA stands for High-Deductible.  The trade-off is usually lower monthly bills. In most plans, you can assume that high deductibles can only benefit you if you never need to file a claim.  This is true whether it is health insurance or car insurance.

Many companies make you work for a full 1-2 pay periods before you get your first paycheck.  When I started Sharp Labs the second time, I was paid monthly.  That meant I had to work for two full months before I got my first paycheck (sucks, I know).  Once I started receiving pay, I would have to get caught up on bills - so I decided to try the HSA.  Lower monthly bills and saving some money tax-free sounded like a good option.

I don't honestly remember what the numbers were on the plan at the time - so let's take a look at the most likely comparable that Providence is offering in 2017.
HSA Qualified 6000 Bronze [PDF]
$257/mo premium + up to $500/mo into HSA
Individual deductible $6000 in-network
Medications 20-50% after deductible

So using this one as an example, I would pay $757/mo to have the health insurance.
One of my meds at the time was $2000/mo (it's down to $1500/mo now). 
This HSA will not pay a dime towards it until I have paid $6000 of my own money towards my medical bills. (I'm pretty sure my deductible was much higher back then)
Since I was not able to pay $2757/mo for health insurance and just one of my medications, I was unable to pay for my medications and doctor visits.

Doctors were upset that I was skipping all my appointments (couldn't afford them on the HSA).
Doctors were upset that I was not taking my medications (couldn't afford them on the HSA).

In August of that year, I was hospitalized for 2 weeks because I couldn't afford to take my medications.
The hospital and doctor bills (multiple, not aggregated) would take me years to pay off.
The cost of that visit was high enough that the HSA finally kicked in.
For Sept-Dec, I was finally able to pay only $1000/mo for that medication (using the example 2017 HSA above).


So, long story not-so-short... If you are never sick, never see your doctor for anything and never take any medications; HSA can seem reasonable.  Any other situation, and it's basically a scam. 

Personally, I won't even accept a job that only provides HSAs for medical.

Hint Water subscription: Blood Orange

In the last two posts, I mentioned that I had bought 12 different flavors of hint water.  I have finally decided which one is my favorite and setup a recurring delivery.

And the winner is: Blood Orange.

I don't get the "water" aftertaste. It smells nice. I've tried it room temperature, cooled and slightly frozen.  It has a nice mild aroma and taste.  Where I have tried a few bottles of each of the other flavors, I am almost completely out of this one... so there you have it.

If anyone else is interested in trying some, this coupon code will give you $5 off.

Hint Water v2

Recently, I posted about my attempt to start drinking water via Hint Water.

While I have not finished off the two cases I have received, I am to the point where I am drinking a bottle a day, on average.  I've decided to try some additional flavors.  Once I narrow down my preferred flavors, I'm likely to do a subscription - so I'd prefer to be able to compare and contrast.

The new flavors on the way:

• crisp apple
• peach
• grapefruit fizz
• pomegranate
• blood orange
• peppermint

Hint Water

As most of you probably know, I don't really drink water. Ever.  I know I should, but it usually tastes like I am drinking burnt charcoal.  I have tried quite a few different types and brands.  There have been a couple that tasted OK, but had more sugar than my soda.  Most were just downright bad.  Climbing up Mt Shasta and drinking runoff was much better than any of the bottled water I had tried.

Nevertheless, I know I need to.

A month or two ago, I bought a bottle of the Blackberry Hint water from a Kaiser vending machine.  It wasn't bad.  I think I could actually handle it cold.  So what's the damage?  Checking the back - no sweeteners (diet or otherwise), no juice, no anything really. 

So, I've decided to give this a shot.  I ordered (no one near my house carries it) 6 different flavors.  I'll post an update as I try each one.  Here are the ones I am trying initially:

• blackberry hint water (the one I know I liked)
• blackberry hint fizz (will try one fizz, based on the one I like, before trying the others. in general, I don't like sparkling water)
• raspberry hint water
• black raspberry hint kick (this one is caffeinated)
• pineapple hint water
• lemon cayenne hint kick (caffeinated)

Once I decide which flavors I like, I'll probably setup a regular subscription.  If I like enough of them, I may try the flavor-of-the-month subscription.

If you'd like to give them a shot, here's a $5 off coupon.

Genetic theories

Does anyone know if there is a relationship between (IGF2BP2, CDKAL1, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, Chromosome 11, TCF7L2, SLC30A8, HHEX, PPARG, KCNJ11 or FTO) and (Firmicutes or Bacteroidetes)?

H.R. 1256

So it used to be that most places prevented me from smoking cloves.  Then legislation went through so that no one could smoke indoors.  And now Obama is trying to prevent me from smoking cloves at all.  Since it is obvious that our government has given up all pretense of freedom, I guess it is time we give up pretense of caring what they think...

So if anyone knows of any speakeasy opening up, let me know.

Oregon Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products Due To Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination

See link for details

Goth crowd conforming to fascism

At the Munch yesterday, quite a few people showed interest in how the [name redacted to protect the club] first smoke-free Goth/Industrial night would go.

So a little background. Normally I am dancing within the first 3 songs. Usually there are not many people dancing during the first hour, but a few. Many people (very conservatively 70%) of the community smokes, and quite often on the dance floor. Personally, I find that I smoke (cloves) during Depeche Mode and not during MSI (aggressiveness of my dancing).

Last night, not one person danced for the first 1-1/2 hours. During the next 1/2 hour, one friend of mine danced to 1 song. During this time, there were more people outside smoking than there were in the club. That trend continued through the night to the point where there was a constant 20-30 people filling the entire sidewalk in front of [name redacted to protect the club] the entire evening.

About 1/2 the regulars I expected to see didn't show up. About 1/2 the crowd were people I have not seen before.

Quite a few people were complaining about the atmosphere. Some of the regulars left early because of it. The DJ was complaining about it and was discussing maybe putting in a smoke machine. I also heard discussion about them accepting the fine ($500/night, $2000/mo max) in order to keep their customer base. There is precedent for it since the last time Portland banned smoking inside, some of the clubs turned into the equivalent of speakeasys [and they had the largest customer base]. Quite a few people were talking about passing info along if that does happen, that they would drop this (and the other) clubs for one that allowed smoking.

I also was privy to conversations about whether DXFN was going to survive this change, and people making the same comment (give it 1 chance) about it.

There were multiple conversations about how the Goth crowd was conforming to fascism and how they would have loved the opportunity to vote on the issue.

Personally, at about 11:00 I told the DJ I wasn't planning on coming back again - I wasn't enjoying myself at all. He told me to give it one more chance because next week they were going to permanently open the courtyard so people could smoke. I did start dancing (pretty heavily at that) but if the courtyard doesn't work out, I probably won't go back.

My new tattoo

20 years ago, I thought I wanted a grim reaper tattoo... My dad told me that I couldn't get it right away because he didn't think I would want it long term. A year later, I decided I'd rather have a shaman shapechanging into a panther...

6 months ago, Johnny started working on my artwork. A couple hours ago I got it finished (after a 5-1/2 hour sitting). Here it is...

Wii Fitness

As most of you know, I have been doing a daily regiment of Wii Fitness... I never blog about my scores or anything -- but... 21!!!

Dietitian

So when I went to see the doctor the other day, my blood sugar was 40 points higher (after 3 days of fasting) than it was a month earlier (after 14 hours of fasting)... Then I was put on prednisone... Last Friday, I was tested again and it was another 40 points higher... The doctor called me today and asked that I see a dietitian, and said that I am not diabetic yet, but probably will be in 15-20 years.

I already had the dietitian info since I had planned on seeing her to help me figure out what is good/bad for UC (fiber bad, wheat bad, etc)... So, I setup an appointment with her and was told to call my insurance company.

It seems that Health Net will not cover Dietitian services unless I have been diagnosed with Diabetes. They said I was pre-diabetic. My dad is diabetic. My blood sugar has went up 80 points in a month. Oh, and I needed to talk to her about my UC anyways - but nope, no coverage.

That shit is whack, yo.

Physical

As many of you know, I recently had my first [ever] physical. According to the lab results, they checked my Glucose (Blood Sugar), Kidney Function, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium and Thyroid Function. All were marked Normal.

Below that, they said that I had the following results:

Type	Result	Goal	Comment
Cholesterol	208	<200	Mildly elevated
Triglycerides	192	<200
HDL (good chol)	38	>40
LDL (bad chol)	132	<130

Stent pt 2

Here's the image I promised you.

Stint Removal and Kidney Stone Analysis

Well, I went and got the stint removed today. Hurt like freakin hell. I had no idea that both ends were curled!!! Dino took a pic of the removed stint so hopefully we can get a pic up (don't worry doesn't look gross or anything - just painful).

On a similar note, we got the analysis of the stone back. Calcium and potassium. Some of you surely remember that from when I went to the hospital in 2004... I had taken too many Tums and the Calcium-Carbonate had bound to my potassium and thus my body had no actual potassium stores...

Well, although dehydration and anemia probably didn't help, it appears that this was the cause of my kidney stone. You heard me right. The cause of my kidney stone appears to have been caused by me taking too many Tums THREE years ago.

If **ANY** of you are regularly taking Tums for heartburn, please talk to your doctor about switching to Prilosec. It is OTC, so you don't need a prescription -- and instead of covering heartburn, it prevents it. I am SOOOO glad that I quit taking them when I did, because the Urologist said that it means I am not likely to get another stone. If I was still taking them, I probably would.

Note: I did take them for longer than recommended -- but... the hospital has told me to never take them again.

Orthopedic Surgeon

Well, I just got back from my appointment with Dr. Thomas. He took an xray of my hip and my knee. He said he doesn't see any sign of avascular necrosis but that I am susceptible for it because of taking prednisone in the past.

At this point, I am going to heal up from my surgery and get myself a primary care.

Back from the Hospital

Well, got to the hospital about 6:30am yesterday. I had the laser lithiotripsy done yesterday. The doctor said that it appears to have worked this time. I really liked my anathesiologist this time (Dr. Graham). I remember him putting "I don't care medicine" into my IV... I remember being told to breathe when I had a mask on. I remember waking up in my room. Nothing else.

I think the hospital let me leave too early though. I was not supposed to leave until I was able to urinate and not nauseated... Unfortunately, not only had I not managed to urinate for about 4 hours after leaving the hospital; and I was nauseated enough that I threw up a few times; but I was barely able to comprehend that they were releasing me. Not sure why they decided to when they did.

So, at this point, got some pain in my side, back and stomach. Sometimes pain when I urinate. Movement in general is very bad. While I appreciate everyone wanting to see me, give me hugs, comfort me, etc -- for now I would rather not get up, get dressed and answer the door... Hurts to move.

Should be going in to get my stint removed in 2-3 weeks. Probably still in pain for at least another week after it is removed. I will try to be social again when I can, but please bear with me.

Avascular Necrosis

WTF?

So, the doctor from my appointment yesterday just called. He said the radiologists was looking at my x-rays and noticed what looked like Avascular Necrosis in both hips... specifically, he said lack of blood supply to the femur which could lead to hip fracture. He said I need to see an Orthopedic Surgeon soon... not necessarily in the next week or two, but definitely not 6 months down the road.

I tried to find some info on it, and I found this and this.

Surgery Postponed

So, I got to the Portland Clinic today about 1-1/2 hours early. They had me do some xrays and such... Waited for a long time. The doctor said that the kidney stone hasn't moved at all and that we needed to schedule surgery. Well, Dino was there so we could do the surgery, but now it appears that he can't actually do it there - so it looks like my surgery will be on Jan 2nd. I have to be there at 6:30am for it... Should be out that afternoon/night if there are no complications.

Medical Update

Well, I had a follow-up doctor visit today... He showed me both my old X-Ray and my new X-Ray...  The ESWL was not a success... the kidney stone is now 5mm x 11mm....

He said that normally you have about 10 weeks before they cause permanent damage... it has already been a couple weeks..  he wants to see me again in 1 month... if it isn't gone by then, he's going to do invasive surgery...

They don't know what caused it... could have been dehydration as likely as dietary... considering my past experience, dehydration is actually a pretty likely cause...

WILL POWER!	Dude, if you need anything you can call.  I know I'm far away and probably like 30th on that list of people to call but hey, just putting it out there. Posted by WILL POWER! on Wed Nov 29 01:57:00 PST 2006
Malachi	Thanks. I appreciate that. To be honest, I usually don't call anyone when I am in the hospital. Usually, people only know because Dino tells them. Posted by Malachi on Wed Nov 29 03:30:00 PST 2006
WILL POWER!	Yeah, it can be a hassle if you have a bunch of people bugging you while you get hacked open by some hmo quack.  I only knew you were in there the first time because Brett told me.   He figured I'd want to give my best, and he was right, although my best isn't all that stupendous.  It's kind of like a gold medal in the special olympics.  You're a winner...but you're retarded.  I guess instead I'll send someone else's best.  Might be more worth while. Posted by WILL POWER! on Wed Nov 29 13:02:00 PST 2006

Hospital Visit

Well, as some of you know, I went to the hospital Thursday morning... I got out about 3:30 this morning.  Everything is OK now. It was a kidney stone. They used an operation called Electric Shock Wave Lithotripsy.  Not sure what caused them yet.

SparrowHawk	I'm glad to hear that you're out of the hospital and ok. I hope you don't have to deal with kidney stones again. Take care. ~L Posted by SparrowHawk on Sat Nov 18 04:23:00 PST 2006
Layne	YAY!!! I am glad that you are home and feeling better.  Big Hugs and Kisses, talk at you soon   Posted by Layne on Sat Nov 18 05:08:00 PST 2006
Sarah	No more hospital visits, ok? Making me a little nervous here!!! Posted by Sarah on Mon Nov 20 09:15:00 PST 2006
WILL POWER!	Glad to hear you're ok, seeing as your wife didn't get back to me to tell me how you are doing.   NO, MY FEELINGS AREN'T HURT AT ALL.   Glad I can turn your misery into something for me to bitch about.  I'll see you guys soon.... Posted by WILL POWER! on Tue Nov 21 12:02:00 PST 2006