What do you feel like saying, right now?

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Sciencewoman

I don't think anyone knows until they find and interrogate the suspect, but there seems to be a lot of discussion about United Health Care being a less than patient friendly insurance provider...like they deny a lot of procedures, are obstructive and overly focused on profit, etc. I think there is speculation that he was targeted for retribution.

There are some reports that the bullet casings said "Deny", "Delay" and "Depose". Definitely sounds like retribution. The guy who did it didn't try to hide himself very well, considering the number of cameras in NYC. He'll be caught eventually for sure.

It's a broken model overall. The only way for insurances to make money is to avoid paying out on claims. And United Healthcare is a FOR PROFIT insurance company- so stock holders are making money on people being denied payment. It's a ridiculous model but people are so afraid of universal health care that it won't go away any time soon.

I'm a perfect example. I'm on a monthly medication that costs $17K a month for four injections. So my insurance company has to pay that money but I'm only paying $150 in premiums (plus my employer is paying stuff). Crazy model. There's no way to make that work unless you have a bunch of people who don't use their insurance at all.

Our health care system is so broken. Phrozen- there are good and bad in every profession. Look for doctors who listen to you and advocate for you. I've learned you often have to change doctors to get your needs met. If they aren't treating you right, leave.

[PrettyBoy]

Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands

Dude, I know diddly about cars. What are these? The ones you would sell your MG for. .

1984 Porsche Carrera (wide body turbo look), Lotus Esprit S1 (probably a 1977) or a 1956 Ford F100 pickup.

[Phrozen Sands]

Originally Posted by PrettyBoy

1984 Porsche Carrera (wide body turbo look), Lotus Esprit S1 (probably a 1977) or a 1956 Ford F100 pickup.

I looked these up after reading your post earlier. The pickup truck is the same truck as the hooptie on Sanford and Son Lol. What do you see in that pos?

I’ll need pics of the Porsche because I didn’t see the “turbo look” you want. I saw the Lotus. If it’s real pointy like the image that pulled up then that one is bad ass. You should get that one.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands

Another part of me feels like these medical workers and doctors to really give a shit nowadays. They get you in and out, while taking your money at the same time. This is in no offense to CG and aggieAXO, but when I decided against getting my cat declawed, they told me I had to make a separate appointment to get her looked at, which I thought was going to be pushed out another month like all my appointments for my dog and cat have been. Lucky for me, it was just a couple of weeks. Then when I finally get in there, it’s literally 5 minutes of work for the vet, she bounces and says “Your pet is healthy, have a nice day.” I paid $78.00 for a 5 minute checkup. This vet is better than my last one. That vet didn’t give a damn. Told me my dog was all good, but I later found out he had fleas all that time. I told y’all about all the other things he had going on. But that’s all fixed now, but I’m felling like my money is being taken, after waiting over a month to see a vet, only to get a 5 minute checkup.

Not the same as human healthcare issues, but the lack of care seems to be the same.

Well, during Covid, pet ownership surged because more people sought companionship while working from home. It just caused an increase in demand for our services. And then like even right after the pandemic kind of ended, the number of pets remained higher than pre-pandemic levels, which strained clinics. And then, the number of practicing vets hasn’t really kept up with the demand for our services, especially in like rural areas or for specialized care. And then, I can use my own practice as an example. Our practice is a small business with limited staff and physical space, which restricts the number of appointments we can handle. Phrozen, we have like three exam rooms. And I know of a lot of practices that have similar limited space.

Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands

True, but yours is extreme, though Lol

lol
No it is not.

[Phrozen Sands]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Our health care system is so broken. Phrozen- there are good and bad in every profession. Look for doctors who listen to you and advocate for you. I've learned you often have to change doctors to get your needs met. If they aren't treating you right, leave.

Yeah, I’m thinking about it. I might as well have donated that $78.00 because she didn’t do anything. Literally nothing. I was in there 5 minutes. No lie. I waited in the waiting room longer. She did a heartbeat check, gave her some weird jelly snack she put on the wall to keep my cat distracted while she checked her heartbeat. In my mind I’m saying you’ve got my cat licking a wall other animals have licked? That’s germy as hell. I should have asked her would she lick a plate somebody else licked? She really started off seemingly caring when I first left my previous vet to come to her, now she doesn’t seem to give a shit.

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Well, during Covid, pet ownership surged because more people sought companionship while working from home. It just caused an increase in demand for our services. And then like even right after the pandemic kind of ended, the number of pets remained higher than pre-pandemic levels, which strained clinics. And then, the number of practicing vets hasn’t really kept up with the demand for our services, especially in like rural areas or for specialized care. And then, I can use my own practice as an example. Our practice is a small business with limited staff and physical space, which restricts the number of appointments we can handle. Phrozen, we have like three exam rooms. And I know of a lot of practices that have similar limited space.

So THAT’S why my appointments are pushed way out. Why are vet hospitals so short staffed?

[agzg]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Well, during Covid, pet ownership surged because more people sought companionship while working from home. It just caused an increase in demand for our services. And then like even right after the pandemic kind of ended, the number of pets remained higher than pre-pandemic levels, which strained clinics. And then, the number of practicing vets hasn’t really kept up with the demand for our services, especially in like rural areas or for specialized care. And then, I can use my own practice as an example. Our practice is a small business with limited staff and physical space, which restricts the number of appointments we can handle. Phrozen, we have like three exam rooms. And I know of a lot of practices that have similar limited space.

Our regular vet is set up that way and it is crowded and extremely busy every single day. We're taking our dog now to an emergency/specialist vet that's part of a big group (Thrive) because she's got just about every problem under the sun, and even there it's tough to get an appointment last minute - if you need to see them on short notice you need to triage through the ER which is both a time suck and super expensive.

To be honest I don't blame people for not wanting to get into the veterinary profession. The only place I ever see people acting up with health professionals is with the vet/vet staff and with the pharmacist/pharm techs in Walgreens. Maybe if you're like a large animal specialist or something but holy crap people get really shitty over Fido.

[PrettyBoy]

Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands

I looked these up after reading your post earlier. The pickup truck is the same truck as the hooptie on Sanford and Son Lol. What do you see in that pos?

I’ll need pics of the Porsche because I didn’t see the “turbo look” you want. I saw the Lotus. If it’s real pointy like the image that pulled up then that one is bad ass. You should get that one.

This one isn’t a Carrera, it’s a 930. I couldn’t find small images of a Carrera turbo look, but it looks like the 930 in this image. Same wide-body. The white one below it is an actual Carrera without the turbo look. I posted both so you can see the difference.

Fred Sanford’s truck is a 1951 Ford F-1. They’re not the same. I think the F100 is cool. I like the styling on those.

[Phrozen Sands]

I actually like the white one better. I don’t like the wing on the back.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands

Yeah, I’m thinking about it. I might as well have donated that $78.00 because she didn’t do anything. Literally nothing. I was in there 5 minutes. No lie. I waited in the waiting room longer. She did a heartbeat check, gave her some weird jelly snack she put on the wall to keep my cat distracted while she checked her heartbeat. In my mind I’m saying you’ve got my cat licking a wall other animals have licked? That’s germy as hell. I should have asked her would she lick a plate somebody else licked? She really started off seemingly caring when I first left my previous vet to come to her, now she doesn’t seem to give a shit.

lol
She’s probably giving your cat Churu treats, Phrozen. They’re like really yummy, creamy treats we give to cats as a distraction. It really works for shots, temperature checks, and other things we do that normally cats don’t like. I use them all the time. We use the bites for dogs. They really do help make our jobs easier.

Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands

So THAT’S why my appointments are pushed way out. Why are vet hospitals so short staffed?

It’s like a lot of things, Phrozen. Work/life balance, limited resources, emotional toll, high demand…. it’s a lot of reasons why we don’t have the staff. People are either quitting or not doing it at all. At one time, when I worked in ER, I had like the worst work/life balance ever. I hated it.

Originally Posted by agzg

Our regular vet is set up that way and it is crowded and extremely busy every single day. We're taking our dog now to an emergency/specialist vet that's part of a big group (Thrive) because she's got just about every problem under the sun, and even there it's tough to get an appointment last minute - if you need to see them on short notice you need to triage through the ER which is both a time suck and super expensive.

To be honest I don't blame people for not wanting to get into the veterinary profession. The only place I ever see people acting up with health professionals is with the vet/vet staff and with the pharmacist/pharm techs in Walgreens. Maybe if you're like a large animal specialist or something but holy crap people get really shitty over Fido.

lol
Yes, I totally get it, agzg. It’s like that every day at our clinic, too. Some days are better than others, but most days are hectic. I love what I do, it’s just that for me it’s more like work/life balance that’s the biggest challenge. I mean, things are better for me now. I work long hours still, but I remember when I worked weekends, nights, and holidays, and it really made it difficult for me to maintain a healthy work/life balance. I’m so glad I don’t have to work weekends, holidays, and nights anymore, and my only really long days are Tuesdays and Thursdays (sometimes).

It’s really tough for us, because we really have to manage client/customer expectations, I mean, especially when it’s dealing with treatment costs, which sometimes turns into verbal abuse from some of them. It’s just really stressful sometimes. I’ve learned to blot it out. I love what I do, but I’m keeping my options open. I mean, just to explore other career opportunities, like maybe advising on animal welfare policies, food safety regulations, or veterinary pharmaceuticals. I’ll also be qualified for research and development, like really making large contributions in animal health, vaccines or pharmaceuticals. I’m just not going to keep all my eggs in one basket.

[cheerfulgreek]

WIFLSRN: I am going to sleep so good tonight. I am in bed right now and feeling so relaxed. Sigh.

[cheerfulgreek]

Oh, and they caught that guy! The healthcare killer guy.

[PrettyBoy]

Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands

I actually like the white one better. I don’t like the wing on the back.

A lot of people don’t like the whale tail. What I’ve always liked about the 80s Porsche era is that the turbos of the time were the only air cooled turbos that didn’t really hide its engine under a huge slab of intercooler, and with the ones I’ve driven, I’d swear they’re louder as a result.

I’d be cool with either one, I just prefer the wide body. I’d never buy a Targa though, like the one in the image. I don’t want to have to deal with bad or worn seals. Water leaks are crazy annoying.