The RoanokeSlant

Roanoke Times, 1-17-09, Pg Va 1 & 3: Medical Cost series by Dan Casey; Medical costs getting absurd.
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Item A: Finally, here’s a little piece of advice (from Dan). If you’re bitten by a stray animal (dog, cat) that may not have been vaccinated against rabies; kill the animal on the spot and get its brain tested for rabies. Might save big medical bills!
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Apparently Dan is not familiar with Virginia’s Comprehensive Animal Laws:
http://law.justia.com/virginia/codes/toc0301000/toc03010000027000040000000.html
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PETA and the Vets have joined forces to enact misguided laws that give Vets and animal control officers the sole right to euthanize all dogs and cats in Virginia! All other acts are a felony!
What a lock on hundreds of millions of dollars of business the Vets have by force of law!
Mom and the kids would be arrested today if they euthanized “Ole Yeller” themselves.
According to the code you can kill a vicious dog attacking your dog or cat, but nowhere in the code does it allow you to kill such dog if it’s attacking you or a family member!
The old NRA motto applies: "I'd rather be judged by 12 of my peers than carried by 6!"
It’s not clear if this is an unintended consequence of the law or is it just indicative of the PETA-mentality we’ve come to know and love?
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Item B: Dan describes in great detail the saga of someone getting a $20,000 medical hospital bill for treatment for an animal bite (that appeared to be caused by the patient’s less than bright behavior – perhaps there’s some lesson there in managing our own risk).
It appears (to me) that this series is being featured by the RT as somehow supportive of the ObamaCare mess being rammed through Congress as we speak.
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2010/01/obamacare-incubating-in-black-box.html

After lamenting the medical care billing in this series, Dan has not yet begun to address how the ObamaCare thing is going to help the costly situations he so passionately describes (apparently it’s a right brain thing with all his articles).
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The hospital financial reality is that it’s a “cost center” that must recover, through its revenue sources, the total expenses it incurs each year. The primary revenue is for the labor, material and facilities it extends to each patient. Just imagine the bill if only one person needs care next year! Groups of patients get discounts just like Avis gets discounts from Ford for its fleet of cars. Individuals pay the full price for goods and services and in some cases, to a limited extent, can negotiate on their own.
It’s not uncommon for a hospital bed to be priced at $1000 per hour, or more, for outpatient care.
High utilization (high occupancy) is key to cost control and to that end government currently controls and dictates how many medical facilities and hospital beds are allowed in each area. That’s why it’s so incredibly hypocritical for government officials to complain that there might not be enough hospital beds in the event of a pandemic.
Based on current ObamaCare discussions (at least those we are allowed to hear) it’s not clear how medical costs are going to be reduced without significant reductions and or eliminations of medical care and services and by forcing uninsured people to buy medical policies. How foolish is that thought? Clearly the government will use taxpayer money for them because most are part of the 45% who not only don't pay any taxes but in fact get a big IRS subsidy check each April.
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Prior Items:
http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2009/11/obamacare-part-2.html
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