Health Care (again!) and Other Musings

This Morning's CD: Andrea Bocelli, "Sacred Arias: Medicare: One of my friend's at work is pulling his hair out trying to help his mom through the Medicare maze. President Bush says it's a great plan for our nation's seniors. Senior drug company officials? Anyway, some folks say that our president is real, that he speaks to them. This is indeed good news because health care and the Medicare drug plan is a big deal to our seniors in Florida and I'm looking for somebody who can explain our president's explanation of the plan which he explained during a town meeting back in December. I don't understand it. Someone please explain what he means. Bush Explains Medicare Drug Bill -- Verbatim Quote Submitted on 2005-12-13 16:35:14 WOMAN IN AUDIENCE: "I don't really understand. How is the new plan going to fix the problem?" Verbatim response ~ PRESIDENT BUSH: " Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculated, for example, is on the table. Whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple th! at, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to that has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the -- like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise based upon inflation, supposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red." Other Stuff: Well, about the time I thought my body was adjusting to the Aricept and my GI problems ceased a few days ago I started on the row of the 10mg dose of Aricept. I did fine day #1 and day #2. On day #2 the Phizer Nurse calls and told me that it's good that the GI problems stopped and maybe I'm tolerating the 10mg okay. Day #3 on the 10mg the GI problems started all over again. It settled down yesterday morning and no problems in the past 24 hours. So we'll see what happens. I will not quit taking it due to the fact that there are negative consequences to stopping Aricept. That will be a last resort. I'm considering taking the bull by the horns and getting some 21st Century, cutting edge health care not available to me here. I think I want to go to Houston to the Texas Medical Center to have an opinion done by the Baylor Neurologists at the Neurosensory Center where I worked when I first moved to Houston in 1978. If I decide I want to do this it might turn into another fight with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, but maybe not. Tomorrow, friends are coming down from Port St. Lucie to meet Larry and me for breakfast and then go on to the Gay Pride Parade and Festival in Lake Worth. I hope my stomach cooperates.