Charlie Self

[phildcrowNOSPAM]

Get well, Charlie. But quick.

-Phil Crow

[Han]

Great to hear you'll be your old "Self" soon again!

[Prometheus]

Good to hear you're still kicking!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

[Noons]

Good to hear all's well, Charlie. Hang in there, buddy. Cheers Nuno Souto in sunny Sydney, Australia

[WD]

May I too add my best wishes and get well soon.

[Never Enough Money]

Glad to hear you're back. It's probably selfish, but I'd like the group to be "Selfish."

[Larry Jaques]

On 1 May 2005 02:28:57 -0700, the inscrutable "Charlie Self" spake:

Gee, we didn't know you were wired that way, fella. ;)

Joys!

Ah, so we can finally no longer say "Charlie's full of it!", can't we? Very good. And I sure hope you have a better respect for "roughage" now, sir.

Congrats on surviving the blockage and the VA Horsepitol. Welcome back!

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[Norman D. Crow]

Missed you Charlie. Get better quick.

[Dave in Fairfax]

Hey, I resemble that remark!

Sorry about the bowel twistage, that can be REAL nasty. I trust you came out with all the parts you went in with.

Dave in Fairfax

[Upscale]

Not always the best thing to come out with everything. For years and years, my father's ulcer had him living on baby food and warm milk. During one of his many operations, they removed part of his stomach and part of his bowel. After that, he could eat anything he wanted and as much as he wanted without any pain or worry about putting on weight. I was glad that before he want, he got to indulge in many of the culinary pleasure of life.

[Bob Schmall]

...is now home after spending 10 days and $40,000 of his insurance company's money while in hospital. His description of the ordeal is not pretty.

Please welcome him home.

[John Thomas]

"Bob Schmall" wrote in news:YGcde.59899$ [e-mail]:

Charlie,

Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Hope to see you posting again soon.

Regards,

JT

[Robatoy]

Welcome home, Charlie. Stay away from the Stella and frites, eh?

[Patriarch]

"Bob Schmall" wrote in news:YGcde.59899$ [e-mail]:

If it was only $40k, he must not have been very sick!

Get well, Charlie! Enjoy being home. Don't be in too big of a hurry to get back to the rat race.

Patriarch

[Dave Balderstone]

Glad you're out of hospital, Charlie. Them places is full of sick people!

[Fly-by-Night CC]

Good to see you back and on the mend - take it easy now and don't over do - you don't want to get pooped out...

[Pat Barber]

[Charlie Self]

VA prices to Medicare. The joys of aging. You do NOT want to know the cost of a single cardiac intensive care day. Great care, but if you're paying for it, you're probably better off dead. There is something seriously out of whack with the system.

[Dave Mundt]

Greetings and Salutations....

On 2 May 2005 08:31:23 -0700, "Charlie Self" wrote:

First off, glad to see that you are on the road to recovery! Good luck and with luck, you will avoid major problems for a LONG time! As for the system being out of whack...a big thumbs up to that. There is something obscene about America, one of the richest countries in the world, having a health care system that is so expensive that a vast majority of its citizens cannot afford to get care from it. Alas, it is a complicated problem. One factor is that health care became a profit center some years ago...and in ANY business, when that happens, the focus shifts from providing the service or goods to minimizing costs and maximizing the amount of money pumped to the investors. One factor is the legal system. While I am not entirely sure that malpractice awards ARE the huge burden that some would have us believe, there are those costs. Another factor is the fact that the average American seems to believe that (a) All medical procedures have to return them to perfection and (b) it's someone else's fault. This creates the demands for lawyers and the suits filed in the courts. This leads to the huge costs of malpractice insurance for the medical profession. WHen the insurance companies became "for profit" organizations, they, too, ceased to perform their true function - of spreading the risk around through a huge population, thereby ensuring that no one would be wiped out by a catastrophic illness or accident - and became money pumps for investors. So...they crank up the costs of insurance to the point that they can be assured that they not only do not suffer any pains on the rare times that they end up having to pay something out, but, they actively work to avoid paying out claims by finding ways to void that coverage or to minimize the amount they DO have to pay out. Look at the profit figures published by the companies. "Profit" for an insurance company means cash that they have NOT paid out to help folks get over accidents, get medicines, etc, but, HAVE paid to investors, whose only problem is that they are only making $0.10/share, instead of $0.50/share. Ok...I will stop ranting now...and go back to my original theme of wishing Charlie a speedy and complete recovery, so we can continue to enjoy his valuable contributions to the group... Regards Dave Mundt

[Dave in Fairfax]

Dave Mundt wrote: snip of rant

You've forgotten a huge one in this area. Free medical care for any and all. As long as they aren't from the US or working for a living. We have piles of people flown in from all over the world with their med hx and the cab fare to the hospital. Or the ones who come to visit every time the want free drugs and hot & cold running nurses. /rant off

Dave in Fairfax