loserbob

To show you how much insurers care about us,They know we are having to struggle to get by(not you patty because you worked your tail off saving, training etc.)and they still raise costs after making billions off us. Its not the doings of everyone else raising costs. We dont have to cut testing etc. to make healthcare affordable. Its the greed of insurers, which should be regulated(call it socialism call it what you want just get it under control).

Going back to insurers raising coverage costs. What justifies an increase in costs when a company makes 4.7bill. profit? I keep hearing excuses as to why they are able to raise costs, its getting more expensive to treat people BlaBLaBLa, usually you raise costs to compete or save your business. In this case they just want more profit. theyre not losing money, thery making record profits. If you dont see a problem with this your not human!

Cleos mom, These people say things hoping nobody calls them on it(Tort reform in senate bill,purchasing across state lines in senate bill) when you present them with proven facts they tuck their tails and run. You showed her proven facts, im curious to see her response, Probably wont have one.Also what the hell is shopping across state lines going to do? This is what will put insurers out of business. People will all want cheaper high quality insurance. If one offers it(just like gov. plan) people will buy it. Theyll do what they do now, monopolise and control prices even more because they can because there will be fewer(ones who cant compete)companies. Its a proven fact, the richest companies dictate cost. Mcdonalds controls cost of potatoes because they buy more potatoes than any other co (just an example).I listened to Hannity on Friday. He had a Brittish American on his show and a dem. senator on the phone(the brit. was rep.). They ganged up on the senator every chance they got. When he was making a response, he was proving their points wrong they cut him off for commercial. The Brit. was talking about socialism, he left Brit. because the government took over everything. That may be but what does a brit. know about American economics the European union is about to collapse? You cant help your own countries economy with your expertise we sure dont want your help!

Thanks for the answer. No the dr. called me the other day to tell me their office would call me March 2nd(day before) to instruct me about when to show up. All testing is done, i did registration on internet. Im assuming theyll do anything else that needs done the day of. I hope they get me into OR as soon as possible, i will be a "basket case" that morning. Thanks again for the response

Im scheduled for March 3rd. Im very nervous like everyone else, im sure. I love alot of foods( i tried indian food about 3 years ago and could eat it all day every day, i used to hate the smell of indian food)and when i doubt the surgery its usually because i think i will miss certain foods. I love to eat out alot, thats usually when i see my family but im willing to give up certain things(foods)if thats what it will take to remain healthy. Most people can still eat favorite foods after. And right now everything i do pretty much revolves around food. I keep thinking of how my life will change after i lose weight. More active lifestyle. More options for vacations. If i become more fit and active it will help my family stay fit and active. How can i lose? Look how happy lapbanders are when they lose weight and get to goal. I already have clothes picked out of Territory Ahead magazine for when im skinny, i would never wear them now. Sorry i could keep going on and on but ill end it here. Just get it over with and live a healthier, happier, longer life. Good luck to all.

Great point. Thats exactly what my dr. told me. If you eat large portions the band will work. If you "graze" all day, bypass is better. Now that i think about it, i wonder why that is, they both restrict how much you eat but neither restricts how many times you eat a day. Anyhow, im not going to argue with bariatric surgeon, i think she knows better than me.

There was a show, 60 min, or 20-20, im not sure. It was on last year, it said health insurers spend $50,000,000,000.oo a year trying to find ways of not covering people. Ya, i trust them with my life!!!

I heard on the radio today,(Duquesne Light, I believe a local power co.) Talking about a totally different topic than economy, While on another subject, saying the economy is picking up, and is better than last year. Also the jobs grew and the unemployment rate fell(Which goes hand in hand)biggest jump in awhile. Something is working. It just takes time which reps. arent willing to give because they are about politics first. Think about it, if Obama gets us out of this mess, what would it do for the dem. party and to the rep. party? Well the reps. will try at every turn to make sure it doesnt happen!

Ya patty, you can see into the future. You should work in the oil or energy industry, you would be a good at rasing prices now by speculating the future costs. Dems. are such bad , evil people who just want to hurt this country. This kind of talk just sounds so rediculous, to say dems. only think of the now. Again you give opinions of yours like they are the facts. Why are these polls still in favor of Obama? Why did he get voted as pres. because most people agree with his views and ideas. It just cracks me up how you guys are so sure you have the answers when they havent worked over the last 8 years and now its Obamas fault. Well you should shift your tactics because they havent worked and as much as you spew hatred towards Obama and dems. it isnt working. Im seeing a theme here when it comes to reps., status quo on everything. I dont understand, if it doesnt work(Bush, rep. policies), then try something else.

Why do you throw the word "socialism" around so freely, Ill tell you why, To scare people. True socialism is complete takeover by government. They havent taken over GM, AIG, etc. like you reps. say they did. They gave them money to help them succeed. Because they recemend these compnies change what wasnt working doesnt constitute takeover. Banks dont give out loans to everyone who wants one, (supposedly) to people who are responsible enough to pay them. Obamas not running these companies, hes asking them to be more responsible so we dont go through this again, big difference! Reps. used these words to scare. Theyre like salesmen, i took a sales class when i worked for Roto Rooter, they tell you to use certain words used to work off peoples emotions. thats exactly what the reps., actually ill be fair here, all politicians do. Learn what socialism means before youy use it so freely, this country isnt close to socialism!

This is from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review Today 2-12-10. This paper known as a "right wing paper". Report: 5 insurers profits jump 56%. Liberal group finds 12.2B leap as 2.7m lose health coverage! Combined profits of 5 leading insurers up 56% from 2008!(Well Point inc.,Unitedhealth,Cigna, Etna, Humana)." 3 of the 5 cut the proportion of premiums spent on their customers medical care, committing more to salaries, admin. expenses, and profi"! Anthem Blue Cross in Calif. raising premiums 39% this year (Well Point, Anthem BC said more like 20%)how generous! Well Point made 4.7b profit last year! Growing numbers of companies dropping healthcare for employees! 3 out of 4 people think we need reform! Another poll in rep. paper. National security,Approve Obama,52%,disapprove 42%, Whom do you trust, Obama 37%, Reps. 33% dont know 30%(margin for error 3.5%). 920 people polled, 767 registered voters. Rep. or dem. its black and white, we need change lets get it done. These polls wont be found on Beck, Hannity, Rush.

Hi, Im Bob. Im being banded on March 3rd. I researched different methods and decided on lapband. I liked the fact that its a lot less invasive, in most facilities its outpatient. I have 3 friends who had bypass, all had no problems. My one friend is actually putting on weight again after about 8 years. He has to rely on willpower to lose weight again. I like the band because when you lose weight your going to hit plateaus and the band can be adjusted. The hard part for most people isnt losing, its keeping it off, hitting plateaus and losing interest,( i think this is whats happening to my friend, but like i said he cant adjust, he has to use his will power to get back on track). Lets face it if we had will power we wouldnt be posting here. If you get to a point down the road where your at goal and you get a little undisciplined you can adjust to get on track again. And i believe the stats on weight loss are similar after 3 years. They say you lose faster on bypass but you see people on lapband losing 100 plus pounds in under a year. It was a no brainer for me but everyone is different. Do your research and choose whats right for you, also choose experienced dr. with good after program. I believe this is one of the most important step to success, Know what to expect before you go into it. Good luck on your choice.

Hi, im Bob. Im having my surgery on March 3rd. Im getting pretty nervous, most of it is from surgery but im wondering if i can be back to work in 2 weeks(assuming everything will go ok). Im a self employed plumber, job usually involves heavy lifting. Could possibly do "lighter" duty for a week or two. My dr. told me she doesnt put a time frame on returning, she said if i feel up to it, its fine. She said everyone is different and she encourages getting into normal routine as soon as possible. She also does not require a liquid diet, just no solid food the day before. Im going to try to do liquid diet 1 week before on my own. Just wondering if its possible to return to physical job within 2 weeks? Thanks and good luck to all.

Actually when i said my dr. in the post above i meant surgeon. I also told her i Lift water heaters and other heavy things and she told me when i feel up to it its fine, everyone is different. I will ask her again, i could do light duty for 2 weeks(2weeks off, 2 weeks lighter duty). I will have make it work, my situation is not going to change anytime soon. Thanks for the responses. Thats what i like about this sight, you dont have to wait for days or even hours for answers. Thanks again much appreciated.

Hi im Bob. My surgery is also on March 3rd. Im from Greensburg Pennsylvania. My dr. is Anita Courcoulis from Magee Hospital, Pittsburgh. My insurance (UPMC) is covering my surgery, actually ive had all my testing etc. done and i havent paid for anything but a few deductibles. This sight has really helped me over the last 2 years. In the begining it helped me with info while researching. Now it helps me stay motivated(when i get nervous and think about canceling surgery. I was excited in the begining because i knew surgery was a long way off. In the back of my mind i was a little nervous but didnt think to much of it because i had other dr. visits and appointments to schedule and i knew this would take time(approximately 1 year,i started 6 month program in Nov. 08). Now its here( it went so fast) and im so nervous. Ive never had any surgery so i really dont know what to expect. I have it in my head that im going to do this, because i have too. Im 6-2, 330#. No major health problems yet, sleep apnea(c-pap), high blood pressure(treated with med.) So i will do this and i will be successful because im mentally there. Thanks and good luck to all.

I can vote for the main election, Obama-Mccain but not when it was Hillary against Obama or Romney against Mccain.

Patty i wasnt trying to be smart with you, i just sincerely would like someone who is rep. to give me an honest answer as to how bush helped you personally in his 8 years. Im not trying to piss you off. Ive read other posts of yours on other topics, and politics and even though i seem to disagree with you alot, i also agree with some points and i do respect yours and everyones opinions. But from reading your posts i can see you are a good, caring person with differing opinions from mine which is fine, thats why we live in the greatest country in the world. I havent been interested in politics all that long either, around Bushs election in 04. I voted for him and i believe i was at a vulnerable age and or time in my life because i lived by what hannity and sometimes Beck said. I dont think Beck was all that popular then. I listened to them religiously though. Actually i just started listening to Rush but like i said before, i dont agree with him at all but he is very entertaining. But yah your right this is an abortion thread, i wondered why everyone was going off topic when i first posted. I can see now, its hard not to because certain topics end up getting deeper into other areas, its so easy to get off topic. Like i said, im not picking on you, i respect and appreciate your involvement in your community, and with children, we need more like you.

And i forgot, he went from dem to ind who supported reps in past , and supported obama for president. he was ridiculed because he used alot of info from the intell. so basically they took a standup guy, made him the scapegoat, a well recognized, respected military officer and "fed him to the wolves". I just read his biography to make sure the info was correct.

Cleos mom, they provided thousands of jobs, The military, There good at starting wars and letting dems. cleanup the mess ie Bush sr. Desert Storm,Clinton cleaned that up, Bush 2, Iraqi Freedom, ya right,Obama has to clean that up. I heard a cia operative interview(x-cia)on the Chris Moore show(KDKA). He said Blackwater security is the military wing of the republican extremists.(Its no longer Blackwater, and i heard this same info in the past). So that would explain why they and Haliburton where the first companies in Iraq. Its a shame, i voted Bush because we where at war at the time(his plan worked well, he got votes because we where in the middle of war, again politics only)i thought he was sincere in his reasoning for war which was "weapons of mass destr." at the time this was the only reason. And now looking back after having time to take it all in, an its alot to absorb, It was mostly monetary reasons. Now i know reps. are going to disagree and give the usual response of "he had the same intell. we all had at the time. My response is, I didnt have the authority to start the war so the info i heard about really didnt matter. The other countries who had same info wherent so quick to go, there was alot of convincing ie hardballing tactics im sure to get others to follow. which would explain why the coalition we had didnt come close to the coalition for Desert Storm. And Colonel Powell, a standup guy had to do alot of convincing to U.N. and then resigned or retired i cant remember.

I was listening to Beck today. He was talking about some big event coming up "you wont want to miss". He started talking about how he was paying for any costs the show wouldnt cover. He had to tell the audience the cost was expected to be at or over 1 million dollars. Then he asked for donations "even as small as $5.00. (Get off your ass and earn the money yourself, quit looking for handouts you lazy, no-good democrat,oh, wait hes republican). It was funny how he had to let everyone know he was covering cost overages himself because hes a big hearted "Great American", to steel a line from hannity! Hes a big#%$^ narcisistic idiot like the rest of the major radio hosts. Of course hes paying for it, im sure hes making millions from it!!!!

Patty, Im talking to you specifically now. Why dont you give me your ideas, specific ideas as an alternative to Obamas stimulus. You keep saying ,hes taking money earmarked for wallstreet and diverting it to "gov" jobs. First of all how do you know they are all gov. jobs? Is it because Rush said that? Second of all, are you saying its not right to take money earmarked for wallstreet to try to create jobs? If so, werent reps. the ones against bailing out wallstreet(through stimulus)? So are you flip-flopping or what? If your against taking earmarked money and diverting it to other areas ie potential job growth then that means you want to keep it for helping wallstreet which you guys where against. whats it going to be? Here is the answer i really would like you to be specific about, What has the Bush admin. done in 8 years that has helped you and how has it helped(unless you are rich, then ill understand without comment)?If you listen to Rush, Hannity, Beck, they are rich, they dont have or understand the problems of middle class. Yes, maybe at one time they where mid class but not during this recession. They dont have to worry about healthcare costs, taking money from one bill and using it to pay another just to get by. hell they dont even live paycheck to paycheck(alot of mid class would be happy to just live paycheck to paycheck in this environment) my point being dont go with ideas of certain party just because theyre the loudest. You people listen to hannity etc., why would people like this have any interest in helping less fortunate, mid class. Im not saying Obama is in touch with reality when it comes to mid,lower class either, not by long shot. He was voted in as president, mostly by mid class who are majority in hopes of changing the situation. I swear on my life, if i thought Mcain would help these issues better i would have voted for him. Im being honest when i say i dont vote by party i vote for who supports my best interest. If i dont see any improvement by 2012 i can assure you Obama wont get my vote but im willing to give the man time to work his way out of this. Im not being funny here but i made less money in 90s(Clinton)but lived alot less stressful life. Granted circumstances changed ie more responsability, but when Clinton left office there was no deficit. Bush came in, and when he left there was skyrocketing deficit(you cant deny, even though you will bush created 95% of deficit) and thats being generous. I would seriously like to know what you like so much about what bush did for, to this country. I honestly cant tell you one thing he did and i did vote for him 2nd time.(im not being "sour grapes here" i m sure there are postive things he did but nothing stands out to me. I dont mean security because 9-11 was on his watch but i dont blame him solely, i mostly blame intelligence agencies not coordinating,Fbi,Cia etc. The pres. only knows what his intell. agencies tell him. Off topic, on the radio the other day (Rush, i dont agree with him at all but he is very entertaining)a man called in and said he used to work for toyota but doesnt anymore, He claimed there was no problem with toyota. Rush said "but wait a minute, there is a recall" the guy responded with " This is obama trying to help American car companies, toyota is recalling because they hold high standards and want to appease obama" He said Obama is putting pressure on toyota,it is only a few cars with problems. His reasonong for this belief was because GM and Ford already have adds out about discounts if you trade in your toyota. Crazy lunatic conspiracy theory believing idiot. This is what dems. are up against, i see another 4 after this 4! (not coordinating

Again Patty, you put down Obama for everything(by the way, I have some "leaked info" for you, I heard Obama uses Charmin to wipe, you know the rest)I figured id tell you first so you can get on him about it, because im sure he isnt doing that right either! Im just wondering what the republican solution is. Im guessing, like everything else, do nothing. Let the big business get all the tax breaks(why is it during this recession, which under bush was not called a recession, big companies are making record profits,ie exxon, healthcare monopolies etc. while the small businesses(the backbone of the American workforce) get screwed?Just like the middle class. Ive got news for you, if the middle class is allowed to fail, the rich will suffer alot more than if theyre taxed higher for healthcare, etc. Without the middle class(also the backbone of our economy)the rich will get poorer. And another thing, if your making over $250,000.00 a year "you aint middle class". So quit using this as a basis. Middle class is defined as $35,000.00-$110,000.00 a year for family of 4.(not you personally Patty, im not sure i heard you use this, im talking about reps. in general).But this also shows you how out of touch with reality the republicans are. You act like the taxes "to the rich" are going to make them broke! The higher amount they will pay is not going to affect them as compared to the effect of raising taxes on an already strapped middle class. You say dems,(majority of middle class) wait for someone else,ie gov. to handle their problems for them. The middle class didnt create the mess theyre suffering from, it was the government,(bush ideals, support big corp. and the . Under bush, rich definately got richer, poor got poorer.And yes the banking system which Obama is bailing out is at fault also. But again i dont hear alternatives or solutions from reps. I think maybe the Obama thought process on bailout and so called "temporary job creation" is to try to create jobs and stabilize the economy and create confidence, possibly creating a snowball effect where small businesses see economy stabilizing a little,in turn giving them the confidence to hire and expand. (not fact, just my opinion). Its not going to happen if reps. like hannity spew negativity, i believe actual hatred for obama and his policies. I do remember bush giving People money(i believe it was$600,00 per working adult, dont quote me on it)to try to stimulate the economy.Most people used it to pay debt. created by bush admin. ideals.The plan backfired and i never heard hannity etc. talk about failed"bailout attempt",how much money did that cost our economy, again another failed rep. idea and he gave money twice, so 2 failed attempts.I dont hear republicans saying anything negative about bush policies on iraq war. Yes im going back to blaming bush. But the reality is if the country was not involved in iraq, we wouldnt be in this mess. You can say what you want but spending billions of dollars a day for 7-8 years, not to mention between 4-5000 precious, priceless lives is taking its toll. that money could have been used elsewhere, actually we would not be in jeopardy of losing economic status to china because if we werent at war we probably wouldnt be in a recession and would have billions to spend however we saw fit. You put obama down for bailout(basically mortgaging our future), if you where in jeopardy,god forbid, of losing your house, you would probably try to get a loan of some sort to save your house as a last resort.Bailout!

I forgot. I heard fox saying the other day Obama cant blame bush anymore. I disagree, the Iraq war should be considered "Bushs" war until our troops come home. Obama didnt start the war but he will more than likely end it. The economy took 8 years under bush to get where we are today. It will take longer than 1 year to get us out of it. On a local republican radio show the other day the host said "obama cant blame bush because hes been in office for a year now, a caller called in about 9-11 being on bushs watch so his fault. the host said bush wasnt in office long enough to stop 9-11, it was clintons fault. I dont know, bush was in office for almost a year! Whats good for Obama should also be good for Bush. Typical rep. talking out both ends!

Im just chiming in here, this might not even relate to what your talking about. When did president bush ever talk to democrats only? Never. Obama showed up, answered all the republicans questions. Instead of debating with him face to face, they ran their mouths to fox interviewers afterwards. Typical, because they dont have any answers of their own. All they are concerned about is making sure Obama fails,politics only. I think this was a very positive outcome for democrats. Im going to show my republican side now(with stats). A cnn poll i believe, showed before state of union, 48% people agreed with obama. After 68% agreed. Looks like republicans got more than they asked for!! Just to go back a little when i said reps. dont have answers of their own, Ive never heard of a republican healthcare program. I hear them put obamas down and how theirs would do this and that but ive never read or heard any "concrete" plans.

Liftingchic, I just checked your lap. profile and i see your using Dr. Urbandt. Ihave 2 friend that used him for bypass, both where very happy and successful. One friend is going on 7-8 years(he works at Monroeville Turnpike exchange), hes the midget guy there, maybe youve seen him. He lost over 130# and has kept it off. The other is a woman, she had bypass last Dec. 09, she was up and about right away,no pain. She lost 137# so far. Like i said, they are both very happy with him.