Official Luthiers Forum!

Kevin, I'm so sorry to hear of your difficulties; I managed to avoid that exact surgery with a combination of chiropractic, electro-therapy, acupuncture, and simple time spent not using the shoulder much.   

But this is a political issue.   The latest reports show US medical care slipping into 3rd World status, way behind nearly all the other industrialized countries in the world. Yes, medical care here in the US can be the best in the world...if you've got the dough to afford it, which basically means shelling out of pocket above and beyond your medical insurance premiums.   It's the best for the richest...and only the richest.   If you're common folks, you'd be better off in Canada, England, France, Germany, Norway, Japan, Sweden, Denmark...need I go on?   

Our politicians haven't a clue.   This doesn't apply to them or their families or anyone they hang out with.   This is like George Bush's father being amazed at laser scanners at the supermarket.   Our politicians (and I'm completely non-party judgemental here...I mean all of the stooges) haven't got a clue what we are going through for medical insurance.   I pay more a month for just me than I do for rent.   How's dem for apples?   

Of course, one of the big issues is that it is now standard procedure to spent a life time's worth of savings for "care" in the last 60 days of life.   Come on now folks! Get over it.   You're going to die. Don't try to defy death and spend all your kids' inheritance doing so!   It's a waste of your and their money. The sooner we get good at dying, the better off our kids will be...

Rick,
   I agree that the conditon of our medical health service system is a
political issue in many ways, but I was talking about my personal situation
and decision to press the issue that I had already paid for full coverage on
procedures such as this as the doctor was deciding whether or not to
allow me to receive the level of service and payment that I had contracted
my insurer for. I was able to skirt his refusal by simply taking some of the
billing issues out of his control and by allocating them to another facility
that isn't under his control or ownership.

   I would wonder if you have avoided the the exact same surgery that I'll
be having since it is impossible, even with the most aggressive
chiropractic and electro therapy approaches to reattach the supra
spinatus which, in my case has been completely detached from the
humerus in my right upper arm and has retracted up into my neck to the
tune of nearly four inches. It cannot be manipulated to that extent
externally, unfortunately for me.

    Nothing burt surgery can pull that muscle back down to a place where
it can successfully be reattached to the bone to provide the motion and
support it provides for the complex shoulder joint. I've avoided it for five
years, but the muscle will never just reattach itself without a surgical
process and all of the appliances needed to hold freshly trimmed
connective tissue to freshly prepared bone surface for a good heal to
occur. The amount of calcified tendonitis that I've suffered is also a
problem to correct without the procedure so my dilemma is two fold.

    I'm sure your injury was one that was painful and difficult to overcome,
but my tear injuries to my rotator cuff are the least of these troubles for
me even though they are very painful in themselves. I've dealt with them
on my own for five years with the kind and patient help of two very close
chiropractor friends. It' s the complete tearing loose of muscle from bone
that has caused me the most trouble. Unfortunately, surgery is the only
option in my case.

   Believe me, I've explored every alternative medical option possibility
and all practitioners in them that I've cinsulted with and visited have
advised me to have the surgery and see them in the future for
maintenance treatment if necessary.

Thanks for the suggestions, though,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Rick,

I'm sad to say you're probably spot on in your assessment of our healthcare system.
I hate big government, and I hate to see them step in and take over anything, since it usually turns out to cost more than it would otherwise, but it has become a problem to the degree where someone needs to do something. I too pay twice as much as my mortgage for health insurance. That just doesn't seem right. Only a few years ago, my mortgage was twice the cost of my healthcare, and now they have reversed positions, and I've actually increased my mortgage for various reasons.
We're quickly becoming a nation of the "have's" and the "have not's". Those who have the most take the most, and have little regard for those who have little.
My wife and I are operating at a deficit every month because healthcare has shot up hundreds of dollars per month, while my paycheck is virtually unchanged.
Employers only see their botttom line, and the effect on highly-compensated employees is minimal compared to those who make much less. Therefore, those at the top don't have a clue what those at the bottom are struggling with.
Kevin has payed a large some of moeny to his insurance company in order to obtain the very best of health care for his family, and apparently there are those who have their bank accounts as a higher priority than their patients, who try to circumnavigate the health care system to line their pockets beyond reason.
Until greed is tamed, there will be no change in the direction we're headed. I just hope we don't end up having a French Revolution of our own. But don't be too surprised if someday it happens....

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

[QUOTE=Rick Turner] Kevin, I'm so sorry to hear of your difficulties; I managed to avoid that exact surgery with a combination of chiropractic, electro-therapy, acupuncture, and simple time spent not using the shoulder much.   

But this is a political issue.   The latest reports show US medical care slipping into 3rd World status, way behind nearly all the other industrialized countries in the world. Yes, medical care here in the US can be the best in the world...if you've got the dough to afford it, which basically means shelling out of pocket above and beyond your medical insurance premiums.   It's the best for the richest...and only the richest.   If you're common folks, you'd be better off in Canada, England, France, Germany, Norway, Japan, Sweden, Denmark...need I go on?   

Our politicians haven't a clue.   This doesn't apply to them or their families or anyone they hang out with.   This is like George Bush's father being amazed at laser scanners at the supermarket.   Our politicians (and I'm completely non-party judgemental here...I mean all of the stooges) haven't got a clue what we are going through for medical insurance.   I pay more a month for just me than I do for rent.   How's dem for apples?   

Of course, one of the big issues is that it is now standard procedure to spent a life time's worth of savings for "care" in the last 60 days of life.   Come on now folks! Get over it.   You're going to die. Don't try to defy death and spend all your kids' inheritance doing so!   It's a waste of your and their money. The sooner we get good at dying, the better off our kids will be... [/QUOTE]

You know.... if you get 20 small business owners together @ a party... I will absolutely guarantee you that within 20 minutes they are all telling their insurance coverage nightmares to each other. My coverage (for my family as well has a few employees) routinely goes up by 20 - 30% per year. It sucks.

Kevin. I hope you are feeling better soon man. I am thinking about you. :-)

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

      I have a friend that's a doctor and he went into some of the sneaky tricks insurance companies pull on contracts and billings. It's pretty bad, and because they pull purse strings they can cram these things even down doctors throats.

    The insurance industry has a anti-trust exemption, how did they get this? They make HUGE contributions to legislatures all over the country. What the media calls "campaign contributions". Nothing happens in any legislative body without the insurance industries say so.

    My previous Dr. mentioned that if the government needs quick cash, the industry are the "go to" guy's. He didn't mention any particulars, unfortunately. This is why we don't have decent medical coverage, outrageous prices, and service denials that are far too often, life threatening.

    It's not attorneys, "incompetent doctors", or as I call them, overworked, and yes, underpaid doctors, or medical supply houses.

    In the 60's, 80% of all millionaires became so in the insurance biz. It's probably even more now!

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)