so waht ya doin today?

[Rick]

I would think your healthcare would follow you anywhere in the county. Not your doctor of course but the insurance, mine did. Kind of a PITA with my prescription benefits is that I have the choice of using Express scripts or pay for it myself. That was just earlier this year extended to Walgreen's in addition to Express Scripts. Costco wouldn't work for me unless I wanted to pay for it myself. Nope, I don't.

I do have good health insurance from work, the main reason I stayed in CA as long as I did, had to be able to retire so I could move. Otherwise I would have escaped much sooner. Had surgery down in Little Rock a year ago September, an $8000 tab for that and between Medicare and my insurance I didn't pay a dime, not even a co-pay.

 

[CZ93X62]

Nope. Even in-state, I had to commute to Redlands/Highland from Ridgecrest to get medical care. HMOs like mine get no traction in a lot of places. I do have a PPO available if I go out of state, but monthly premium goes from ~$1400 currently to $2300. Of course, our house note will be smaller in the USA than in the PRC, so it becomes a balancing act. The quality of care I receive where I live now has been the deciding factor so far. Doctors are scramming out of California, too. Lots of moving parts in this machine.

 

[Intheshop]

The good chit

 

[Rick]

if I go out of state, but monthly premium goes from ~$1400 currently to $2300.

Eeeek . . . That's terrible. For some reason I thought those in your line of work got better health coverage than that. It is however the reason I stayed in CA working as long as I did. Had to be 62 to retire, years of service meant nothing, 62 or lose it. I stuck it out so I now have no health insurance premiums except for what Medicare snatches out of my SSA check every month. Pension fund pays Blue Cross and Blue Cross pays what Medicare doesn't. Dental insurance not as good, Medicare doesn't pay and my dental insurance pays a max yearly $2000, I pay anything/everything over that.

 

[Intheshop]

Got hooked up with a hunt on Sunday.... so wanted to check zero on the 7-08 130 HV and in general,poke some holes?

100 yds,cold bore.... cold ammo... cold shooter... haven't shot any cast practice in 3 weeks.

I use a 1" black sharpie circle on some pretty stupid high end $$$ "paper" and put a dz or so on the 18X24 stock.... which is why I don't take pics of groups?Put it this way,this paper will withstand a firehose spray of water and sit there and laugh about it. My daughter in law was working at some high $$ printer joint and gave me a lifetime supply of this $hit. Hang it on the backstop and,fugetaboutit.

So.... back to the zero... first shot hit inside the 1" dot to the tune of 12:00. Shot off buds bags.

 

[Intheshop]

 

[Bret4207]

View attachment 7603
Some customers have more money than brains.

Exactly! Tell me those wheels and tires don't put a heck of a lot more stress on the whole front end. Everything wears faster, IMO, because they act like a lever increasing the load on all the supportive assemblies. Dumb IMO.

 

[Bret4207]

I'm testing something new starting today. At last Drs visit I had him prescribe a Freestyle Libre 14 day glucose monitor. Put on the first sensor a little after midnight, got up this morning and checked my blood sugar. The reader showed a graph of my blood sugar from 3 am until the test at 7:30. Amazing!

For those of you who don't have diabetes, knowing and controlling your blood sugar is the key to a healthy-as-possible life. For years I have used test strips and a meter to check my blood sugar. You (typically) have to prick your finger tip to get a drop of blood to put on the end of a test strip so the meter can determine your blood sugar level. Given my past history I often check my blood sugar 4 to 7 times a day. My current meter remembers past readings but it does not show you a graph, just discrete values. It can't show you trends or warn you if your sugar is too high or low. I can download the results to a computer and graph the data but it is klunky and not in real time and doesn't show you the REAL value between data points, just a best fit line.

My new device has a sensor about the size of a quarter and as thick as a poker chip. It has an adhesive pad on the bottom and a small (32 gauge?) needle in the middle. A spring loaded mechanical applicator is used to apply it to a spot on the back of your upper arm. Once in place it will work for 14 days. No pain was felt during application. You can shower with it on if you don't get it wet for more than a couple of minutes. I have lots of experience in masking off body areas to keep them dry while showering so no problem there.

I've been up now for several hours, checked my blood sugar several times, and haven't bled a drop yet. My fingertips have hundreds of small puncture wound scars from years of testing; no more! All I have to do is turn on the reader and pass it within a couple inches of the sensor and the data is automatically transferred via short range RF.

Guys, for me this is a real life changing technology. And in January when I switch to Medicare I plan to try an insulin pump. Been talking to a friend of mine who has one, the technology has improved a lot since I first looked at them. The newer technology and an economic incentive to switch from pen based insulin injections to a pump makes this attractive.

It's been a rough couple of weeks in several ways, but there have been two good things happen that make me feel very upbeat about life, and this is one of them.

It's always nice to hear someone is having a positive experience with health concerns these days. I hope it's a game changer for you Perfessor!

 

[Bret4207]

did they really put spacers in between those rims and the brake rotors to move them out instead of buying proper off set rims?

I wonder if someone tried telling them about all the wonderful on road handling attributes of doing that, and the consequences of actually driving the truck off road like that.
must be for flatland dry road use only..

Come on Fiver, you know that truck has never seen anything heavier than a set of golf clubs in the bed! My wife calls them "Compensation machines".

 

[Bret4207]

9 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I feel like a new man!

Colder here this AM, 9F. Supposed to warm up a bit. Got a bunch of stuff to do, but the coffee is hot and I feel lazy. Did manage to get some stuff for that family that got burned out yesterday. Every time I think of how bad it could be, I feel a little more blessed. Reading about the guys above with diabetes just reinforces that feeling. One of my kids has some pretty awful issues with mental/emotional stuff and we often feel sorry for ourselves. Then we go to a pshyc dr's and see other kids with issues way worse and it kind of puts things in perspective. Guess I'm just feeling thankful. My best wishes, thoughts and prayers to those of you facing health issues!

 

[Pistolero]

Keith, that sensor/reader system sounds like a really big improvement. I used to get in-office
blood tests for lipids, finger prick, readout in about 1 minute. It is amazing how sensitive your
fingertips are, and I sure feel for those who have to punch holes in so many times per day.
A friend has had an insulin pump system for at least a decade. He is very active, and pretty young,
about early 40s, I would guess. We have hunted together all day several times and he is hard to keep up
with, and manages his blood sugar amazingly well. I haven't discussed the details, and last hunted with
him about 4 years ago. Last time I saw the box it was about a pack of cigarettes size at his waistline,
apparently plumbed in to a needle. I never quizzed him on the details, seemed none of my business
but it came up when were were having lunch, he fiddled with it, briefly explaining what it was.

In any case, it is great to have better technology helping lower the pain, and seems that it probably
is giving you better knowledge base to help you manage things better.

Very interesting, sounds wonderful.

Bill

 

[Pistolero]

As to those trucks, most have never even been on gravel, let alone really off road.

My 4Runner, with stock everything has been on some really serious stuff out in Arches Park, holes
deep enough that walking the route and having my wife stay out there to be certain I didn't
drop a tire in a hole deeper than the distance to the steel parts was needed. And one wheel in
the air kinda stuff, crawling over boulders and ledges. It looks like every other 4Runner out there.
No macho stuff.

I keep thinking of putting a winch in front of the radiator, there is a huge cavity behind the
bumper, and the frame ends in flat plates with the bumper structure bolted on with 2 bolts on
each side. Would be easy to remove the bumper, add a crossmember to hold the winch and
then bolt the bumper right back on, now about 1/4" farther forward, use longer bolts. Need
to cut a slot for the cable in the lower bumper grill area, but that would be all that would be
visible.

IntheShop - I hope you didn't waste any time firing another shot at paper. No purpose at that
point, just wasting good ammo.

Bill

 

[Pistolero]

On the health care issue, I had planned on retiring in early November, the year the new fed health care
deal started (will refrain from commenting on that!). Called BCBS in June to see about insurance for a couple of
years after my retirement, before Medicare. They said no info possible due to looming new fed healthcare.
OK, when? Call back in Sept. Yikes. OK, I call in Sept. Nope, still can give no info on prices, coverage due
to looming fed healthcare. Damn. Call in Oct, - say wait a week, will be on our web page.

OK, finally get data.....HOLY COW! Each of us middle level plan with $2500 deductible is going to be $1800/month.
So $22K per year per person, if you do not get sick. They would pay 80%, after $2500. Yikes. Bronze plan had, IIRC, $5
or 6K deductible, and still really expensive - no subsidy for us 'rich folks'. After maybe 8 calls trying to figure this out, each
time to the same woman, I found a $10K deductible plan that covered zip up to $10K, but was only $375/month. I figured
this was my best bet, called to line it up. NOPE - only for folks under 35 year of age - not on web page.

Checked continuing my company plan under COBRA, it was within $5 of the same $1800 monthly price, clearly set to
mesh with fed 'healthcare'.

Finally, I give up, call the BCBS lady and tell her that I will just have to go without insurance for the two
years., seems almost certain that my medical bills will be under $43K a year, so out of pocket will be less
money. She finally tells me, "Well, you CAN get a pre- FedCare plan for $650 for the two of you, but we
can't guarantee that you will keep it. May get cancelled in a year or two."

I jumped on it, managed to squeak in 2 weeks before that crack in the bear trap was closed out, so we avoided
the bear trap of the Fed healthcare. I will refrain from my normal comments at this point, too political.
Managed to bridge the gap, saving the better part of $30K per year over the federal stuff, so about
$60K did not flow out.

I really feel for those who are stuck in this, not a lot of good options. I have heard of this Healthshare
stuff, wondered how well it really works. Also have heard of some docs creating concierge plans with their
patients, pretty low fixed price plan, like $50 - 100 per person per month, all stuff covered in the
doc's office except surgery. No idea how well those are working out, either. Seems like, if you are starting
from scratch, there have to be something better.

When I was working a job in Canada, got a 1 hour tirade from a 65ish looking engineer up there that I was working
with, as we drove to a remote job location. His wife needed a hip transplant and after over a year and a half
of wait time where she went from walking with a bit of pain to a wheelchair, he flew her to Ireland, where
his sister is a doc and paid $50K out of pocket to get her implant done. All sorts of healthcare horror
stories out there, and "free" government care in Canada apparently has it's own issues, too.
Most free stuff is pretty expensive, it seems.

OTOH, if you can fund it, lots of really good care is possible due to modern technology.

Bill

 

[Rick]

I guess it's true enough, I do live in a small southern town. Todays newspaper headline is . . .

Master Flower Designer Takes on Wreath Project

Exciting times huh?

 

[Ian]

Come on Fiver, you know that truck has never seen anything heavier than a set of golf clubs in the bed! My wife calls them "Compensation machines".

So does mine, exactly that. She says tire size is inversely proportional. One time when one of the typical azzhats who thinks he owns the whole road because of his "montatwuk" zoomed by and cut in front of us, she hollered out the window "SORRY ABOUT YOUR TINY ****!!"

 

[fiver]

that would have put ME in the ditch from laughing so hard.
my wife has no sense of humor, and in no way the wit to come up with something like that off the cuff.


daily paper?
ours comes out on Thursday.
I still get linotype from the print shop from time to time.

 

[Brad]

Ian, my wife and daughter often make the same remark but with a jester of the pinky finger.
We see a fair number of those in town because of the large number of young enlisted guys at the Air Force base.

 

[Bret4207]

On the health care issue, I had planned on retiring in early November, the year the new fed health care
deal started (will refrain from commenting on that!). Called BCBS in June to see about insurance for a couple of
years after my retirement, before Medicare. They said no info possible due to looming new fed healthcare.
OK, when? Call back in Sept. Yikes. OK, I call in Sept. Nope, still can give no info on prices, coverage due
to looming fed healthcare. Damn. Call in Oct, - say wait a week, will be on our web page.

OK, finally get data.....HOLY COW! Each of us middle level plan with $2500 deductible is going to be $1800/month.
So $22K per year per person, if you do not get sick. They would pay 80%, after $2500. Yikes. Bronze plan had, IIRC, $5
or 6K deductible, and still really expensive - no subsidy for us 'rich folks'. After maybe 8 calls trying to figure this out, each
time to the same woman, I found a $10K deductible plan that covered zip up to $10K, but was only $375/month. I figured
this was my best bet, called to line it up. NOPE - only for folks under 35 year of age - not on web page.

Checked continuing my company plan under COBRA, it was within $5 of the same $1800 monthly price, clearly set to
mesh with fed 'healthcare'.

Finally, I give up, call the BCBS lady and tell her that I will just have to go without insurance for the two
years., seems almost certain that my medical bills will be under $43K a year, so out of pocket will be less
money. She finally tells me, "Well, you CAN get a pre- FedCare plan for $650 for the two of you, but we
can't guarantee that you will keep it. May get cancelled in a year or two."

I jumped on it, managed to squeak in 2 weeks before that crack in the bear trap was closed out, so we avoided
the bear trap of the Fed healthcare. I will refrain from my normal comments at this point, too political.
Managed to bridge the gap, saving the better part of $30K per year over the federal stuff, so about
$60K did not flow out.

I really feel for those who are stuck in this, not a lot of good options. I have heard of this Healthshare
stuff, wondered how well it really works. Also have heard of some docs creating concierge plans with their
patients, pretty low fixed price plan, like $50 - 100 per person per month, all stuff covered in the
doc's office except surgery. No idea how well those are working out, either. Seems like, if you are starting
from scratch, there have to be something better.

When I was working a job in Canada, got a 1 hour tirade from a 65ish looking engineer up there that I was working
with, as we drove to a remote job location. His wife needed a hip transplant and after over a year and a half
of wait time where she went from walking with a bit of pain to a wheelchair, he flew her to Ireland, where
his sister is a doc and paid $50K out of pocket to get her implant done. All sorts of healthcare horror
stories out there, and "free" government care in Canada apparently has it's own issues, too.
Most free stuff is pretty expensive, it seems.

OTOH, if you can fund it, lots of really good care is possible due to modern technology.

Bill

Somewhere back down the line people got sold on the idea they were buying health INSURANCE, but what they are buying is a health CARE plan. Insurance is something you buy with the intention of never using it. A healthcare plan is something you buy to get someone else to help underwrite the costs they intend to incur. It's kind of funny that no one bats an eye when the 22 year old guy with 4 accidents in 3 years, one of them DWI, has an outrageous auto insurance bill, but when someone 50 with a so called "pre-existing" medical issue (or worse when someone with a drug habit or other risky lifestyle) has to pay more than someone 20 with no issues they scream about "rights" and the unfairness of it all. Makes no sense to me.

"Medishare" and other group plans aren't legal in all states I'm told. It was only last year that the laws were changed to allow more group plans. IMO, and not to get into the politics, the system is designed to keep competition to a minimum and to allow only a few players into the field. You don't see Geico and other cut rate insurance co's in the healthcare market because they aren't allowed in.

As far as Canada, I used to see people crossing the border from Ontario every day to get services in our local hospitals, and they paid out of pocket. The common story was that they could get a cat scan for their dog in an hour but for their wife with the funny lump it was a 6 month or longer wait. 'Nuff said!

 

[Brad]

This may be just the thing for those range days when Bubba shows up.

 

[JWFilips]

Now that is a fresh approach! Can You Hear Me Now?