Joke of the day. (Was not started to make fun of anyone)

[Joel]

And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach and green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

And Satan created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 99-cent double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to Man, "You want fries with that?"

And Man said, "Super size them." And Man gained pounds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair.

And Satan froze the yogurt, and he brought forth chocolate, nuts and brightly colored sprinkle candy to put on the yogurt. And there was ice cream for dessert.

And woman gained pounds.
~~~~~~~~~~~

And God said, "I have sent your heart healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them."

And Satan brought forth chicken-fried steak from Cracker Barrel so big it needed its own platter.

And Man gained pounds, and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad."

And Satan brought forth creamy dressings, bacon bits, and shredded cheese.

And Woman gained pounds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And God brought forth running shoes, and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds.

And Satan brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2.

And Man gained pounds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

And God said, "You're running up the score, Devil." And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.

And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And he created sour cream dip also.

And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol. And Satan saw and said, "It is good."

And Man went into cardiac arrest.

And God sighed, and created quadruple bypass surgery, angioplasties, and stints . . . . .

And Satan created HMOs...


Joel

[Rakido]

HMOs ?

Rakido

[Gurm]

Rakido,

I'm assuming you're not just being sarcastic.

HMO ostensibly stands for "Health Maintenance Organization".

Originally, we had "health insurance", which simply paid your medical bills and banked on the fact that most people DON'T get quadruple-bypass surgery, much like life insurance banks on the fact that most people DON'T die horrible sudden deaths.

But soon insurance companies realized that while not everyone needed quadruple-bypass surgery, one person could, in an average year of being sick, seeing a doctor, getting some shots, and maybe a test or three, easily outstrip the amount they were paying into the plan.

So insurance companies got together and worked out deals with hospitals and doctors. By limiting the amount of time a doctor spent with a patient, they limited the amount of money such a visit cost. Currently, most doctors spend 15 minutes with a patient - much less than before.

Additionally, HMO's made deals with drug companies, pharmacies, equipment providers, etc. etc.

HOWEVER, they also imposed a bunch of new rules. You can't just "go to the doctor". You need to see your "primary care physician", who will then REFER you to the correct doctor. You always need a referral. It goes on and on, you get generic drugs unless the doctor has a VERY good reason for non-generics, etc. etc.

It's cost cutting, and there's lots of red tape involved. Basically there are a LOT of instances where people get inadequate health care, because their doctor's hands are tied by the HMO and he can't get them the specialist care that they need.

Many of us don't have such problems. I go see my doctor, and if he decides I need to see a dermatologist, he just sends me off with a referral. But then again, Julie has a GOOD HMO. Many people do not.

- Gurm

P.S. Sorry to make your thread depressing Joel. I didn't do it out of spite, just trying to explain the ending of the joke to a foreigner.

[SteveC]

Never heard of HMO's either

[RichL]

HMO - Hibbert Moneymaking Organisation.

I learned everything I needed to know about America from The Simpsons

[Dogbert]

Look for HMO @ google like I did. HMO isn't a very funny subject as they turn health and life (or rather lack of it) into money.

[Joel]

Sorry to make your thread depressing Joel.

You didn't. Thanks for explaining it. I forgot that HOM in an American thing and that some may not get it.

Joel

[az]

Wow.. the thing with all the referrals.. it USED to be that way here, thank god it isn't anymore.

BTW, my daughter is in hospital for her 9th month now (never seen anything outside of a hospital in her short life yet, poor thing ), and one of the doctors said the insurance company asks almost weekly when she's going to get out. He said ONE patient like she is can break a smaller insurance's neck. He didn't specify the cost, but he said you could buy a house ofr it, which would mean ~250,000 - 1,000,000 EUR.

AZ

[Technoid]

What do she suffer from?

[az]

She was a bit early.. 13 weeks, actually.

Still can't live without additional oxygen

AZ

[Dogbert]

Oh, nothing serious then (nothing hazardous to your daughter with today's equipment
).
It just costs the insurance company +/- 300 euro per day

[az]

Well, since she weighed only 500 grams, couldn't breathe, and hasn't been without oxygen for 9 months now, I'd not call that "nothing serious"...

AZ

[K6-III]

Serious, but can be taken care of with todays equipment at considerable expense to your insurance company...

[az]

Sure. But it's not nice to have her at the hospital for so long. And it won't get better - it gets better, then gets worse again, up and down, up and down. It's really draining me. It's not only the fact that my daughter is sick, but it's the atmosphere in a clinic.

AZ

[Wombat]

My cousin was in the hospital for her first 13 months. I remember her being on an inhaler after that. Now she's a young teenager, and perfectly fine (even quite the flirt) aside from the mostly-deafness. You never know what a child can overcome. My uncle got a good dose of Agent Orange, we blame that.