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Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 1:46 am
  #196  
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by rincewind
I don't enjoy funding the terrorist activities in Iraq with my tax dollars.
Neither do I, and would much rather my money go to schools and health care. Or paying down the national debt.
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 7:37 am
  #197  
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by ukelaine
That's fine with me, as I'm only about 100lbs !!

Elaine
Just out of interest did you actually see the movie yet? One guy on there was 6ft and I believe 130lbs he was rejected health insurance for being TOO thin!
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 7:41 am
  #198  
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

I saw this thread a couple of days ago and remembered that I had wanted to see the documentary... if you ask me it should have been called Sicking instead of Sicko... a disgrace that a country that claims to be the most progressive in the world is soooo backwards in it's health care!

I also question... where are the social workers? why aren't they assisting with the people who are dumped on the street from the hospital?
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 7:43 am
  #199  
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by Ash UK/US
I also question... where are the social workers? why aren't they assisting with the people who are dumped on the street from the hospital?
There aren't enough social workers to go round, and their case load is very high. In addition, there's no safety net -- no place to put people who are not in need of critical medical care, but who clearly cannot function on their own. Reagan closed a lot of mental health long-term care facilities and dumped many on the streets of New York City with nowhere to go. It is sickening.
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 7:49 am
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by snowbunny
There aren't enough social workers to go round, and their case load is very high. In addition, there's no safety net -- no place to put people who are not in need of critical medical care, but who clearly cannot function on their own. Reagan closed a lot of mental health long-term care facilities and dumped many on the streets of New York City with nowhere to go. It is sickening.
After watching last night I said my hubby...'don't we pay taxes for that? why should it be left to charities like the Salvation Army'? Thinking about it even stray dogs are treat better.
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 8:04 am
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by Ash UK/US
Thinking about it even stray dogs are treat better.
True but it's limited funding and a lot of them are eventually put down. Can't (legally) do that to a human who cannot pull their economic weight. But it's perfectly legal to make their lives as difficult and painful as possible so that they crawl into the shadows. And that, to me, is a failure of the highest order.
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 12:21 pm
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by ukelaine
But, the reason they do all these tests is that they are so scared of being sued !

Elaine
So true, that's an American pastime. It's had a hand in the rise of the cost of insurance both for citizens and doctors alike.
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 3:48 pm
  #203  
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by Ash UK/US
Just out of interest did you actually see the movie yet? One guy on there was 6ft and I believe 130lbs he was rejected health insurance for being TOO thin!
Heck !!! LOL
I must have missed that bit
Any excuse to drop you from insurance.
They probably say it's a pre-existing condition from BIRTH !!

Elaine
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 3:54 pm
  #204  
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by snowbunny
There aren't enough social workers to go round, and their case load is very high. In addition, there's no safety net -- no place to put people who are not in need of critical medical care, but who clearly cannot function on their own. Reagan closed a lot of mental health long-term care facilities and dumped many on the streets of New York City with nowhere to go. It is sickening.
Actually there is and it's a growing trend
People with extra properties have found out that they can make FAR more money from creating Independent Living Care and Assisted Care Living Homes, than renting to a regular family.
I know a LOT about this as we had one next door and we are about to have another one !
As long as you have less than 6 people, there's not even much that the owner has to do. But, they can reel in approx $600-$800 a head in this area.
These places are growing in numbers FAST. When I first spoke to the police several years ago, there were 75 of these homes in our town, now there are over 300 !!!!

Obviously New York Landlords havn't caught on yet

Elaine
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 4:44 pm
  #205  
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by ukelaine
Obviously New York Landlords havn't caught on yet
Property costs are a lot higher in NYC and the wages you'd need to pay your carers would be higher. Don't know if it'd be feasible in the city itself, but perhaps just outside.

Glad to know people are doing this, but (ahem) what do the neighbours think? Can't see they'd be thrilled. There's a row here over this because some Alzheimer's patients are prone to wandering (yes, they should be more closely supervised) and wander into people's back gardens, stare at them through windows, etc which obviously freaks out the neighbours who then scream that their property value is falling (and unfortunately it's true).
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Old Jan 23rd 2008, 7:23 pm
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by snowbunny
Property costs are a lot higher in NYC and the wages you'd need to pay your carers would be higher. Don't know if it'd be feasible in the city itself, but perhaps just outside.

Glad to know people are doing this, but (ahem) what do the neighbours think? Can't see they'd be thrilled. There's a row here over this because some Alzheimer's patients are prone to wandering (yes, they should be more closely supervised) and wander into people's back gardens, stare at them through windows, etc which obviously freaks out the neighbours who then scream that their property value is falling (and unfortunately it's true).
Not sure that NYC would be much different than California for property costs and many of them DO NOT have carers.

Independent Living Care places don't have to have any caregiver's, only assisted Living Care and then only ONE person for all 6 people.

If the people doing this gave a dam, then yes it would be good. It is a money maker, pure and simple.

I WAS and am going to be again one of those neighbors, so, I can tell you a lot about them

We had people knocking at the door asking for money, rides, cigarettes, etc people going through our trash cans. Fire Engines, Ambulances and police came fairly regularly and of course they park outside our house. At first neighbors called me to make sure me and the kids were ok, but, after about the 5th time they stopped calling me.

At least 5 or more times a month they would be there. Sometimes one of them didn't take their meds and that was fun, you'd hear screaming, one day one of them decided to attack a tree. We had a man standing outside with just a towel on staring into space.

The woman who brought the house also had several others, all the same type od set up. She was bringing approx $4,000 a month on each of about FIVE houses, you do the Math on that.

I have researched this a lot. Nothing can be done. All the police said was to call them when their was a problem.
One day a guy really freaked out, i was out with my son taking our dogs for a walk, it was VERY scary.

No family ever came to visit them, one woman would knock and stand at our window scaring the heck out of my kids, we finally had to start keeping the blinds shut in the front of the house.

Ours is a middle class neighborhood, but, these places can happen anywhere. A posh and expensive area near us, Coronado, I was told by a City worker I spoke to that a retired Navy official was REALLY miffed, he had one started next door to his $3 million dollar home and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

Glad you asked ?

Elaine
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Old Jan 24th 2008, 9:39 pm
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by Silly Sod
Naa, I think most people need to work. Unfortunately 'needing' to work in the UK means something entirely different. It can mean the difference between life and death here. In the UK most people 'need' to work so that they can have a decent standard of living; a better car, decent home, holidays and, perhaps most importantly, sanity. Nobody in the UK would be ashamed to claim whatever benefit or entitlement that they are, actually, entitled to. It is your god given right from day one that you have access to healthcare and a right to social benefits should you need them.

I worked for a good while in the department that hands out the rent checks to people who were unemployed or on a low enough wage to warrant it. I never felt like I was paying scroungers (though I am sure there were more than a few who were undeserving) but rather that my boring office job shuffling papers around was doing some good for those in need. In america it seems a lot of people are so brainwashed that they look down on the needy, even if they have been needy themselves at some point. This is just the way the system divides blue collar america in my opinion.

The amazing thing to me is that the worst of these people (i.e. the Christian Right -or Christian Wrong as I think of them ha ha) are the very same bunch who proclaim themselves to be christians, which is a belief system built on the ideas of a raggedy arsed, bearded, peaceful little socialist who said we should love the poor, the needy, even the hookers and the thieves among us. I dunno, I am babbling now so apols for that lol. I'll get me coat

EDIT - went a bit tits up at the end there, but you get my meaning
U had me in stitches. That was great. This whole discussion is very interesting.
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Old Jan 24th 2008, 9:56 pm
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by Rushman
In that case try
www.completetwats.com You'll be right at home.
I beg to differ. I think its great to have the Brit and U.S. Perspectives brought together in this extremely important discussion. We are raised differently and we can disagree in an agreeable way. Creates understanding.
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Old Jan 24th 2008, 10:26 pm
  #209  
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by ukelaine
Not sure that NYC would be much different than California for property costs and many of them DO NOT have carers.

Independent Living Care places don't have to have any caregiver's, only assisted Living Care and then only ONE person for all 6 people.

If the people doing this gave a dam, then yes it would be good. It is a money maker, pure and simple.

I WAS and am going to be again one of those neighbors, so, I can tell you a lot about them

We had people knocking at the door asking for money, rides, cigarettes, etc people going through our trash cans. Fire Engines, Ambulances and police came fairly regularly and of course they park outside our house. At first neighbors called me to make sure me and the kids were ok, but, after about the 5th time they stopped calling me.

At least 5 or more times a month they would be there. Sometimes one of them didn't take their meds and that was fun, you'd hear screaming, one day one of them decided to attack a tree. We had a man standing outside with just a towel on staring into space.

The woman who brought the house also had several others, all the same type od set up. She was bringing approx $4,000 a month on each of about FIVE houses, you do the Math on that.

I have researched this a lot. Nothing can be done. All the police said was to call them when their was a problem.
One day a guy really freaked out, i was out with my son taking our dogs for a walk, it was VERY scary.

No family ever came to visit them, one woman would knock and stand at our window scaring the heck out of my kids, we finally had to start keeping the blinds shut in the front of the house.

Ours is a middle class neighborhood, but, these places can happen anywhere. A posh and expensive area near us, Coronado, I was told by a City worker I spoke to that a retired Navy official was REALLY miffed, he had one started next door to his $3 million dollar home and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

Glad you asked ?

Elaine
Where would you suggest these people live?
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Old Jan 25th 2008, 1:46 am
  #210  
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Default Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?

Originally Posted by Mallory
Where would you suggest these people live?
People always complain about having these types of houses next door to them, don't they? It was just the same back in the UK.

I think though to be fair to Elaine she was complaining more about the system of unscrupulous landlords fleecing the government/state and then dumping people who need some type of care, unsupervised together in a suburban area. Phew sorry that was a bit of a long sentence
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