Last Week Tonight Discussion : Brazilian Election+Law and Order (9/25/22)

[TheGlyphstone]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFetFqrVBNc


Health Care Sharing Ministries. Or, "what if you literally had to pray to get your insurance to cover bills, instead of only figuratively?"

[Humble Scribe]

So you sign up to Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption, and they pray for you and *maybe* pass the hat around, unless they decide they don't like you?
I'm at a loss as to how fucked up US healthcare is.

[Oniya]

So you sign up to Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption, and they pray for you and *maybe* pass the hat around, unless they decide they don't like you?
I'm at a loss as to how fucked up US healthcare is.

Or for the non-religious version, you sign up for GoFundMe, and maybe your social media credit is good enough.

Yeah, it's fucked.

[TheGlyphstone]

Heck, even GoFundMe is better. It won't arbitrarily deny you the privilege of starting a fundraiser because the owners don't approve of your "lifestyle".

[Andol]

Uh... first time I actually watch an episode of his show. That was actuality entertaining and informative. XD

[Humble Scribe]

I just watched that segment again, and it strikes me that Healthcare Sharing Ministries are on to something - what if you could get together with lots of other people - potentially even millions of them - and when someone's healthcare bill is due, instead of that person being stuck with a massive bill, everyone pays just a little bit towards it? You wouldn't need health insurance; just someone to total up all of the payments needed and send a monthly bill to everyone in the scheme. All of your worries would be over, as you'd know you'd be covered, and if someone couldn't pay, well, maybe you'd even let them have a free ride because all of the other people were well enough off to afford to cover them as well. If you did it across the whole country, you could call it... oh, a national health service or something.

[Saria]

I just watched that segment again, and it strikes me that Healthcare Sharing Ministries are on to something - what if you could get together with lots of other people - potentially even millions of them - and when someone's healthcare bill is due, instead of that person being stuck with a massive bill, everyone pays just a little bit towards it? You wouldn't need health insurance…

You’ve literally just described health insurance.

[Oniya]

It's actually closer to the British NHS - which I imagine HumbleScribe is fairly familiar with.  One major difference is that it's not private companies, who are in the business of maximizing profits as opposed to actually helping people.

[Saria]

The NHS (whichever one you’re talking about) is just a public health insurance system (at least the part that’s relevant here; the NHS is actually several things, including health care providers, emergency services, and more). It’s even funded in part by their version of general social insurance, which I believe they call “National Insurance”.

The point is that the problem isn’t “health insurance”. It’s the profit motive. It’s capitalism. Health insurance works just fine when it’s socialized… as in the UK.

[TheGlyphstone]

You’ve literally just described health insurance.

Im pretty sure that was the joke. Of course, everyone knows that socialized medicine means you die waiting in line for your life-saving organ transplant because all the people seeking free hard drugs to soothe the pain of their stubbed toes got in line first...*sarcasm intensifies*

[Humble Scribe]

It's actually closer to the British NHS - which I imagine HumbleScribe is fairly familiar with.  One major difference is that it's not private companies, who are in the business of maximizing profits as opposed to actually helping people.

Yes, basically that.

In the absence of LWT this week, and because of the European Championship final today (that's a soccer competition, Americans) I went back and watched his pieces about FIFA a few years back. Still funny, but I must admit I had forgotten him exchanging a series of trash talking videos with ex-FIFA Vice President Jack Warner. That's just one of those things that you really couldn't make up. And apparently, 5 years on, Warner is still fighting extradition from Trinidad to the USA on racketeering and money laundering charges. I'm kind of hoping that when he finally does get extradited John Oliver gets to make a follow-up.

[TheGlyphstone]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSZ-hogD8mg


It's not a new episode, but it is John Oliver geeking out about octopuses (not octopi, and not octopodes, octopuses).

[TheGlyphstone]

To clarify, since I accidentally confused the very helpful staff who keep my thread title current, this is new content. It's just not a full length episode, only John ranting about something he wants to rant about. Which...is pretty much a normal episode, just shorter.

[Laughing Hyena]

Yes, basically that.

In the absence of LWT this week, and because of the European Championship final today (that's a soccer competition, Americans) I went back and watched his pieces about FIFA a few years back. Still funny, but I must admit I had forgotten him exchanging a series of trash talking videos with ex-FIFA Vice President Jack Warner. That's just one of those things that you really couldn't make up. And apparently, 5 years on, Warner is still fighting extradition from Trinidad to the USA on racketeering and money laundering charges. I'm kind of hoping that when he finally does get extradited John Oliver gets to make a follow-up.

His promise was also kept to down a bud light lime since Seth Blatter left FIFA after the corruption charges from the United States stuck to a number of underlings and important individuals.

[TheGlyphstone]

And we're back!

First, another mini-episode that I forgot to post, where John geeks out about the Danish children's show "John Dillermand", starring a claymation man who saves the day with the use of his colossal. serpentine, prehensile penis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A51mJjFyG_w



And now that you're in a good mood, time to ruin it with the main feature – Housing Discrimination, and how racial disparity in land and home ownership contributes to wealth inequality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-0J49_9lwc

[Oniya]

Sorry - can't fit both episodes in the title box.  (Was tempted to just go with the mini-ep  ;D )

[TheGlyphstone]

I do want to watch some John Dillarmand episodes on YouTube just to see if it's as zany as he makes it sound.

[TheGlyphstone]

Weeks Remaining in the Blank White Void: 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezv8sdTLxKo

This week's episode is about Emergency Medical Services, the funding+support issues they suffer from and how that ends up hurting the people who depend on them.

[Sara Nilsson]

I say.. I say what the everloving fuck?!

Not considered essential.. ..but but.. WTF?!

I mean I seen people online argue that the ambulance isn't your taxi to the hospital but.. I honestly don't remember what it cost us when Mr Nilsson had to be rushed to hospital because.. well I was so busy being scared to death and then dealing with bills for his treatment that I kinda didn't look. But as a Swede, the very idea that an ambulance costs money is so fucking alien to me. I been in hospital plenty of times in Sweden, never cost a thing. Other than the trainride there and back. And my covid stay here in the states only cost 179 dollars for a chest xray.. for some reason I had to pay for that one.

[Iniquitous]

When my doctor called the ambulance to take me to the hospital for the second stroke it cost me over a thousand. All they did is put me on the gurney, belt me in, drive me to the hospital, and tell me I was having a panic attack.

And I am paying over a grand for that.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

I think people are kidding when medical professionals talk about how abused and pushed around they are. EMS is certainly a bastard child of the medical field.

[TheGlyphstone]

I think people are kidding when medical professionals talk about how abused and pushed around they are. EMS is certainly a bastard child of the medical field.

Do you mean that the problems suffered by EMS make other medical professionals look less abused in comparison?

[Pumpkin Seeds]

That statement did not come out the way I intended. I really need to wake up before writing.

Anyway, my actual thoughts.

People think we are kidding when we talk about how pushed around and abused medical professionals are in the field. EMS is a special place and is pretty much the bastard child of the medical field. Often times these are people with little training but are kept to a very high standard of professionalism in the face of some extreme circumstances. People like to think of them as “ambulance drivers” but the amount of responsibility these people have and their expectations with so little resources is mind blowing. The amount of stress and pressure these people are under not just for themselves with personal security but also for their patients is more than anyone can imagine. I’ve watched an EMS member break down talking about seeing a child dangling from a tree or hear in their voice the pain of doing compressions on a newborn causes them. You don’t have a nice, clinical environment to function within when you are EMS. Certainly the hospital is high stress and high expectation as well, but there is something uniquely different when you have to stand in someone’s kitchen over the body of their recently deceased relative and tell them that there is nothing more you can do. When while checking a fallen individual for injury you have to watch the crowd to make sure nobody comes out to stab you or steal your bag of medication thinking there are untold goodies in there. Hell even making sure nobody steals the damn ambulance.

These people are heroes and I hate using that term but it’s the best one for them. They do this job sometimes without being paid (yes volunteer EMTs) and want no fanfare for what they do. They really do want to help their communities and help other people. They really will put themselves in danger for no personal gain except maybe a story later and a brief thrill of the job.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Do you mean that the problems suffered by EMS make other medical professionals look less abused in comparison?

I think comparing abuse is a little silly. I wouldn't tell someone beaten with a fist that their abuse was less by comparison than someone beaten with a belt.

[TheGlyphstone]

I think comparing abuse is a little silly. I wouldn't tell someone beaten with a fist that their abuse was less by comparison than someone beaten with a belt.

Oh okay. It was just unclear from your words, like you said it was writing before waking up.