News

Goddamn. Both these news stories made me REALLY angry.

First, Iraq won a semi-final in the Asian Cup. That is fantastic. No country needed something like that more. These people are in constant pain and fear and moments are joy are sorely needed. And I hate the people that took that away from them. That is truly unfair and just disgusting.

Second, Kaiser Permanente was fined AGAIN by the state of California. Anyone that saw Sicko (a very enjoyable film, even if it isn't total honest) or lives in California knows that Kaiser treats patients terribly. These fines are far too small and too easily forgiven. If heath insurance companies were doing their jobs properly, they wouldn't be seeing record profits. That isn't how it works. And I doubt some of the stuff said in Sicko, but I don't doubt that these companies go out of their way to deny care to those that need it. And the "you're not denying care, you're denying payment" line is total bullshit. I pay $54/month in health insurance. If I need care, I better fucking get it. Otherwise, I can drop $54/month into a savings account and pay for my own care when I need it. The problem with that, of course, is that you lose the discount for services that health insurance providers negotiate. There needs to be complete overhaul.

Sorry. Shit like that just makes me so angry.