not to be too dramatic but...

The Healthcare industry in America is like the Mob in a Martin Scorsese flick; you pay them for protection, you try not to ask them for anything knowing they feed off weakness, when you do need them its because of desperation and most importantly, everyone knows what they are doing and no one is doing anything about it.

The difference is that the Healthcare Industry is doing it legally.

Todays examples;
1) I have a condition, its lifelong, and requires daly treatment. I'm like a business owner in the hood- I need the Mob to survive. I also have a nasty thing on my eye that hasn't gone away in months despite four trips to the doctor, two rounds of antibiotics, a lancing and a lot freaked out children. I needed to see my doctor today (for the eye goiter).... well to be honest I didn't need to "see" her at all. Knowing this I canceled my appointment yesterday and just asked for a referral over the phone. This was lost in translation somewhere so I had to come in today and pay for yesterday as well.
She took one look at me and said, "I'm going to give you a referral to a specialist." -(she is understanding of my finances witch makes this particularly puzzling)-a $65 business card, Rad!

2)With my insurance, my monthly prescription runs between $160-$230 depending on what kind of negotiation I have done with my pusher (a.k.a, drug company). The FDA yesterday announced that it is requiring all forms of my prescription to be garnered with the infamous "Black Box" notice. This is the highest alert that the FDA assigns by the way (seen a pack of cigarets lately?). One would assume that with this new level of danger attached to a product the price of it would go down, on the contrary ya'll, my meds were $15 more this month. Adding insult to injury the lovely and helpful young woman at the counter (not being facetious she was way helpful) and all of her fellow pharmacists had no idea about the new FDA standards.

At least the Goodfellas were honest about being dishonest.


(what I paid)


(what I got-notice the absence of a black box)


(a satisfied consumer- take note of the swollen right eye)

Chili lime flavored class warfare ???

In the spirit of the current economy I am going to attempt to make smaller "economy" sized posts on a more regular basis.

Today at the 7-11 on Santa Monica and Virgil, a block away from my house, one now receives a free bag of Frto-Lay's brand chips with the purchase of an international phone card($5 or more). The sign, it should be noted is written in both English and Spanish (interestingly, the only bilingual signing in this particular 7-11), however the terms of the agreement are only written in spanish. Why is this blogg worthy?

1. The average bag of chili-lime cheeto's ( according to my calculations-relax I got an A in college level statistics- and Frto-Lay's wed site) contains; 480 calories( nearly 1/4th of the average dally caloric intake), 90% of the daly allotment for saturated fat, 70% of the daly allotment for sodium and about three words in its list of ingredients that I understand. Where as the advertisement is in spanish, the nutrition facts are not.

2. Obesity is not only life threatening, it is far more prevalent in impoverished households... 50% prevelent in homes making $15,000 or less a year than in homes making $50,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

3. My neighborhood is not affluent. Nor does it adhere Calvinistic ideologies about asceticism or a foreword looking perspective in regards to finances. These streets are occupied primarily with hard working, church going, Mexican, Salvadorian and Guatemalan families who buy Lotto tickets and international phone cards at 7-11.

To me, this is a blatant example of a the corporate structure taking advantage the impoverished. Poverty doesn't make people fat, lack of information and healthy alternatives does...don't believe me? Then why would the City of Los Angeles impose a moratorium on fast food restaurants in the inner city. This is Marx at the Marcado, Weber at the vending machene...
perhaps I am overreacting, but this kind of offends me.