SENATE BILL: The New Atlasian Healthcare Act (Law'd)

[ilikeverin]

Healthcare policy is confusing.  So Sbane is giving us the changes that have happened since the current Atlasian policy?  I like the addition of contraception and a ban on advertising of drugs, but would someone explain to me how Section 2(a) is different from our current policy?  Does it just provide more detail?

[ilikeverin]

Healthcare policy is confusing.  So Sbane is giving us the changes that have happened since the current Atlasian policy?  I like the addition of contraception and a ban on advertising of drugs, but would someone explain to me how Section 2(a) is different from our current policy?  Does it just provide more detail?

 

This looks like it's just the current law with a few amendments. Which parts are being changed?

Given how many headaches have been caused trying to understand the law as currently written and finding a way to pat for it,  this is still something that needs to be answered.

Atlasian who can afford to pay for a portion of their healthcare will have to do so, to make the program sustainable.

Oh, okay.  Works for me.

[ilikeverin]

But really someone explain why Chiropractor services are included in the healthcare bill? We might as well include acupunture and herbal-remedies too then.

They were included in the original bill written Fritz three years ago and you were the first to ask that question.

I would suggest leaving them covered in the bill for treatment of lower back pain and herneated discs. Perhaps we could use an amendment to this stating subluxation, acupuncture, and herbal remedies are not included.

If we're excluding psuedoscience, then chiropractic services are out, too

[ilikeverin]

If it's a medical service that helps people, I really don't see why it shouldn't be included.

Of course it helps people.  There's just no evidence that it helps people over and above what essentially amounts to a placebo effect.  Wikipedia's information is actually quite thorough.  Evidence for its efficacy are spotty at best.  I don't have any problems with looking more at alternative methods in some sort of research-related bill, but we have to realize that chiropractic care is an alternative medicine, and we quite simply don't know enough about its efficacy to start handing it out left and right.

[ilikeverin]

If it's a medical service that helps people, I really don't see why it shouldn't be included.

Of course it helps people.  There's just no evidence that it helps people over and above what essentially amounts to a placebo effect.  Wikipedia's information is actually quite thorough.  Evidence for its efficacy are spotty at best.  I don't have any problems with looking more at alternative methods in some sort of research-related bill, but we have to realize that chiropractic care is an alternative medicine, and we quite simply don't know enough about its efficacy to start handing it out left and right.

Even if it is a placebo effect, nonetheless the benefits outweigh the costs of funding this.  We should not use this bill as an opportunity to deny people effective medical care.

If you're fine with us funding something that's just the placebo effect, why not at least fund something that's cheaper?  There are plenty of cheap placebos out there

[ilikeverin]

If it's a medical service that helps people, I really don't see why it shouldn't be included.

Of course it helps people.  There's just no evidence that it helps people over and above what essentially amounts to a placebo effect.  Wikipedia's information is actually quite thorough.  Evidence for its efficacy are spotty at best.  I don't have any problems with looking more at alternative methods in some sort of research-related bill, but we have to realize that chiropractic care is an alternative medicine, and we quite simply don't know enough about its efficacy to start handing it out left and right.

Even if it is a placebo effect, nonetheless the benefits outweigh the costs of funding this.  We should not use this bill as an opportunity to deny people effective medical care.

If you're fine with us funding something that's just the placebo effect, why not at least fund something that's cheaper?  There are plenty of cheap placebos out there

Well, if these are placebos that have the same exact benefits as chiropractor services, I will support the funding for them.

Seriously?  You just endorsed the prescription of sugar pills...

[ilikeverin]

I will just go ahead and offer it.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Hooray!  I second this amendment, or happily support it, or whatever.  I realized that we should also add in speech-language pathology to the list, too, perhaps by "hearing services".  Do we want to cover cochlear implants?

[ilikeverin]

I would support covering cochlear implants. Not sure about speech-language pathology though. I read the wiki and couldn't find anything worth supporting....but maybe you can change my mind. Is this working with people who stutter, have lisps and other speech disorders?

Precisely.  There's no reason why we shouldn't cover SLP if we're covering mental health issues... if Atlasia's progressed to the point that we realize that mental problems aren't just a "character flaw" and deserve treatment and help, why shouldn't we do the same for people who stutter or have even more serious language impairments?

[ilikeverin]

I need to understand a bit more about Deaf culture. Are they saying that being deaf is alright? I mean it's definitely fine and they are just normal human beings but I would think being able to hear, or being able to hear better would be preferable......

Don't let the Deaf community hear you say that.  I think the community is pretty awesome, personally, so if we also want to fund deaf schools, etc. some in this bill, I'd be fine with it.  I think it's important that we give families a choice.  While, like I said, I do appreciate the Deaf community and its contributions, I also think both sides of the CI debate need to realize that hearing need not prevent you from being Deaf.

[ilikeverin]

Yup

[ilikeverin]

Sigh.  Has anyone yet drafted a proposal having to do with speech pathology issues?

[ilikeverin]

Nope

[ilikeverin]

Yup