Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Just talked with Debbie's surgeon...

Just talked with Debbie's surgeon ... who had just finished working on her.  It was all good news: no surprises, no problems, and (best of all) he found a meniscus tear in exactly the right spot to cause the symptoms she was experiencing.  He was able to trim that meniscus up nice and neat, and also “sanded” off a few spots on one of the “knobs” of her knee joint.  Overall, the surgeon said her knee is in great shape – especially considering the injuries she's had over the past couple of years.  I have photos (taken during the arthroscopic procedure) that I'll share after we get home.

Big sigh of relief here!

Debbie's in the recovery room right now, coming out of anesthesia.  She'll be back in the hospital room (where I am) shortly, and then an hour or so later we'll be headed home...

Quote of the day...

Quote of the day...  This time from Megan McArdle:
And so we have the paradox of U.S. tax policy: Everyone wants things to be simpler, but no one wants to get rid of the things that make it complex.
That observation applies to many government systems, not just our tax structure.  Think about Social Security and Medicare, for instance.

This observation strikes to the core of why the only real answer for America may be another revolution: after 200+ years of accumulated complexity, maybe the only way to fix it is to start over...

IRS penalty or involuntary health insurance purchase?

IRS penalty or involuntary health insurance purchase?  For younger, healthier folks, this is a genuine quandary – and it's one that was loudly predicted by Obamacare's many detractors (including me!).  Here comes the New York Times with an article pointing out that for many, the IRS penalties are preferable – and that will likely cause problems for the viability of Obamacare's financial underpinnings.  To wit, it will cause insurance companies to drop out.  The Times largely couches this as a potential future occurrence, but in fact it is already happening in many states (including Utah).

Now, what do you suppose the government's reaction to this will be?  I see just two likely choices, and both are bad.  First possibility (and one that I judge most likely): the IRS penalties will be raised to the point where buying insurance costs less for everyone.  Second possibility: the government just abandons the entire pretense of providing Obamacare through private insurance policies, and goes the full socialist route, with the government (backed by our tax dollars) acting as the sole healthcare insurer.  There's still significant political resistance to the latter route, not only amongst Republicans but also amongst many Democrats – so that route seems much less likely.  Unless Obama can figure out how to do it with an “executive action”, in which case doom.

I note in passing that the linked article bandies about the “possibility” that between premiums and deductibles, the cost of Obamacare could reach $10,000 a year.  Our cost in 2015 was more than twice that, with nearly $15,000 in premiums alone – for a plan with substantially less benefits than our pre-Obamacare healthcare policies.  Never underestimate the ability of a socialist mouthpiece like the Times to downplay the actual costs of their socialist agenda.  In other words, they have zero qualms about lying through their teeth...

Paradise ponders...

Paradise ponders...  Debbie's pre-op appointment was mainly for the purpose of educating us about the surgery today.  We're to appear at the hospital at noon today, where she'll spend an hour or two in prep, then 10 or 15 minutes (!) in surgery, then an hour or two in recovery (mainly waking up from the general anesthesia).  I double-checked on the duration of the surgery – they really meant 10 or 15 minutes!  Somehow that sounds insanely fast to me, but from what I've been able to read, that is quite a normal duration.  Wow!

We had an unexpected bit of excitement here yesterday.  A year and a half ago we “reserved” a Tesla Model X (their SUV).  We had no idea how long it would take to actually get it, so we've been waiting patiently for them to tell us.  Yesterday we got an email from them telling us it was time to go configure (meaning: select the options, color, etc.) our car.  We went through their online configurator, and (unlike the Toyota experience) were able to choose exactly what bits and pieces we wanted.  Tesla still hasn't told us when we'd actually take delivery, though – other than to say “early 2016”.  I'll translate that as “first half” and be pleased if we see it before July 1st  :)