Blog #16 Denial isn't a River in Egypt
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- Written by: Super User
Petition (and see our visit to DC and DC Press Conference + Rally)
!!!P.S. The following History and recent Children's stats linked to, need to be emphasized!!! Update: And it gets worse: KIDS!!!!
No, we aren't talking a river in Egypt. But denial can be something that could put a person in a half-sleep for years and years. It could put a kidney dialysis advocate with 20+ years of experience into a half-stupor who became somewhat contented to rest on his laurels. But then along came a NYT's best-selling author who shook that dialysis advocate awake! (see the author's interview with Northwest Passages) The advocate had dreamed of a Camelot not far from his Denver Colorado home, now he has been told that dream isn't real! He has been told that "King Arthur" and his court are more interested in mundane things like earnings and revenues than proper medical care! The book author with his new book had fanned the flames of a fire that had been burning for decades! He lit up a burning in the advocate's soul that caused him to join hands with the Washington D.C. organization M.I. Mother's Keeper! It caused him to put up a YouTube channel! (ok, I took down the colorful language version). It also caused him to put up a Spotify Audio podcast channel where he took a Walk in downtown Denver! He(me) found it so enjoyable he planned another Walk on Sunday December 3rd, 2023! (corrected) Join us!! - or pick one of nine+ ways to help
This blog will end with a couple of quotes:
From the article 'Warren Buffett: America's Folksiest Predator' by Matt Stoller (author of the book Goliath - part of this Reading List)
"One of the more important figures in American capitalism over the last forty years is Warren Buffett (aka the King Arthur of capitalism), the legendary investor who is now the fourth richest man in the world. Buffett is an icon, the ‘Oracle of Omaha,’ who lives a simple lifestyle based on folksy wisdom, eating Dairy Queen ice cream, and drinking Coca Cola. Or so goes the myth. In this issue, I’m going to do an interview with an author who presents a very different side of Buffett, the side that is key to his wealth and power. Specifically, the monopolist side, and how Buffett’s way of investing has been a multiplier force for dominant corporations."
Arundhati Roy, Indian activist and writer:
"Like me, you could.....be unfortunate enough to stumble upon a silent war. The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing,becomes as political an act as speaking out. Either way, you're accountable."
(could it be she is telling us it is up to us to help a vulnerable population who has had problems advocating for themselves due to illness and terminations?)
P.S. The Denver Walks were preceded by an Omaha Walk this last May
Petition (and see our visit to DC and DC Press Conference + Rally)
Blog #15 Stock Guru Jim Cramer Part 2
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- Written by: Super User
Petition (and see our visit to DC and DC Press Conference + Rally)
The following was emailed to Jim Cramer at CNBC. Another Hail Mary? I don't know, it seems worth a shot. Here is the first email sent off to him.
Jim Cramer can be emailed at:
!!!P.S. The following History and recent Children's stats linked to, need to be emphasized!!! Update: And it gets worse: KIDS!!!!
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Mr. Cramer,
I heard you recently grumbling about Lina Khan, Chairperson of the FTC. I understand your perspective, people rarely agree totally on everything - especially anymore! However I have to wonder if there just might be some common ground between you two! To put it in cold analytical terms, I wouldn't be surprised to find out you both believe in the best "product quality"! And at a reasonable price. To put it more bluntly, I imagine you both believe in not killing the "customers" for the almighty dollar! (in this case patients)
I wrote you earlier this year and put up what I had to say in a blog. I was urging you to help a couple of our favorite billionaires on the road to redemption! We just want Buffett and Munger to break up DaVita, the huge dialysis company - they could do it with their pocket change. And on their road to redemption, if they helped save thousands of kidney dialysis patients on the way wouldn't that be nice! Ok, I'm trying a little sarcasm to keep from saying what I really want to say. But the rich do seem to get more attention, don't they? And Buffett and Munger aren't getting any younger are they? As I'm fond of saying, they might be getting visions of the Grim Reaper and might be rethinking their monopolistic capitalist ways (I can only hope). I wouldn't say I'm a socialist, but if capitalism is involved I sincerely believe there ought to be SOME choice - there is little of that in kidney dialysis (little monopolies turned into two near-monopolies).
Here is chance for you and Ms. Khan to get together for a common cause! Bust up DaVita! This could be much like the Republicans and Democrats getting together for the good of the country! (as of this writing, that dream seems far off)
And just to let you know, you are now number 4 out of 9 ways to help kidney dialysis patients. The ways I mentioned seem to be gaining some traction. And I should mention NYT's best-selling author Tom Mueller's book "How to Make a Killing: Blood, Death, and Dollars in American Medicine" is now out. It doesn't paint a pretty picture. Looks to me to be throwing a log on a fire that has been burning for decades.
If I missed anything, you might find it in a Reddit post I recently put up. (AND THINK IT CAN'T GET WORSE!!!!!!)
Blog #14 Email to FTC Chairperson Lina Khan
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- Written by: Super User
Petition (and see our visit to DC and DC Press Conference + Rally)
A link to this blog has been sent to FTC Chairperson Lina Khan as part of an email. Feel free to do the same! Or of course come up with your own message! Email:
!!!P.S. The following History and recent Children's stats linked to, need to be emphasized!!! Update: And it gets worse: KIDS!!!!
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Chairperson Lina Khan,
I've been an admirer of your antitrust work, but thought I should let you know there is some low-hanging fruit I should make you aware of. That low-hanging fruit would be kidney dialysis. I'm the father of a daughter dealing with kidney disease (transplant now) and I've been a kidney dialysis advocate for over twenty years. One highlight has been helping head-up a group that got a bill through the Colorado Statehouse for the certification of kidney dialysis technicians. (passed in 2007, renewed in 2012 and 2019)
The duopoly of DaVita and Fresenius control about 80% of the free-standing dialysis units in the US. Their for-profit ways have resulted in numbers that can only be described as horrific! And to top it off the per capita costs of dialysis in the US have been quoted as being "the highest in the industrialized world (about $35 billion per year)"!1 Throw in all the scandals that have plagued this field of medicine over the years and I think it would be safe to say there isn't a much better candidate for being busted into pieces! They have gotten away with this for years by staying under the radar with buying up small clinics with values too tiny to set off alarm bells. But then take all these little monopolies (clinics) and combine them into two near-monopolies - you now can see the results!
I'll let you know there are organizations such as M.I. Mother's Keeper out of D.C. and Dialysis Advocates being motivated to move on this by a book that just recently came out: 'How to Make a Killing: Blood, Death, and Dollars' by NYT's best-selling author Tom Mueller. This book is a log that has thrown on a fire that has been burning for decades! Add in the fine media pieces that have been done over the years and I'm seeing no better time for this to come to the forefront!
Also I see you take complaints about business conduct that harms competition, limits products or services, destroys innovation, or raises prices. You might add to that list conduct that kills people!
Regards,
[name]
DialysisEthics2.org
P.S. Numbers can have a habit of putting some people to sleep, here are some that could cause insomnia (and nightmares):
Since 1991:
children age 10–19, mortality due to infection – up 19%
(children age 10–19, cardiovascular mortality – up 62%)
2006 ADR pg. 1602
Blog #13 'How to Make a Killing: Blood, Death, and Dollars in American Medicine' by Tom Mueller, book review (advanced galley copy)
- Details
- Written by: Super User
Petition (and see our visit to DC and DC Press Conference + Rally)
!!!P.S. The following History and recent Children's stats linked to, need to be emphasized!!! Update: And it gets worse: KIDS!!!!
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The Review:
New York Times best-selling author Tom Mueller very well could be rocking the foundations of many a corporate boardroom with this book. From two schools of thought on how kidney dialysis should be run back in the '70's, Seattle vs. Boston - a titanic battle, to the present day the author takes us on a journey across the landscape (hellscape?) that is modern kidney dialysis. Add in a history of how modern dialysis came about before the advent of things like for-profit dialysis and we see how a miracle of medicine can be corrupted by greed and smokescreens, blinding us to the fact that kidney dialysis is an area of medicine hampered by a severe lack of choice! (much like utilities in this writer's opinion - can you flip a switch when tired of your old electric company? Nope - much like kidney dialysis patients trying to change clinics)
After an intro, the book starts way back with a story of the primal 'Inner Sea'. It then ends the 2nd chapter with things like quick intros to a couple of leading nephrologists (doctors Leonard Stern and John Agar)- and the mortality rates here (US), and other parts of world (it should get your attention). These nephrologists will appear again and again throughout the book.
From there we are introduced to patients and what must be the worst of patient abuses - terminations. And we also meet somebody else who will be seen throughout the book - former dialysis tech Arlene Mullin. She rose from the ashes to fight patient terminations and many times she was the person who rounded up help to stop patients from certain death! (full disclosure, Arlene is someone this writer has known for over twenty years - honored to know her) We also see staff as victims who are seen falling by the wayside of what has been called 'fast, assembly line medicine'. All to the beat of a showboating CEO who seems to be more interested in cheer leading than actual medicine. As you will see in the book he might not be the worst of lot. (hard to believe)
We become acquainted with people like Dr. Pim Kolff, inventor of one of the first dialysis machines, and Dr. Belding Scribner who invented a patient access that allowed a ramp-up in dialysis for longer term care. Dr. Scribner by the way helped head up the Seattle group that nearly put the kabosh on for-profit dialysis. The people I've mentioned so far are just a few of those who will shock. but maybe inspire you to action!
However the meat of this book for this writer were the horrific patient and staff abuses, and scandals that have been allowed to persist for decades! All for outrageous prices! But this is balanced by rays of hope seen at the end of the book!!
Not sure what we have had, and currently have, is what Nixon (as comedian John Oliver said, "Yes, NIXON!") envisioned when he signed the bill bringing dialysis to anybody who needed it, into law.
Tom Mueller's book out now!
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Update: And it gets worse: KIDS!!!!
*Tired of it all? Here are 9 ways YOU, yes YOU can fight back!!!!*
Petition (and see our visit to DC and DC Press Conference + Rally)
- Blog #12: Tell our Federal Reps to ask Warren Buffett why the huge dialysis company DaVita shouldn't be BROKEN UP!
- Blog #11: ‘Save the Billionaires (or not)’ Walk May 6th in Omaha Nebraska, Post-Walk update and observations (2023)
- Blog #10: Damn to Heck Best-Selling Book Author Tom Mueller
- Blog #9: A Major Problem with this Country (US)
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