Maggie's Farm

From working on all this, not only personally now, but mainly due to the work I've done via my old employment in media as well as my father's (he is 88 and a former surgeon now retired for 20 years), there is a lot of questionable issues regarding medication and costs that are, lightly for US citizens - openly bizarre and not very wisely engaged because of political and global POVs. That's not even mentioning some deep media issues which I'll skip - mainly because it is highly costly, data misused, and potentially damaging for proper use cost-wise.

That said, many other nations benefit from political application of medication and coverage which (long ago my father would say) is absurdly applied and forcing US costs up while other nations benefit from lower costs. There are a variety of reasons for this. Whether you support the reasons or costs, naturally, will vary and are often driven for personal responses.

My personal view is lots of poorly understood reasoning which is more deeply damaging for many Americans and potentially increasing other issues like drug abuses, in some specific social situations.

I have a personal friend, long before my own current issues, who explained her experiences with her child's issues, the problems political stupidity have changed pharma management and treatment, and the costs which were very high (and improperly applied).

I have a few personal items to mention, though.
1. A lot of hospitable costs can be lowered than the bills. I have learned this more than once in the past for other physical surgeries. After paying high bills over 15 years ago, I learned (from my father) how to call hospitals and how it's actually possible to lower costs if you're open and honest. If you just let the insurance handle everything and stay quiet - you may see costs rise dramatically higher than they are really necessary. Hospitals often overcharge, easily. This is particularly true when insurance companies are closely aligned with the hospitals and pushing profit increases and tax coverages. There are options most people aren't knowledgeable of.
2. My current costs arrived. Vitamins the doctors continued with (unnecessarily as we found out after a week, but because they had asked what I used and why prior to my situation) led to certain morning provisions of B12, vitamins and a few other things like Tylenol (which was needed at first) at over $30 per pill. Justification for this was bizarre after I'd read it - but not negotiable after I was released. Highly misguided and expensive because of reasoning I won't get into and I feel is driven more by poor political and business justifications.
3. Food - it has gotten very expensive. Usually for reasons that were poorly and falsely driven by errors and management (politically driven) during Covid. After that, due to poorly applied political justifications and supported by politicians claiming for "improvements" which frankly I completely oppose. I used to live at farms as a youth. I used to run small personal farms and food growth. I know farmers at my old home. I understand local restaurants friends own and run and how they manage foods and costs - usually more costly and local (usually for "healthier foods" reasoning) sources. A lot of it is driven by political or slightly odd reasoning and justification. Most of it isn't wrong - just not necessarily beneficial as they often explain. It's not tasteless - it's sometimes actually fun and more tasty from time to time. But it is always more expensive than it really needs to be.


A lot of coverages will vary dramatically and correctly.

My major issue, though, has always been about prescription costs and management, as well as how that is often covered in media - and I'll just say I had prepared a WSJ journalist to cover some of this 3 years ago. She delayed, called me 4 months ago to start it, but by then my roles had changed and my only information was older. Still accurate and directionally correct and worth it, but I was no involved in the data usage anymore. So not as helpful as I'd hoped to be 3 years ago.

Derinkuyu read interestingly. I've always wanted to visit places like that. Was not familiar well with it, but looks like a great place to see.

100%
Came up 3 credits short of my Master's long ago (should've finished, job issues and family births caused a delay which eventually prevented my finish despite very high grades at the time).
I knew a lot. Currently, my health has shifted some of my interests even though my knowledge and understanding remains very high.

I agree with your POV. I have many favorites, still (Prof Don Boudreaux I got very friendly and very lucky with several times - he's wonderful and love his Cafe Hayek). Talk about someone who is well versed, open and honest.