AnonymousActuary
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User ID: 2163
AnonymousActuary
2d ago
We knew very early from cases like the Diamond Princess what we were likely looking at. Possibly you could argue it was until May 2020, when we had CFR data out of New York that showed kids how severe the age stratification of impact was.
In addition, there was functionally speaking zero support for the kind of lockdowns we saw in Medical Literature. The famous pandemic influenza response paper (written by Donald Henderson - who led parts of the smallpox eradication effort) mentioned how important it was to try to keep life functioning as normally as possible. I still don't understand where the policy came from - it seems like we saw China do it, saw a bunch of people die in NY due to doctors over-ventilating (I think that was a well-intentioned mistake) and Cuomo shoving people back into Nursing homes (honestly, might also have been a well-intentioned mistake), and everybody panicked.
Less charitably, bureaucrats got high on their own supply of people listening to them/convinced themselves they could stop all disease spread (Fauci quite obviously embraced his narcissistic side).
I personally remember my first visit to a new PCP post COVID. Within 10 minutes he was recommending I get a COVID booster, he did not ask if I'd had COVID recently, how my reaction to previous shots had been (heavy acute symptoms after my 2nd shot), or whether the elevated risk as a young male was worth it, it was just "here's the recommendation I will now parrot to you unthinkingly".
I have not been back.
AnonymousActuary
3d ago
Their isn't any credible debate
Again, the problem is we were also told this about many things during COVID that clearly had legitimate credible debate! You are arguing over benefits to the commons, while not realizing the commons was torched by public health on several different occasions during COVID because they got too caught up in #currentthing to think about what they were doing or approach things with any sort of introspection or understanding of past pandemic response policy.
AnonymousActuary
3d ago
The masks were sold out everywhere around me by early February, not sure what supply he was trying to save.
If you need to save it for healthcare providers say you need to save it for healthcare providers.
TBH, I think the more likely scenario, is he, like most of the contemporary research, believed that masks were not that effective against COVID and COVID like illnesses.
AnonymousActuary
4d ago
interesting, I would say our marriage improved across the board by about 2.5 times after having a kid (if not more).
AnonymousActuary
7d ago
how old is your daughter? Been wondering when it is time for the hobbit.
AnonymousActuary
20d ago
^yep precisely
AnonymousActuary
21d ago
What do you consider like a donut shop where someone assembles your order?
AnonymousActuary
22d ago
I think some of the late-war soviet losses vs. German losses are a bit overstated simply due to the Soviets generally being on the offensive - which is typically going to take more casualties than the defense
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
The malpractice was when she was sent home while septic and 6 months pregnant
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
At best, you are demonstrating a chilling effect may have happened at a point where significant malpractice had occurred perhaps twice, and the woman was already near death (IF everyone involved is telling the truth about their actions - what mom with a pregnant 18 year old leaves the hospital after they've been declared septic??!?). Let's start with the malpractice and then we can worry about these edge cases.
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
The Right seems to have figured it out wrt SCOTUS
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
"Because EOs are just not that powerful of a tool. They don't override laws, and there are a lot of laws constraining agencies."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals
Agree to disagree I suppose.
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
key thing is being involved other ways - church, neighborhood two huge ones that are admittedly probably harder than they used to be. Once you hit high school might be worth starting to get more involved - taking some AP classes, dual enrollment at local college, and highly highly recommend music and athletic extra curriculars.
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
Ender's Game and the following trilogy (Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind) I highly recommend. Speaker for the Dead especially.
I enjoyed the Ender's Shadow series as well (though I just read the finally released last book, and it was baddddd), so maybe just stick to the original 3 (Shadow Puppers/of the Hegemon/of the Giant). Not sure those still hold up though, it's been a while.
Hyperion and the sequel are my favorite SF I've read recently - very very good.
Timothy Zahn has a lot of fun stuff if you are into star wars, and some even if you aren't (the conqueror's trilogy, angelmass, icarus hunt)
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
I too am very smart and can't think of any difference between a drug that treats blood cancer and one that treats a lifestyle choice.
The comparison between the drugs that treat type 2 diabetes/cardiac issues and those in question is left for the reader.
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
Wesnoth has a place near and dear in my heart as one of the first times I grok'd tactics in a game like this. I was playing a mission and just kept slamming my forces against the enemy with no ability to make headway. I finally realized if I pulled back a bit I could stretch his reinforcement lines out and build up overwhelming force, upon which point I broke through and destroyed him. Was very empowering.
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
The reason people don't care that much is they are insulated from the cost in most cases (and indeed most of the outrage comes from when those cases breakdown - such as Out of network bills).
I don't really care what the ER charged me, I hit my deductible regardless every year. This principal-agent problem is obviously part of the issue with increasing costs.
The bigger problem though is just that there is a very small portion of the population that is very expensive to treat, and you/your loved ones have a small chance of losing the lottery in any given year and being part of that population. That's why premiums keep going up so much/Medicare solvency is threatened and all that. Someone who goes to the ER a few times a year/has a baby with the accompanying IP stays etc. is still a very small utilizer in the grand scheme of things.
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
Insurance companies are working on this - ie I've seen presentations about trying to build variable copays into an app so someone trying to go to an urgent care or ER can go to one the company has contracted with at a cheaper rate.
AnonymousActuary
1mo ago
Adolin story carries hard tbh
AnonymousActuary
2mo ago
I think there is something different in a lot of these areas in that the fans of (insert Taylor Swift, LEGO, Star Wars, Marvel, Funko Pops, Video Games etc) would probably still have been fans in the past, at least to some extent, but due to trends around marriage and having kids, instead of listening to a radio station or going to a movie or whatever they have high levels of disposable income and time to spend on their hobbies that would otherwise be spent on children.
I personally see this as net negative for society, others might see it as net positive, but I think it is hard to argue it is not happening.
AnonymousActuary
2mo ago
https://slatestarcodex.com/2016/09/07/reverse-voxsplaining-brand-name-drugs/
This should be required reading for anyone in this site commenting on it.
AnonymousActuary
2mo ago
In any given year, healthcare expenditure will not be normally distributed across the population, but instead heavily skewed to a small segment.
This is extremely true and makes me wonder if we could put a few more chronic conditions in Medicare like we do with dialysis and cut costs enough for everyone else that it could be closer to actual insurance (literally moving the sickest 1% of the population or so could cut premium by 40% - sickest 5%, more like 70%)
Honestly, I kinda wonder why Obamacare wasn't more like this - seems like it would've been an easier sell to put more people on Medicare than what the ACA actually was, and it would've left people alone as far as purchasing more expensive plans? You'd have to figure out how to compensate providers somewhat, but I'd imagine there are ways (bump up Medicare reimbursement rates a bit, slight increase in Medicare taxes, slight increase in corporate taxes to offset decrease in large group premiums from some employees care shifting to Medicare?)
AnonymousActuary
2mo ago
oh I'm just saying if you set prices at 100% of Medicare. You can have transparent prices that are higher.
I know United (ironically) has been doing some work around varying copays such that the member is pointed towards providers with more favorable contracts with United. Maybe a little promise there.
the sensible reaction is Governments don't get to lockdown anymore.
You had the power, you abused it, you don't get the power anymore.
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