We used to spend our out of pocket money for Chinese medicine, while having an insurance from an employer.

Getting an HSA plan sounded like a good idea, especially because the employer contributes 50%. HSA money could be spend for any alternative treatments (even though "alternative" sounds funny, it's like calling organic farms "alternative").

We got HSA in April of 2010. Now what? There is a new rule that disallows non-prescription drugs from January 2011. A lot of "alternative" stuff becomes "non-prescription" because nobody prescribes it under the circumstances. I finally found a good herbalist who was helpful with my insomnia. He writes a formula in short-hand Chinese on a usual piece of paper, and then sells the herbs. I don't know what kind of licence they have, but it's a *store*, can it be considered a prescription? I can go to a Licensed acupuncturist instead, but I already went to a number of them and they were not any help. In addition, they would be interested to sell their own expensive herbs.

It is all part of fixing health care. Not the problem which is that it is way to expensive, but fixing it so you have no choice.

Dan

This is kind of stupid. I will not use any pharmaceuticals, even if I need to pay as twice as much for herbs, since my well-being is more important then money (and HSA money will be just sitting in the bank account acumulating %). And I doubt that herbal shops will lose customers, unless they try to demolish Chinatowns as a part of the "fixing".

I wonder if somebody ever tried to sue [who?]? People have a constitutional right to have specific beliefs which make them go to "a witch doctor from my tribe" instead of an MD. And those expenses cannot be tax-exempted vs those of somebody who has different believes.

Ideally yes.
But you don�t understand your believes, desires are irrelevant to the �powers-that-be� they are only interested in your money and they can�t get it if you have the gall to spend it on alternative medicine. Therefore they will do everything they can to make it difficult, if not preferably impossible, to use alternative methods.
Modern medicine does not try to cure you because if they did they would lose you as a customer. So they just treat your symptoms and not the root cause of your problem that way they can continue to make money off of you until your dying day.

I swear under penalty of perjury to the Supreme Provider and to the National Practitioner Data Bank, and all other existing databases, to keep the following oath:

That I will be loyal to the profession of medicine by never healing anyone, but instead will give only allopathic band-aids that cover up symptoms;

That I will care for my patients only as deemed medically necessary by the patient’s insurance company, and that I will process his insurance the same as anyone else, as to waive his coinsurance would be the worst and most heinous health care fraud;


That if ordered by the Commander in Chief under the Model State Health Emergency Powers Act, I shall accompany police into the homes of God’s people, and inject them with any concoction the Commander (although practicing medicine without a license) shall order (even if I know that such contains microchips or viruses that have emerged from my Commander’s laboratories);

That should the State wish to confiscate my patient’s property; I shall declare it “contaminated”;

That I will prescribe a regimen for the good of my patients, not according to my ability and judgment, but by the prescribed clinical pathways using only drugs covered by the patient’s insurance;

That I will not admit a patient to the hospital without pre-certification of admission;

That I will not up code, and will keep the medical record free of any admissions of medical mistakes;

That I will hasten the patient’s demise should any complications develop, since patient’s family will recover smaller damages if the patient is dead than if the patient is maimed for life;

That I will act as an Agent of the State, administering biological warfare agents as per US Code, Title 50, Chapter 32, � 1520 and 1524; even though doing so without the patient’s consent is a violation of the Nuremberg Code;
That whatsoever I shall see or hear of the lives of men and women that should not be spoken, I will report to the State;

That whatever parent should decide not to inoculate their child with disease, I shall immediately report to the SS (Social Services) so that child can be immediately abducted from his home;

That whatever child in my care should be sexually assaulted, I shall not document if the State says that the perpetrator is “immune”;

That I shall not teach my patients about techniques of detoxification, since to do so would make them aware that all of the allopathic band-aids are toxic;

That should research paid for by the Medical-Military-Industrial complex not reveal the expected results, I will use statistics to twist the data; and should I discover my superiors are doing such, I shall hide such to protect the institution;

If I keep this oath faithfully, may I always have a Mercedes in my driveway; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the appropriate authorities discipline me, have my privileges irrevocably extinguished for all eternity, or order psychiatric treatment.

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Let Food Be Your Medicine And Medicine Be Your Food.(Hippocrates)

It's kind of clear, but I'm talking the government. If my creed or philosophical believes put me into a different position regarding laws and taxes, then I'm made unequal to other people. Also, I'm required to pay for an insurance that is discriminating against me, not covering or poorly covering services corresponding to my believes. If to do it right, insurance companies should be required to equally cover any kind of service picked by a patient for treatments.

HEY! We have a whole new bunch of Repubs in Jan 2011. Aren't they planning to either redo
or kill the Health Care Plan? Lots of changes coming probably in Medicare
Medicade & Soc Sec! You think you have problems now.. just wait!
You ain't seen nothing yet!

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May you always have..Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends that Care!

They will have a hard time repealing or replacing health care earlybird. Not enough veto repeal strength. Those candidate were just deceiving the public in saying that they will repeal Obamacare. That program has not even gotten started, so people are upset over nothing really. Very many should be satisfied that they don't have to worry about preexisting conditions anymore.

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- Jim
Life is just one damned thing after another - Elbert Hubbard

It will be irrelevant in a short time whether you are covered because of preexisting conditions or not.

The cost of any private insurance will skyrocket in a very short time. It now has to cover preexisting conditions, children 26 years or under, if they have no insurance.

This sounds great in theory, but this adds a lot of cost, and if you can't afford the insurance, and businesses can't afford it, it does nobody any good.

The problem is the cost of medical treatment, not insurance coverage. No one has addressed the cost in any meaningful way. It merely attempts to shift costs.

Dan

Gary North reckons that SS will eventually be cut and its written in the small print of the Social Security website that congress has the right to withdraw your entitlement to SS even though you have paid for years.

https://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north901.html

Gary North usually knows what he's talking about so I'd say he's right.
But, that's going to be really disastrous for those seniors who exist on SS alone & have no other income.
And I know several like that.