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Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
DoB: 26-Jan-1946
Chepstow, NP16 7LR, Monmouthshire, United Kingdoms.
tel: 01594 - 528 337
on: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com

All ideas and info. provided here are to be discussed with your medical professionals. I am NOT Medically trained. I have merely had this vile disease since 1998 - always use your Common Sense and seek expert medical advice.
YOU MAY FIND THE LINKS in text and in the Right Sidebar of Help.
I can NOT vouch for any external site that I may direct readers to & therefore can NOT accept any legal responsibility - this is a personal blog of that which I believe only.
I do NOT believe there are magical cures hidden from us by our medical professionals though there are without doubt cases that seem cured as if by magic. Medical knowledge of this disease is very rudimentary and research frequently profligate but pointless!
However - sticking goji berries in your ear on a moonless night or similar WILL NOT HELP - Nor will the price paid for quackery be it here OR Mexico, Brazil or China!
There are many health care professionals trying their very best with great care and compassion but perfection is a little way off!
Be Minded:
I have cancer - cancer does not have me!

"Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come". - (Julius Caesar - Act II, Scene II).

Thursday 30 June 2011

30-Jun-2011 - CT Scans or Car Repair PRICE VARIANCE in USA!

30-Jun-2011 - CT Scans or Car Repair PRICE VARIANCE in USA!
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A pelvic CT scan may cost anywhere from $230 & $1,800 – not in different parts of the U.S., but in the same exact town |

Huge Disparities in Health Care and Car Repair Costs

Jupiterimages / Getty Images
Jupiterimages / Getty Images
The average car repair job costs $265 in one part of the country, $420 in another. But that’s nothing compared to the screwball state of affairs with health care expenses: A pelvic CT scan, for example, could cost anywhere between $230 and $1,800—not in different parts of the country or even across state lines, but in the same exact town.
No matter if we’re talking about care for cars or human beings, there is not much consensus as to how much businesses should charge for complicated operations, let alone routine maintenance.
Two new studies show that how much its costs of health care and car repairs vary widely depending on where you live and, frankly, what the fix-it specialists feel like they can get away charging.
A report from CarMD.com holds that five dry states in the Southwest—Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, California, and Nevada—have the dubious distinction of charging the most for repairs needed once a car’s “Check Engine” light starts glowing. Arizona is the priciest of all, with the average repair costing $421.49. The national average, by contrast, is $356.04. Oddly enough, Washington, D.C., where the cost of living is fairly high, and where overcharging people seems ingrained in the city’s DNA, boasts the nation’s least expensive average repairs, at $265.29.
Actually, there are some reasonable justifications for the repair job price disparity. The prices rounded up by CarMD are not apple-to-apple comparisons. They are comparing the average repair job needed in one state or district to the average repair job in another—and because of different climates, driving conditions, and typical car usage, what’s “average” in one region may be exceptional in another.
(LIST: Top 10 Most Valuable Used Cars)
The states out West with the highest average costs have warm, sunny climates, and they don’t have much in the way of public transportation. Both of these factors lead drivers to be on the road more often, and more driving means more wear and tear on cars. Also, as a quote in the Los Angeles Times points out:
“Labor costs in the West tend to be higher because the repairs relating to problems from dry air and residue from airborne dust tend to be more expensive and take longer to repair,” said Art Jacobsen, vice president of CarMD.com.
Speaking of labor costs, the CarMD shows that six of the ten states with the lowest average repair costs are in the Midwest (Nebraska, Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana and Minnesota), where hourly employees tend to make less money compared to areas along the coasts.
But what about D.C., where the cost of living and salaries tend to be higher than average? Two factors help give the city the appearance of charging less for repairs: 1) Most repairs needed by D.C. drivers are simple, inexpensive jobs with little parts and labor required (12% were related to gas caps); and 2) the city had a high portion (12%) of repairs at no out-of-pocket expense to the driver, most probably because the car was still under warranty.
So does the average garage in D.C. charge less for the same repair job than the average garage in Arizona? Not necessarily.
The huge disparities in health care procedure costs are much harder to justify. Data from national health care group change:healthcare shows an enormous range in what’s charged for MRIs, ultrasounds, CT scans, and other procedures, though most patients pay little attention because they’re only on the hook for their insurance policy’s co-pay or deductible. Two summers ago, a New Yorker story written by Dr. Atul Gawande made news because it revealed how nonsensical hospitals could be when pricing health care procedures, with one institution charging far more than another located a few miles away. The new data back these findings, demonstrating that, for example, the cost of an MRI in the same part of the Southeast could be $560 or $$2,500.
(MORE: A Dozen Disturbing Health Care Statistics)
Per USA Today:
“There’s been a barrage of studies that show differences from region to region,” said Christopher Parks, founder of Change:healthcare. “That makes sense — California’s more expensive than Alabama. But this is within a 20-mile radius in your own town.”
Just one more reason it’s sometimes a really good idea to get a second opinion—from doctors and mechanics alike.
(MORE: How to Get Decent Health Care Without Insurance)

Read more: CLICK HERE
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I Have Been Fighting Cancer since 1997 & I'M STILL HERE!
I Have Cancer, Cancer Does NOT Have Me

I just want to say sorry for copping out at times and leaving Lee and friends to cope!
Any help and support YOU can give her will be hugely welcome.
I do make a lousy patient!
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If YOU want to follow my fight against Cancer from when it started and I first presented with symptoms see The TAB just below the Header of this Blog. called >DIARY of Cancer< just click and it will give you a long list of the main events in chronological order.
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Thoughts and comments will be in chronological order in the main blog and can be tracked in the >ARCHIVE< in the Right Sidebar.
You may find the TABS >MEDICAL LINKS< and also >CANCER LINKS< of help. . YOU are welcome to call me if you believe I can help in ANY way.
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Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01291 - 62 65 62
on: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com
TWITTER: Greg_LW  
Health/Cancer Blog: http://GregLW.blogspot.com   

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