What put a frown on your face today?

OutsideIn wrote:

Brenden wrote:Government-run health programs in the United States, including those that are administered by the States, consistently rank highest in consumer satisfaction and popularity.

You know that even many European countries are having difficulties with the vaccine rollout. The US is even ahead of many. It is a massive undertaking which is faced with many challenges not least of all production and supply shortages.

I didn't say anything about consumer satisfaction. Are you arguing for the sake of arguing again?

The programs listed in the survey aren't really about government-run health programs. They are about health insurance to cover the costs. The actual healthcare is still mostly privately run. The one truly government-run health program that occurs to me would be the Veterans Administration, and given their scandals in recent years, you probably don't want to cite them as an example. These aren't comparable to the type of healthcare run by the government in the UK or other countries.

At the risk of sound arrogant, I have spent years working in both private and government healthcare. I have also been a private citizen struggling with serious health issues while being denied coverage by my insurance for the treatment I needed. I have seen it from all sides, and I have inside information that you won't see online or in any news report. Despite my experience that is more extensive than the average person, I do not have much to offer in the way of solutions because it is such a massively complex problem. One of the few things I can say for certain is that the U.S. is very different from countries that have government healthcare, both in terms of its population and its geography. Making comparisons without factoring those into the equation is completely pointless.

I am well aware that most places are having challenges with the vaccine rollout. While I am not directly involved, I am a lot closer to the frontlines of this epidemic than most people. You don't actually think that a single line I wrote out of personal frustration represents my entire view on the subject? It's the Internet. Calm down and take it with a huge grain of salt. I posted that after receiving yet another confusing communication about my eligibility as I was repeatedly bounced back and forth between two different agencies. I can't imagine what it would be like trying to get an appointment for a senior citizen or for someone at high risk. And I hold the U.S. to a much higher standard than I do other countries. We are supposedly the richest, most powerful nation on earth, but we don't always act like it.

Brenden wrote:Instead of the 200 g of fennel seed extract I ordered from India and have been waiting a month to receive, I've just received 200 g of fenugreek extract.

It smells lovely (like maple syrup), but it can't be more directly opposite what I ordered: fenugreek is known to cause the digestive problems that fennel helps with.

So now I'll have to wait another month before a replacement arrives, but that may be too late.

Brenden wrote:Instead of the 200 g of fennel seed extract I ordered from India and have been waiting a month to receive, I've just received 200 g of fenugreek extract.

It smells lovely (like maple syrup), but it can't be more directly opposite what I ordered: fenugreek is known to cause the digestive problems that fennel helps with.

So now I'll have to wait another month before a replacement arrives, but that may be too late.