ptatc

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Oct 7, 2013 -> 08:59 PM) You may be convinced of that, but there is really no empirical support for that position. At all. The evidence is that the greatest cost of practicing medicine is the malpractice insurance. This is why many physicians are getting into group practice to share expenses and cut costs. The cost needs to come down and the cost of medicine will come down. Experience does count for something. It may be lower on evidence based theory but it does count.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 7, 2013 -> 06:04 PM) There is simply n o reason that it should cost $40,000+ a year for a person to go to college, where they see an actual person for maybe 4 hours a day, 4 or 5 days a week. 2-3 students per year should be able to cover a teacher's costs. What do the other 30-50 students cover? Time for higher educational facilities to cut the fat. This could not be further from the truth. Believe me with the way the state is not paying the institutions the excess has been cut from most state institu.tions. there are always exceptions but there are few state schools that are running up those tabs. The exceptions are the big research institutions. The privates are a whole different game.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Oct 7, 2013 -> 05:09 PM) But why should the injured the the ones to suffer? The insurance companies make money. The doctors make money. The guy who died because the doctor performed while drunk cant get a full recovery because we have a law that arbitrarily states a death is worth $200k? Insurance is a great cost in any industry with great risk. There is no guarantee that if you cap malpractice that doctors will charge less. So why take the risk? If Drs are willing to give free care, Im willing to give them complete indemnity from lawsuit. But if they want to get rich on peoples sickness, I expect that they are not going to accidentally cut off the wrong limb. Because unless we cap all medical mal, it doesnt matter if you cap regular as opposed to gross, the insurance companies are going to charge the same, unless they have certainty that the claim will never go above X. So really all medical mal caps do is hurt the people who are injured. Cause I cant imagine we are actually arguing that direct damages should be capped? IE If I go into the dr for an acl repair and he cuts my spinal chord I assume we all agree that I should be able to sue for the amount of money its going to cost me to completely change my life as i cant walk again... Im only referencing the ones where its far exaggerated. Million dollar compensations for things that dont deserve it. There are many probably most who deserve it. Its like medicare fraud. Most deserve it and I dont havea problem with it. However it needs more oversite. Im not a lawyer and im sure the judgements are legal. However, many of the ones ive been involved with get many more times what its worth for rehab and getting back to function.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 7, 2013 -> 03:38 PM) There are a couple more problems buried in there you didn't note. First of all, several states, notably Texas, have undertaken severe tort reform (since lawyers were a democratic constituency this makes sense). The end result in terms of behavior of doctors or insurance companies is pretty much the same as in other states; there may be a small difference in total costs but it's less than 1% and small enough that it's hard to definitively say the effect is distinct from zero. Second...the U.S. has way too bloody much malpractice. The stats are hard to figure out but I'm convinced the best data says the U.S. does much worse on this front than most other countries. The large fraction of malpractice cases in the U.S. come from doctors who have problems more than once and are difficult to discipline thanks to protections associated with the AMA and the unwillingness of U.S. medical providers to institute reforms that significantly cut malpractice rates. I agree. This is why the shortage of quality physicians will become a barrier to "Obamacare". There aren't enough now.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Oct 7, 2013 -> 04:05 PM) Tort reform has been tried in the US in several states. The results are negligible. Multiple studies have found that the costs of medical torts are pretty typically overstated. http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpres...-of-proportion/ I've been involved in far too many for it to be too overstated and that's just my limited experience in Illinois. I'm convinced that the laws need to change because the greatest cost in medicine is the malpractice insurance.

QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ Oct 7, 2013 -> 04:08 PM) I recently read about a surgeon in Texas who was basically killing and paralyzing numerous patients because he was so damn awful at surgery that he'd frequently cut things that weren't supposed to be cut. Doctors were constantly complaining about him. It took the Texas Medical Board years to stop this guy because they're such a weak agency. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/09/...medical-boards/ I agree that most are valid. Doesn't mean that many are that shouldn't be brought.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Oct 7, 2013 -> 03:52 PM) Greatest myth ever perpetrated on the American people is that its the lawyers who are evil. Just as an fyi, in Illinois you cant just file a medical mal case against a dr. You need to have another dr review the case file and determine that there is merit. In comparison, anyone can file a lawsuit against a lawyer for any reason. http://www.passenlaw.com/blog/trucking-acc...lpractice-cases Why would we ever cap the actual damages someone can receive? Not saying lawyers. The laws need to change. I've been involved with many of the reviews. Just because another one agrees doesn't mean it's valid. I think it goes back to the quality of the physicians or the laws.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 04:57 PM) Instead of 'we don't help' how about 'college is just too damn expensive'. Put the blame right where it belongs, at the people providing it. it costs too much. Figure a way to make it cost too much instead of using taxpayer monies to go to pay for people to go to college. The reason the cost is going up is that the taxpayers are no longer paying for education. The saying is that we used to be a state school, then we were a state supported school and now we are a state associated school. When I started working at the school the state supported 80% of our budget. Now it is down to under 20%. The state is giving almost as much support to private institutions that it does to "state" schools now. The schools have been forced to find other ways to get money. They can't raise tuition much each year because the state put a cap on that. So they raise "mandatory fees" and enroll many out of state students because the tuition limits don't apply to them.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Oct 4, 2013 -> 08:06 PM) Whether or not insurance companies are the sole problem, they are clearly, based on the real-world experience of many other countries, an unnecessary added cost. Health care access can be and is subsidized directly by the government in almost every developed country in the world, and even a lot of developing countries. Alot of this however is a continuous circle pretty much exclusive to the US. Much of it is the legal system. Unlimited tort and lawsuits force the medical practitioner to have highly priced insurance for protection. Insurance companies payout far too much on some cases. These are the same insurance companies which own many of the health care insurance companies. They take loses in one area and make it up in others. One sure way to lower insurance costs in the US and where it all should start is tort reform. I've been an expert witness in many cases where the lawsuits where absolutely stupid yet insurance companies had to pay. There are many legitimate ones as well but too many stupid ones.

QUOTE (Jake @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 04:52 PM) There are plenty of doctors, but our current system discourages people from becoming primary care physicians. It is well known that fixing our immigration system and the way the medical industry looks at foreign medical training would easily fix this, as there are lots of doctors from across the world that want to be primary care physicians in the USA. We generally treat all foreign medical training as null and void, requiring any doctor that can manage to immigrate here to then go to school for several years to receive American certification. Part of the reason nobody in the USA wants to become a primary care physician is because we don't help people go to college, so they must choose their specialty based almost solely on the most lucrative thing they could possibly be allowed to do since they are forced to take on an ungodly amount of debt to perform such an essential service. This is only true because of the accreditation and quality management in the US. Most other countries producing the health professionals (MD and PT from my experience) do not monitor the quality of these educational programs. I have many physician's from countries such as India and Egypt where this takes place, who cannot apply to our program because they are not qualified. For example all of their basic sciences that we would accept here (bio, chem physics) are taken at the undergrad level for entry into the DPT or MD program. In these countries the same courses are accepted from high school. These are not equvilent to US standards. Medical schools in these countries are basically trade schools and I don't want them treating my grandmother.

QUOTE (Jake @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 09:32 PM) Of course, you could also give money to people. As far as all that goes though, it was much, much cheaper for me to go to Harvard than UIUC. My parents made almost double the median income of the USA and that was the case. I didn't end up going to Harvard since an undergrad education there is a borderline scam, but the LAC that I ended up attending was always much cheaper. I also love how I had earned a Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship from the federal government...then Robert C. Byrd died and it was mere months before that was defunded. Thanks, I'm glad we can build some more tanks now This is a common theme. Private schools have a great deal more money to spend on aid than state schools. I lose a number of highly qualified applicants, particular underrepresented groups, to private schools because in the end it's cheaper. Our tuition is 30% of Northwestern. However, because of the aid they provide it is cheaper for the student to go there.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Oct 4, 2013 -> 03:26 PM) Hell, Reinsdorf can adopt me. I'll change my last name and gladly take the White Sox helm. Seriously thou... how in the hell could his son not want to run the Sox. Blasphemy. Because he has a larger stake in the Bulls and they make a lot more money.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 08:59 PM) I would like to regress number of stressful innings (we'd ultimately define it multiple ways, but loosely 25 pitches in an inning) and significant pitching injuries. I think you will see far more correlation there than you will if comparing to innings pitched We have done basically that with young pitchers. There are still too many variables. Its more like jake was implying, alot relies on how the pitcher is handling it and when the signs of fatigue show. The number of pitches is a guidline however how the pitcher is handling is the end variable.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 30, 2013 -> 08:08 PM) Anything based on innings pitched was always going to be doomed. Correct. It kis too difficult to be accurate with the variability of pitches thrown in an inning. You can "ballpark" it but its never going to be reliable.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Sep 25, 2013 -> 05:05 PM) In general, there's probably a bit too much stock put into matchups. Don't overplay matchups. You play your best guys. Bring matchups into play when guys are closely ranked/expectations are relatively the same. All of this is relative to who else you have, but I don't see any way you have so much depth that you're sitting Lynch, a sure-fire top 10 RB, if not top 5. You can't over think those types of decisions and get too cute. Sure, Lynch and Moreno may not get much if their team is up big, but they could have been the ones to have 2 tds to get them to that point. You just don't know. I'd rather play my studs and hope for the best even if it's just 3 quarters. You can never expect/assume a blowout situation anyway. Thanks. Maybe it's the fact that it's only a 10 team league. But my RBs are Lynch, Gore, Moreno, Lacy and Bell. The WR are Johnson, T. Smith, Shorts, Royal and R. White. There just seems to be enough talent around and trying to come up with a philosophy on who to play is difficult.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 25, 2013 -> 04:43 PM) You just jinxed Dave Gallagher. He's not dead yet, is he? Or maybe I was thinking of Joe DeSa or one of the other relievers of that time period, Ernesto Escarrega or something was his name? I don't think Gallagher is dead he was a young outfielder in the late 80's and had a hitting aid called the Stride right or something like that. According to wiki he is alive and living in Trenton NJ.

Ivan Calderon, Dave Gallagher and SALOME BAROJAS!!!!!!

I learned a great lesson for newbie players this week. Don't have all matchups with good teams against bad teams. Marshon Lynch and Knowshon moreno got me nothing as RB because the respective teams got so far ahead they were benched by the third quarter. It's difficult to pick different matchups. I'd like to hear other philosophies on how people pick which players to play not just advice on who to play.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Sep 19, 2013 -> 09:57 AM) I picked up Rainey too but then dropped him minutes later in favor of McGahee. Hopefully he passes his physical. I'd go Woodhead in a PPR. With Stephen Jackson out who should I play at flex? Right now I have Julius Thomas starting there but I also have Eddie Royal and Coby Fleener(Dwayne Allen is out). I feel like I should wait a week to consider McGahee there. Would you guys start Royal over Garcon/T. Smith/Shorts? I have pretty much the same problem. My 4 WR are Calvin Johnson (start) and Royal, Shorts and T. Smith. I think I'm going with Royal for a boom or bust week.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Sep 18, 2013 -> 04:41 PM) Moreno That's where I was leaning but so far the raiders have kept running backs to the lowest fantasy total of any team in the league, so I am way over thinking it.

Shorts, Royal or Knowshon Moreno for the flex in a PPR. (assuming Gronk doesn't return)

QUOTE (ptatc @ Sep 11, 2013 -> 10:02 PM) It is a PPR. Thanks. Sorry for all the questions but I'm new at this for this season. Wouldn't the fact that Oakland held Luck to 120 yards scare people off Shorts with Henne at QB?

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Sep 11, 2013 -> 10:00 PM) I would be starting Shorts over White in a hearbeat, even if White "plays." I'd start Shorts over Gore, and slam dunk if it's PPR. I think Shorts will get a lot of targets, and they may be in his zip code now that Henne is in instead of Gabbert. It is a PPR. Thanks.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Sep 11, 2013 -> 09:41 PM) I've got both as well, luckily I have some other options right now. I wouldn't automatically pencil in White to that WR1 slot. Per White's twitter, he said if he doesn't practice, red flag, don't start him. Well, he didn't practice today. As of this moment, I wouldn't be starting him. Definitely starting Johnson. I'd still start Gore at Flex. I'd actually go Givens or Moore over Simpson, if you don't play White. I don't think he can get anywhere near a good game against the Bears instead of the Lions. Givens should be targeted much more in this game than last game, and you never know when Moore is going to have the roulette wheel stop on him to have his day for the Saints. If it was my team I'd probably go Moore. Your D's a tossup, I'd lean Baltimore just because I feel better getting turnovers off Weeden at home than Dalton and Co. on the road. Thanks for the info on White. I didn't see that. I was going to start him because my other WR was Cecil Shorts. So here's the question Shorts or Gore for the flex. My WRs are Calvin Johnson and Torrey Smith.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Sep 11, 2013 -> 03:11 PM) I didnt mean he would be available in FA, I meant its a good time to trade for him while his stock is low. I got a grand total of 13 points from Calvin johnson, Roddy White and Marshon Lynch last week so Shorts is going in as the flex this week.