WalMart

[Thomas Rogers]

Caymen,



I didn't say anything about innovation.



I'm not reading any insurance company propaganda. I hate insurance companies. I think more employers should provide a "pay as you go" type of benefits which are what HRA is. I said HSA above, I meant HRA...healthcare reimbursement accounts I think they stand for.



Anyway, I think we need to reduce the role of insurance companies. I'd be ameniable to HRA plans provided by most companies and our govt providing catastrophic care covereage.



Most people should pay for what they use in healthcare, especially when it comes to wellness; but no one should go to the poor house because of some health disaster.



TJR

 

[Les]

Fact is, insurance companies already dictate what they are willing to pay for a service provided by a health provider. (i.e a doctor, hospital, etc.) Insurance companies can refuse to provide payments based on the decision of a person with little to no medical training.

CMS (a governmental agency) currently operates Medicare/Medicaid and that is who dictates what a physician receives. Insurance companies use CMS as the model and operate accordingly. It is just as difficult, if not more, to collect reimbursements from CMS.

Innovation in health care doesn't originate with the insurance companies.

If you are referring to medical research, innovation comes from schools and universities that receive grants provided by the federal government and private industry.

If everyone is covered for medical costs, overall medical costs will come down simply because people will have no need to visit the doctor with full blown pneumonia when they could vist visit the doctor with a simple infection and get taken care of with minimal costs.

Isn't this socialized medicine?

Anyway, I think we need to reduce the role of insurance companies.

If we do this don't we increase the role of government?

 

[Tom Schindler]

Isn't this socialized medicine?

Socialized medicine says the doctors work for the government as an employee. A Single Payer network, a doctor can work for himself and decide if he wants to recieve payment from the Single Payer system.



Lets face the fact. The USA has issues. We have a hard time trying to compete with countries that have trade relations with. For use to truly compete, one of two things will need to happen. Either we let our citizans left out to try with 3rd world wages and no health coverage and we become an elitist society where the only way to become rich is to be born into it or we provide our citizans with the same care and protection that advanced countries provide them.



It is our choice, we must choose well. Unfortunatly, I see many here are leaning towards the 3rd world country mentality.





Tom

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Les, yes, it would be hard to reduce the role of insurance companies without getting governement involved somehow. But what I described was a change to the corporate tax codes, not new programs.



TJR

 

[gary s]

geez tom,



the wal-marts i shop in florida are clean and the staff is friendly.

great prices and everything you need.



don't understand why yours is different?

 

[Tom Schindler]

the wal-marts i shop in florida are clean and the staff is friendly.

great prices and everything you need.



don't understand why yours is different?

Actually Gary, let me tell you a little about myself.



From 1995 to 2004, I was an NDE Senior Specialist with a leading NDE inspection lab. I traveled for over 270 days in 2001 during one year. I have worked in many places doing my job. I have been in ship yards, oil refineries, paper mills, forging plants, foundries, chemical plants of all types, along with many aspects of manufacturing facilities.



Some of the places include, Penreco, Marathon-Ashland Petroleum, Bath Iron Works, BASF, International Paper, Wayerhauser, Goodyear, and Michelin NA. This is just a small sample.



Believe it or not, I worked in a Toyota Engine Plant in Buffalo, WV.



I have seen aircraft being built in Witchata, KS.



Anyways, I have been to almost every state east of the Mississippi River, and a few states west.



With that all being said, I have been to more Wal-Marts than you can imagine. Maine, New York, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, etc. They are all the same.



I have even been to a Wal-Mart in the Mannheim, Germany area while I was there for 3 onths in 2001. That store was no different, except the prices were higher and nobody was in the store.





Tom

 

[gary s]

tom,



yes indeed. you win the wal-mart most frequent store visitor. congrats, well deserved :lol:



very impressive resume as well.



i guess it must be me, but the ones i have been in are immaculate.



happy thanksgiving

 

[Bud Williams]

Love Walmart or hate them, they are one of the few if only companies in the DOW 30? that is making money and posting a profit. They are a retail machine that seems to weather any storm due to it's size. Sam Walton was a shrew businessman. His family has expanded this business to a degree no other business has done. Pretty Amazing.

 

[Jeffrey Travis]

Bud you forgot to mention that WalMart parking lots are also a good place to have a "show down", if you can get the other party to show.

 

[Tom Schindler]

i guess it must be me, but the ones i have been in are immaculate.

That tells me all I needed to know. You have lower expectations. Now I know why you like Toyota's.





Tom

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Tom,



That is pretty personal don't you think? Telling someone they have low standards is pretty much a personal attack.

 

[Gavin Allan]

How is low standards related to Toyota? Their cars are on the top consumer lists every year for extremely reliable vehicles that hold their resale value way better than most other makes.



Sounds like both Wal-Mart and Toyota have mastered understanding what consumers want and how to deliver what they want year after year. Both are great business models of great companies.



Where are the low standards?

 

[Tom Schindler]

That is pretty personal don't you think? Telling someone they have low standards is pretty much a personal attack.

Relax there. Gary knows it nothing personal.





Tom

 

[Martin]

I can relate to some of the Walmarts that Tom is talking about. A few years back while in CA, I went to one in Anaheim and it was a filthy mess. Stuff that should have been on shelves were scattered all over the isle's. Not a place I ever want to visit again.



But the ones around here, the employees stay on top of "shelf pullers" and keep everything in place and keep the isle's clear and clean.



Maybe there are just a few in different states that are clean like these and prob more that are like the one I went to in Anaheim. I haven't been to very many, so far only one was a pigpen.

 

[Jacob Dryer]

It totally varys by location. When I lived in VA, if we had to go to wally wold, we would drive an extra 5 miles and go to the one in Chesapeake, instead of the one in Norfolk. The one in Norfolk was full of idiots, both employees and customers vs chesapeake was a nice clean store and didn't feel like it was a zoo of stupidity.

 

[TrainTrac]

You're right, JD. The one in Norfolk was a pit. I think that was mainly because of the area where it was located. The one in Suffolk off of 664 was one of the nicest in Tidewater. It was even nicer and easier to get in and out of than the one in Chesapeake.

 

[gary s]

say what you wan't.



i know what i have



and yes tom, i am sure it was nothing personal

 

[Ryan Schaecher]

In my opinion, a Single Payer network is the solution.

Because we all know just how well government-payer has worked in Europe and Canada.... and we can see just how efficient MediCare is.... oh!oh! and since it's government run, there would not be a single penny lost to fraud or "accounting errors"!



Let's look at some examples of recent attempts at government-run healthcare:

-Dateline: Hawaii

The state of Hawaii recently made healthcare insurance available for all children under the age of 18 that did not have insurance. What happened? The program was canceled after the state nearly went BANKRUPT after just 7 months. Why? Parents could now SAVE hundreds of $$$ by dropping their children from their private insurance and using the governmentally provided version.

State health officials argued that most of the children enrolled in the universal child care program previously had private health insurance, indicating that it was helping those who didn't need it.

Why is it that Wal-Mart is always getting the "press" on it's wages and lack of unionization? Let's look at some STATISTICS and FACTS:

Company - Average Wage (Minimum Wage: $6.55/hour)

Wal-Mart - $8.23/hour (per UFCW, United Food and Commercial Worker's Union, date unknown)

McDonalds - $7.55/hour (march 2007)





This is trendy in the Fast Food industry. So why is Wal-Mart a constant target, where Taco Bell, McDonalds, Arby's, et. al. are vary rarely mentioned? Most Wal-Mart employees make more than the minimum wage. Can't really say that about fast food.



How many of you have kids that work at Wal-Mart or in food? How many of you do as well? Which one pays more? Wal-Mart. Why? They do try to keep their employees and to keep them happy.



Wal-Mart profit margin is around 3.39%. McDonalds... yeah around 19.41%



Who can "afford" to pay more??



The only single-payer that will work is private-payer. Keep the Goberment out!

 

[Gavin Allan]

How about get government completely out of health care and insurance. Get Government out of it all.



Break the relationship between health insurance companies and healthcare providers.



Let insurance be a contract between insured and the insurance company. Let individuals go to their doctors and be responsible for paying the bill. Then they turn the bill to insurance companies for reimbursement.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

R Shek pleaded:

Why is it that Wal-Mart is always getting the "press" on it's wages and lack of unionization? Let's look at some STATISTICS and FACTS:

What? Look at STATISTICS and FACTS?



If we did that then the Wal-Mart opponents wouldn't be able to use hyperbole and emotion. Without those they would have little to talk about.



TJR