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Approved-By:  Bill McGarry <wtm@SHELDEV.SHEL.ISC-BR.COM>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.l-hcap
Date:         Wed, 18 Nov 1992 09:15:04 EST
Reply-To:     Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
From:         Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
Subject:      Handicap Digest # 3020

                             THE HANDICAP DIGEST

                                 Issue # 3020

                        Wednesday, November 18, 1992

Today's Topics:


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                       Computer mediated communication
                        Re: New Amputee - Intro letr
           The Life Threatening Reality of Clinton's Health Reform
                        Re: New Amputee - Intro letr


                                ******


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thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
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                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 337-1518



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Subject: Computer mediated communication
From: comoptisyd@peg.apc.org (Andrew Clark)

15 November 1992

I have recently been awarded a Churchill Fellowship. This is a
travelling scholarship which allows the recipient to travel
abroad,  to study  his or her  field of interest.

The area I am interested in is computer mediated communication
(CMC) and its use in social welfare.  In particular  the use of CMC
by  different community based  groups  as a tool for community
development  and social change.

I propose to travel to America, Canada and Europe between April and
July 1993, starting on the west coast of America in April and
finishing in Europe.

I am interested in visiting you, or others that you know of, to
discuss what you are doing in this area. If you could be of some
assistance, or know of a group or individual who I could contact,
please let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Andrew Clark.
c/o 158 Lilyfield rd Liechhartd 2040
NSW Australia
Email : comoptisyd@peg.apc.org
Voice : 02 564 2922






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Subject: Re: New Amputee - Intro letr
From: esther@verdix.com (Esther Lumsdon)
Organization: Verdix Corp

Bill.Scrivner@f202.n285.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Scrivner) writes:

>Index Number: 25611

>Hello to ANY and EVERY one!
>     This is sort of an introductory note and I hope it generates at
>least some response - I feel pretty trapped at the moment and this
>is my way out.
     [deleted text]
>     I was involved in a motorcycle accident on October 18, 1992 and
>as a result had to have a below knee (about six inches) amputation of my
>right leg and a rod inserted in the femur. The accident happened on my
    [ deleted text ]
>Rehabilitation Hospital here in town. Went to see him yesterday and he
>had people show me how to wrap the stump so it will get into the shape
>they want for fitting a prosthesis (sp??). It sounds like they may be
>planning to have me up on a new foot pretty soon - like maybe a week or
>two if the swelling can be kept under control. The Doctors in Des Moines

   I can't comment on this;  some things about amputation treatment
   have changed since 1970.

>(that's one that not everybody I know will be getting!). I was rather
>shocked when the lady who was teaching me how to wrap mentioned that I
>would probably want to buy a wheelchair. Is that really necessary? I

   It depends.  Can you bear weight on the left leg?  Are there any
   problems with it?  I do not have a rod in femur, but have an
   amputation (other side) at similar location.  I used a wheelchair
   (not all the time) while waiting for my temporary prosthesis.
   I used a wheelchair for a couple of months when I had the
   amputation revised in 1973 (children often need an amputation
   revised after growing taller).  I never used wheelchair-only.
   I do own crutches, and they stay fairly dusty.
   Who is "the lady who was teaching you to wrap"?  Is she
   an LPN, a physical therapist, a physician's assistant, or
   a prosthetist?  How much experience does she have in judging how
   active a patient will be, or how transparent an adjustment they will
   mak?e Possibly you have another health condition which is more
   serious than a simple amputation, and she was concerned about
   that.  Possibly she has no experience or education with which
   to dispense her advice, and she only thinks she is being helpful.
   You may get more useful advice from prosthetists and physical
   therapists.  Walking on crutches is tiring, and it will take
   time to build your stamina.  However, some of the places where
   you might have trouble covering ground on crutches (shopping malls,
   grocery stores) rent or loan wheelchairs.

   [ deleted text ]
>        My work as a "Computer Specialist" with USDA-NASS is at least
>not hurting at this point - well not TOO bad. Just before the

   One big benefit of being a federal employee is that you have
access to health insurance which does not exclude coverage for
pre-existing conditions.  I was quite happy with Blue Cross when
I was a federal employee.


--
-- Esther Lumsdon, not speaking for Verdix.   esther%verdix.com@uunet.uu.net
Q: How many user support people does it take to change a light bulb?
A: We have an exact copy of the light bulb here and it seems to be
   working fine.  Can you tell me what kind of system you have?




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Subject: The Life Threatening Reality of Clinton's Health Reform
From: covici@ccs.covici.com (John Covici)
Organization: Covici Computer Systems

THE LIFE-THREATENING REALITY BEHIND CLINTON'S HEALTH REFORM
PLAN

CLUB OF LIFE by Linda Everett President-elect Bill Clinton made
lots of promises on the campaign trail about guaranteeing health
care for everyone.  But with each promise came the unvarnished
statement that his proposal ``saves the most'' money.
And the savings will come from gutting you and your family's
health care or Medicare or Medicaid--and much more. Clinton's
plan ``will tightly contain costs so that they rise no faster
than wages.'' So, as U.S. wages plummet to Third World levels
(thanks among other things to Clinton's support for NAFTA) we're
thrown back to Dark Age medicine.
First, Clinton would have a committee cap national and state
health care budgets to limit all public and private costs. The
artificial cap has nothing to do with our country's medical
needs. It does not address the 39 million uninsured and 15 million
underinsured families. Many of these people are uninsured because
they were {denied} coverage due to chronic or pre-existing problems,
and they need significant treatment.
Clinton's ``managed competition'' would have states dictate
the maximum which a doctor, insurer, hospital, or clinic would
receive for meeting all the health needs of one person. Like
health mantainance organizations (HMOs), when a provider spends
more than the flat rate or capitation fee allowed per patient,
it loses money.  Clinton says this ``incentive'' helps doctors
``reduce bureaucracy, eliminate duplicative technology, and
stop waste.'' Like HMOs and their hybrids, PPOs, IPOs, etc.,
managed care stresses preventive care, and financially rewards
doctors {not} to refer you for costly tests or specialists--exactly
the things that are needed in chronic or life-threatening conditions.
Kickbacks are illegal for doctors in traditional medicine but,
in managed care, they become ``incentives''! And Clinton says
he'll stop fraud? That {is} fraud.
-  `Managed Care' Kills - We'll never know how many people
were harmed or killed when denied care in managed plans, but
we do know that rigid cost-containment and managed care policies
contributed to soaring medical malpractice suits in the 1980s.
Yet, Clinton's tort reform plans more ``savings'' by cutting
out even more ``unnecessary tests.'' His reforms protect doctors
only if they adhere to ``approved'' national treatment protocols.
Since insurers are required by the Clinton package to provide
only basic primary benefits, it is unlikely the guidelines will
allow life-saving treatments (called ``futile care'') for those
who'll ``die soon anyway''--exactly the people who need life-saving
treatment!
Clinton's plan hinges on ``managed competition'' and forces
hospitals and doctors into cutthroat competition to undercut
the actual costs of providing services. This will devastate
already overburdened, understaffed hospitals, forcing more time
to be spent, not on treating patients, but on justifying every
aspect of prescribed care to the managed care industry. The
industry itself shifts billions of dollars out of health care
into management.
Employers, given tax credits, are required to insure employees,
buying from private insurers or publicly sponsored purchasing
groups that pool together small businesses and individuals to
buy private coverage.  Such groups will provide coverage and
sliding-scale premiums for nonworkers and people on Medicaid.
-  Abuse of the Elderly - Clinton promises more care for the
elderly and disabled, by scrapping the Health Care Financing
Administration which oversees Medicare. But his plan to subject
all non-managed-care insurance payments to budgetary limits
will drive even more doctors out of treating Medicare patients.
Some doctors can no longer {afford} to treat only people on
Medicare now.
And, where are all those ``unnecessary'' Medicare services he'll
cut to provide rehabilitative services for the elderly and the
disabled? His promises are cruelest here, striking at the hopes
of the elderly and disabled, who have historically been simply
{abused} by many for-profit and other managed programs.
If aspects of Clinton's plan sound okay, like open enrollment
and insurance premiums based on a community rate, ask yourself:
How can you win in the context of a plan which is geared to
cut use of medical services, and is willing to do so at the
sacrifice of human life?

From New Federalist, V6, #43.


----
         John Covici
          covici@ccs.covici.com





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Subject: Re: New Amputee - Intro letr
From: knyal@ils.nwu.edu (Jarrett Knyal)
Organization: Institute for the Learning Sciences

In article <25611@handicap.news> Bill.Scrivner@f202.n285.z1.fidonet.org (Bill
Scrivner) writes:
>Index Number: 25611
>
>Hello to ANY and EVERY one!
>
>     This is sort of an introductory note and I hope it generates at
>least some response - I feel pretty trapped at the moment and this
>is my way out.

<lots of personal account stuff deleted>

>        Guess I've cried about long enough to everyone for now. Hope to
>hear back from some of you soon.
>        Thanks everyone for the shoulder - I needed it.
>

No problem Bill.  One good thing about being in a rehab hospital
for four months was that it was pretty hard to feel sorry for
yourself amidst some of the other situations that you find yourself
surrounded with.  After a while I guess I stopped comparing because
someone might be worse off than you in one way but better off in
another.  Besides, comparing really gets you nowhere fast.  I do
believe that there can be some consolotion derived from an exchange
of "war stories" so here, briefly, is what happened to me 7 (wow!)
years ago:

I was on a roof when the 2 X 4 I was holding came in contact with a
power line.  The current went up the wood and in my left hand,
burning it badly, along with my right hand and legs.  I then
proceeded to fall off the roof and break my back at the T4 (mid
chest) level and was paralyzed.  It was not one of my better days,
let me tell ya!  I was 21 years old.  I was flown to a Spinal Cord
Injury center here in Chicago where I spent 6 mo.  The account of
that might make a good book someday but I won't go into it now.
Anyhoo, they tried to save my left hand but they couldn't due to
the extensive burns.  I lost it ten days after the accident.
Now,for anyone, losing a hand would be a big deal.  For a
paraplegic, losing a hand is much worse.  For a paraplegic who was
a left-handed art major, it was even worse!  I'm like, "Great, what
am I going to do now."  Well, I decided to make art on the computer
by programming because you don't really have to have manual
dexterity for that. Well that was seven years ago and today I
actually make a living creating art on a computer, although I'm
not a programmer.  My right hand has about 95% of the ability my
left hand did and today the drawings I do (with traditional media)
look as good or better than the ones I used to do with my left hand.

I've done very well since my accident in terms of getting my life
together, thanks to the support of many people.  In some ways,
strangely enough, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
It taught me what is really important in life and what isn't.  If
someone asked me if I wished this never happened to me, of course
I'd say yes but what I really wish is that I could be made whole
again, having gone through the experience.

You're right when you said a wheelchair is cumbersome.  I use one
to get around all the time.  But, at least to me, being able to get
around is more important than not being able to get around at all.
You've got to look at what you have, not what you don't have.
O.K., your wife is divorcing you, that's a shitty situation. As a
child who went through the divorce of my parents I know, but at
least you've got three kids, at least one of whom still cares about
you.  I don't know if I'll EVER get married, let alone have any
kids.  I'm not lamenting, I'm just trying to help you see how much
you've got left even though your foot is gone.

I believe the bottom line is this:  If you act like a pathetic
amputee, that's how you'll be treated.  If you pick yourself up and
look to the future with hope and determination, people will treat
you with respect and dignity, instead of with pity.

Don't get me wrong, I think being a paraplegic amputee (God, what a
title!) SUCKS!  I get down sometimes.  You'd have to be a robot not
to.  But don't wallow in self-pity, letting it squash your life.
It doesn't sound like you're letting it.  You're working at home
and looking forward to returning to work.  I'm sure things will get
better for you.

The whole time when I was in rehab, during the worst of times, I
kept in mind that things would get better, that I would smile and
laugh again.  Well, I have and I'm really glad I'm here to do it.
Take care and consider this shoulder open any time.




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                  End of Issue # 3020 of the Handicap Digest

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