Insurance Premiums

[MannyIsGod]

Not necessarily too far; just that they don't have a campus on-base that does IT courses, and I don't have the time to leave work and get there. (Traffic towards Honolulu is horrible around 4 PM, and it would take me an hour to drive 20 miles.)

As well, they don't have a strong bachelor's degree program, whereas Tulane's off-campus (since it was located next to Keesler AFB, which trains communicators) had a strong IT development program, with various focuses on security, programming, web design, etc etc.

The worst thing is that in order to complete my associates through Tulane, I have to take classes at HPU... but I had to take pre-req classes first before I could even take the classes that Tulane will give me credit for. A huge pain in the ass.

Hopefully you're in a position to finish soon. I put it off all through my 20s and I'm just now finishing and although I don't feel incredibly behind at my ripe old age of 30 I do envy the peers in my classes who are 10 years younger.

[RandomGuy]

I am in no way questioning your statement and literally asking for my own information...

Who hires meteorologists? I mean, I know all the TV stations have their own "meteorologists" but lets face it, you have a face for radio...

Why is there a strong demand for meteorologists with graduate degrees and who hires them?

Shipping companies, and any company that moves things around on the water.

Large agricultural companies, the Department of Agriculture, some larger property and casualty insurers, airlines, etc.

The kinds of companies that would be hiring would probably be in the larger end of the scale.

Here is a good resource:
http://www.theweatherprediction.com/jobs/

More varied than I would have thought.

[RandomGuy]

Premiums are going up and companies are dropping coverage -- and it was part of the design all along.

The socialist plot.

Personally I think health care in the US is broken. We need more socialism rather than less.

BUT

I am more than willing to really give whatever "free market" solutions the right can or wants to come up with a shot.

Repeal health care reform, take the ball and run with it. Do every idea that fits within the realm of your ideology and lets try that.

If, as I suspect, "free market health care" is the abject failure I suspect it to be, we will know for certain.

If it works, then that is awesome too.

At this point, I just want SOMETHING done, because the half-assed system we have isn't working.

As it is, we have HCR coming up. Either it will work or not. Personally I think it was far too watered down to be really much of a solution.

[CosmicCowboy]

Health care isn't broken. It's just too damn good for everyone to afford the latest technology. Period. Until we get over the concept that everyone deserves the latest and greatest health care we won't ever be able to find a solution.

[CosmicCowboy]

Health care rationing in the future is an absolute given.

The question is how we ration it.

There will not ever be a "fair" way to do it...

[TeyshaBlue]

<--- working on his IT degree with Security focus... or was until I got to Hawaii... no good college programs for that here

Who cares? You're in Hawaii, dude!

[LnGrrrR]

Hopefully you're in a position to finish soon. I put it off all through my 20s and I'm just now finishing and although I don't feel incredibly behind at my ripe old age of 30 I do envy the peers in my classes who are 10 years younger.

Eh, not really. I put it off until 25 or so, big mistake. Now I've got too much knowledge/responsibility, and am pretty much on the hook to help if our network goes down. Not to mention that deploying can really put a kink in your classes if they're not a strong online school (Tulane isn't).

I'm still fighting through it though, bit by bit. I'll at least make Bachelor's before I get out (9 years) and some progress towards Master's I'm sure. At least I've got some certs already (Sec+, CCNA).

[LnGrrrR]

Who cares? You're in Hawaii, dude!

I know. Now, if only I could get the almost-year-old kiddo to enjoy the frigging beach...

[TeyshaBlue]

I know. Now, if only I could get the almost-year-old kiddo to enjoy the frigging beach...

Dude...it's hard to believe it's already been a year....

[TeyshaBlue]

Dude...it's hard to believe it's already been a year....

LnGrr's so screwed.

It just starts goin faster after this.

[RandomGuy]

Health care isn't broken. It's just too damn good for everyone to afford the latest technology. Period. Until we get over the concept that everyone deserves the latest and greatest health care we won't ever be able to find a solution.

That solution is rationing. We already do that.

I am more concerned about simple things like the ability to have access to regular medication that keeps people out of hospitals.

[LnGrrrR]

Dude...it's hard to believe it's already been a year....

I know! Time flies. He just started walking more than crawling... need to get a gate for upstairs.

[RandomGuy]

Health care rationing in the future is an absolute given.

The question is how we ration it.

There will not ever be a "fair" way to do it...

We already ration by ability to pay. That is how goods and services are distributed in a free market system.

If you value something enough, you will pay for it. Therefore the supply will be sold to everybody who values something enough to pay what the going price is.

Self rationing according to ability to pay.

Where this starts to break down is that health care is also distributed on a fee per service basis by physicians and other health care providers, providing a rather perverse incentive to give patients far more care than they probably really need.

That and some defensive medicine, and you get some real demand drivers.

Fee for service is another hallmark of our free market solution. The brainy brains in health care are trying to find something different.

[RandomGuy]

I know! Time flies. He just started walking more than crawling... need to get a gate for upstairs.

Just don't lose your health insurance. HA.

Seriously, though, hope you are enjoying this.

That and watching nanny 9-11 and other similar shows. There are no bad kids, merely bad parents. The nannies in those shows tend to have advanced degrees in child development.

My wife and I learned a lot from them.

Mean what you say. Empty threats are a sure way to bad behavior.
Attach consequences to actions.
Establish clear rules.
Lots and lots of positive comments. Easy to be negative, harder to keep from being nothing but negative. Kids shut down if negative is all you use.
Talk and communicate. Make sure kids understand it is bad behavior you are mad at, not the kid specifically.

Anyhoo gotta get going.

[LnGrrrR]

LnGrr's so screwed.

It just starts goin faster after this.

I know... but I look forward to the day where we can wrestle, play ball and things of that nature.

[LnGrrrR]

Just don't lose your health insurance. HA.

Let's just say that losing health insurance for active duty military is unlikely to happen.

That and watching nanny 9-11 and other similar shows. There are no bad kids, merely bad parents. The nannies in those shows tend to have advanced degrees in child development.

Yeah, my wife and I have watched a ton of those. Pretty amazing, really, what they're able to do.

Mean what you say. Empty threats are a sure way to bad behavior.
Attach consequences to actions.
Establish clear rules.
Lots and lots of positive comments. Easy to be negative, harder to keep from being nothing but negative. Kids shut down if negative is all you use.
Talk and communicate. Make sure kids understand it is bad behavior you are mad at, not the kid specifically.

I'm big on communication. Of course, it's not really vaild right NOW, but I figure he'll get it as he gets older. And my wife's the real disciplinarian, but I try to help.