Doubled the cost of my cab today, or BE CAREFUL

[shmokes]

I was hanging the back door on my cab today and I dropped it on my toe.  Stupidly I was not wearing shoes.  I know better, and I am usually a nancy-boy about following safety rules.  But I made an exception and now I'm minus a toe nail and probably have a fractured toe (I wouldn't let them x-ray it).  At any rate, I'm in a good deal of pain.  In other news, for the past month I've been without health insurance for the first time in 11 or 12 years.  So the single biggest cost of building my own arcade cabinet is toe repair.  

Be careful.

[BobA]

Must be some part of Murphy's Law working here.   Dropped a part sheet of MDF on my toe and had alot of pain but did not loose the nail.  Then I dropped a metal welded chair frame on my foot and did a whole lot of damage.   Really hurts more when the health care is not in force.  Thank God for universal health care in Canada.

[shmokes]

Thank God for universal health care in Canada.

Yeah, I was up late last night talking to my brother about that very thing just last night.  I was telling him about how Americans are taxed per capita more than Canadians for health care, but that in return for their taxes every single Canadian has full health coverage and it's a crime.  We talked about the state of American health care for at least an hour last night.  And then today . . . WHAM!!!

[WhereEaglesDare]

Oh god not this again   

[Turnarcades]

Well I guess that's score one for the Brits - Tax is too much, National Insurance is high, but at least if we fall ill we ain't gotta front a thing - very handy if you need it just once in your life. I had a stroke with 2 months in hospital, 3 years of aftercare and numerous further investigations and to top it all I had private madical insurance too that gave me a fixed amount for every night I spent in hospital, so I had thousands pay out from that!

Sure the weather sucks and the economy is stillfaltering, but at least we're in good hands if we have an accident.

[amendonz]

Yeah you guys have it bad, in new zealand it's universal.

[Funnel]

     

Seriously that must have hurt real bad... I'll be extra careful when working on my cab now.

[shmokes]

I honestly thought about pics when it first happened.  The nail was completely detached except for a hang-nail sized piece of dead skin on either side, which I snipped.  It was disturbing . . . just horrible looking.  Then I snipped off the nail and it was just gross.  So much blood.  But I was in quite a lot of pain and my wife was panicking and would have been pissed if I asked for the camera, lol.  I'll take a pick in a couple days when the dressing comes off.  It won't be as bad (good?) but it'll still prob look pretty gross.

[ids]

Thank God for universal health care in Canada.

+1

I can see as many doctors as I want, as often as I want, wherever I want, for any or no reason at all.  Total cost?  Uh...no such thing as paying, you gotta be kidding me!   Those neighbours who lost everything to cover health care costs?  Not in this country.

Sorry, getting off the soapbox now

[Turnarcades]

Dude, I had to have both my big toenails removed from ingrowing toenails I got in my basketball days. It's nasty ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- for quite a while, and if you drop anything on your toe afterwards it's seriously painful cos it bruises the bone - believe me I've done it a few times!

[SavannahLion]

But I made an exception and now I'm minus a toe nail

Long story short, I've had every single one of my toe nails fall off in a span of something like a week and a half. I walked around in sandals for over six months while they healed.

[RayB]

I thought the uninsured had Obamacare now?

[SavannahLion]

I thought the uninsured had Obamacare now?

<sigh> Do you really have to bring that up?

I believe that portion of the bill doesn't kick in until 2014 and the entire bill doesn't go into effect until 2018. In effect, no, not yet.

[CapriRS302]

If healthcare costs were really more of a priority for people, and they actually SAVED and set aside money for such accidents, 4 or 5 hundred dollars here or there wouldn't be a problem.  (The big stuff is a different story)

The problem is that too many people would spend those last dimes on cable tv, LCD tv's, or whatever else, and not even put possible healthcare needs on their list.

[shmokes]

In other news, respect your tools and materials.  Never forget they're dangerous, and never let your guard down.

[eds1275]

I live in Canada and yeah we have decent healthcare. It's not as free as they'd have you think.. this MSP [medical services plan] sucks. It's kinda like how education is free from grades k-12 [here's a list of supplies you need to buy]. Granted it's not too expensive... but they do base how much you pay based on your income. Which is stupid, they should make it the same for everyone. There's a message about equality somewhere in there.

I just wonder why dental care isn't included. There's an old saying, "healthy mouth, healthy body". I'm not expecting anything cosmetic but the regular bits should be covered - cleanings, checkups, etc etc.

Sucks about your toe, sucks about the "health care system" - seems like there isn't much of one. Health care insurance is IMO a money-making sham. Health care is a basic need, and should be provided for everyone just as food, water and shelter is offered to people in need.

[ark_ader]

Dropped a desk on my big toe and I can understand how bad the pain you must be feeling.

Lost the nail and destroyed the nail matrix.  I had to have surgery on it to repair the matrix as the nail went bad and ingrown.

Hope you get some time to get your toe looked at.  My uncle had a similar injury and he lost a few of his toes to infection.

No point messing around with something your whole body weight is on for the rest of your life.

Oh BTW if you were wearing sneakers at the time - the odds of the same damage happening would be the same.

[Ed_McCarron]

In other news, respect your tools and materials.  Never forget they're dangerous, and never let your guard down.

Yeah.  And learn how to handle MDF.

[shmokes]

Dropped a desk on my big toe and I can understand how bad the pain you must be feeling.

Lost the nail and destroyed the nail matrix.  I had to have surgery on it to repair the matrix as the nail went bad and ingrown.

Hope you get some time to get your toe looked at.  My uncle had a similar injury and he lost a few of his toes to infection.

No point messing around with something your whole body weight is on for the rest of your life.

Oh BTW if you were wearing sneakers at the time - the odds of the same damage happening would be the same.

If I was wearing sneakers I'd have been fine.  It might have hurt, maybe not.  Seriously, the board dropped about one foot.  I'm not talking steel-toe.  Regular shoes would have saved me.  Stupid.

[shmokes]

In other news, respect your tools and materials.  Never forget they're dangerous, and never let your guard down.

Yeah.  And learn how to handle MDF.

My guess is that that comment is aimed at Chad, but to respond anyway, MDF is a material.

[WhereEaglesDare]

Can't afford any sort of emergency heathcare plan for catastrophic injuries like breaking a toe....

Can afford to build arcade cabinets....

 

[shmokes]

Sigh . . . I just finished school.  Insurance ended when I finished school.  I'll have a job soon.  Insurance will begin when I have a job.  This is the country in which we live.  Stop trolling.

[WhereEaglesDare]

Cool, what did you goto school for?

[SavannahLion]

Lost the nail and destroyed the nail matrix.  I had to have surgery on it to repair the matrix as the nail went bad and ingrown.

There's a matrix? It can be repaired? I had absolutely no idea such a thing was possible.

[shmokes]

Cool, what did you goto school for?

Being evil

[EwJ]

Lost the nail and destroyed the nail matrix.  I had to have surgery on it to repair the matrix as the nail went bad and ingrown.

There's a matrix? It can be repaired? I had absolutely no idea such a thing was possible.

Yes.  Take the red pill.

[saint]

Sigh . . . I just finished school.  Insurance ended when I finished school.  I'll have a job soon.  Insurance will begin when I have a job.  This is the country in which we live.  Stop trolling.

No COBRA coverage?

[hypernova]

Can't afford any sort of emergency heathcare plan for catastrophic injuries like breaking a toe....

I don't know about any of you, but a broken toe is hardly catastrophic in my book.  Financially...eehhhhhhhhhh maybe.

Lost the nail and destroyed the nail matrix.

If I didn't know anything about nail anatomy, this would be the coolest statement in this thread, without a doubt.  Hell, it probably still is.

[JustMichael]

I am surprised that no told shmokes that he nailed it...

And yes I know that one deserves a

[shateredsoul]

If healthcare costs were really more of a priority for people, and they actually SAVED and set aside money for such accidents, 4 or 5 hundred dollars here or there wouldn't be a problem.  (The big stuff is a different story)

The problem is that too many people would spend those last dimes on cable tv, LCD tv's, or whatever else, and not even put possible healthcare needs on their list.

or like my parents who put all their money on their kids, clothing us, making sure we visited doctors/dentists as a consequence they couldn't afford it for themselves nor could they save when we were barely making ends meat.  So for a low income family 4 or 5 hundred dollars is a hell of a lot of money.

[Ed_McCarron]

Sigh . . . I just finished school.  Insurance ended when I finished school.  I'll have a job soon.  Insurance will begin when I have a job.  This is the country in which we live.  Stop trolling.

No COBRA coverage?

He went to law school.  Sure should be COBRA.

In other news, respect your tools and materials.  Never forget they're dangerous, and never let your guard down.

Yeah.  And learn how to handle MDF.

My guess is that that comment is aimed at Chad, but to respond anyway, MDF is a material.

Yes.  Chad reference.

[CheffoJeffo]

I live in Canada and yeah we have decent healthcare. It's not as free as they'd have you think.. this MSP [medical services plan] sucks. It's kinda like how education is free from grades k-12 [here's a list of supplies you need to buy]. Granted it's not too expensive... but they do base how much you pay based on your income. Which is stupid, they should make it the same for everyone. There's a message about equality somewhere in there.

I just wonder why dental care isn't included. There's an old saying, "healthy mouth, healthy body". I'm not expecting anything cosmetic but the regular bits should be covered - cleanings, checkups, etc etc.

You must be a West Coaster ... the charges are set at the provincial level (so different by province) and dental *is* included in Quebec for kids.

And it is nice to see that my ranting about Americans paying more taxes per capita for health care than Canadians pay per capita for health care wasn't in vain.

[shmokes]

And it is nice to see that my ranting about Americans paying more taxes per capita for health care than Canadians pay per capita for health care wasn't in vain.

As for me I figured it out on my own.  The thesis I wrote in 2006 in order to graduate was on the U.S. health care system.  It's amazing, though, that I had to find out this way . . . that no politician in the entire country is willing to capitalize on it and educate the people.  I don't know if they are too hooked on donations from the insurance lobby or don't believe themselves capable of educating the masses about it.  But keep on ranting about it.  Hopefully the message will spread.  There's a lot of damage to be undone, though.  You surely must laugh at this, but Americans are almost universally led to believe that Canadians hate their health care system and envy ours, and that wherever possible they make trips  across the border in order to have access to our health care system, because the doctors in Canada or so inept, and there are waiting lines out the door to see them, like at a new Apple product release.   

Anyway, toe's feeling much better.  I need to follow up with a podiatrist to make sure the nail is gonna grow back right.  I got some pictures, but it might be a little while before I post them.  I'm in the middle of packing up my entire life and moving out of Florida.

[CheffoJeffo]

You surely must laugh at this, but Americans are almost universally led to believe that Canadians hate their health care system and envy ours, and that wherever possible they make trips  across the border in order to have access to our health care system, because the doctors in Canada or so inept, and there are waiting lines out the door to see them, like at a new Apple product release.   

Oh, we have issues, to be sure (first off, we need to spend more than we do). But, as an example, I needed to see a doctor for something minor yesterday and was home 20 minutes later.

[markronz]

+1 to this thread.  Just walked through my work room (that's currently a mess due to arcade work) and I stepped on a rusty nail.  It was that one time I walked through there with no shoes just to grab something real quick.   Luckily, my only cost incurred was a $30 Tetanus shot.   Sorry about your toe!

[Epyx]

As a Canadian thought I would throw in my 2 cents...the system works for casual inquiries and life and death situations but a lot of the middle of the road procedures take way, way too long.  For example, you can wait up to a year to get hernia surgery, 6 months for an MRI etc...going to a private clinic you have to pay here in BC but you get that MRI the same day and your surgery within a week. A co-worker had a choice to spend 6 months in agony waiting for hernia surgery or pay 6K to get it done privately...I bet you know which he chose?

NOw with that said I love our system but the public option isn't as rosy as people would paint it...lots of room for improvement ala the European models.

[ids]

That's the other problem with the Canadian system - it varies from Province to Province.  In Ontario, there is no private system.  But we don't wait as much as in B.C. either, it seems to me.  The Ontario government monitors wait-times to ensure they remain low.  We also don't have that MSP thing mentioned earlier.  However, it's not perfect here either.  But what we definitely aren't missing is the worry over ability to pay for it.  The government doesn't dictate anything about how health care is delivered, they just pay for it.  They do keep an eye on things so as to better target certain kinds of funding (ie. do we need more MRI machines? another hospital?).  The feds basically stay out of it, dictating only the minimal free coverage for the whole country, and sending money to provinces to help pay for it.

Anyway, and hopefully this is obvious; shmokes I hope they get you all fixed up, and that the costs are manageable.  markronz, glad it was only $30.  And this thread (and others) continues to remind me of the mantra "safety first" - thanks.

(fwiw, this months SciAm weights in on the subject too)

[ChadTower]

Thank God for universal health care in Canada.

+1

I can see as many doctors as I want, as often as I want, wherever I want, for any or no reason at all. 

-1. 

When I lived in Canada it was a 6 month wait, at best, for basic preventive screenings.  Anything that was more complex than that would be 9 months of wait.  Surgery that wasn't for a life threatening condition is a year.  I watched my grandfather go mostly blind waiting nearly a year for corrective eye surgery.

Canadian health care works great in the major population centers.  Move someplace like PEI or Southern NS and try it.  It might change your mind.

[shmokes]

Canadian health care works great in the major population centers.  Move someplace like PEI or Southern NS and try it.  It might change your mind.

If you don't live in a major population center can you travel to one for medical care?  If so, that sounds a lot like the U.S.  People in rural areas have to travel to a population center to have anything more complicated than what a G.P. can do.  At best, if you're in a town of 25,000+ you might have an O.B. and a dermatologist and it takes a month to see them.  That is, of course, assuming that you can afford to see them.

[Ed_McCarron]

If you don't live in a major population center can you travel to one for medical care?  

Yeah, but then they need to hitch up the dogs, fend off polar bears... It's a lot of work.