Shengyangwood.com

We are reaching the next stage in the legal cases to decide whether Obamacare is constitutional. For those of you who have been sleeping through the debate, here’s a quick summary. The Democrats passed a law establishing a mandate. The people with the means to buy insurance to pay for their medical expenses must buy. Many children, retirees and the poor are excluded because they are eligible to receive subsidized care. To give people the chance to buy insurance, many rules have been amended, for example, insurers are now prohibited from refusing cover because of a pre-existing condition. The hope is the combination of the law and new regulations will bring millions more people into the ranks of the insured.

One of the “big” cases was heard by Judge Roger Vinson in Florida. He produced what can only be described as a dramatic decision, striking the whole of Obamacare down as unconstitutional. In many ways the Judge gave a political rather than a legal decision, describing the current situation as parallel to the Boston Tea Party revolt against the tax on tea imposed by the British. It’s a call to arms and, to ensure the maximum impact for his judgment, he put the appeal on fast track. The GOP wants the case to reach the Supreme Court as soon possible, hoping the Republican appointees will agree with Judge Vinson. Standing in their way is the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Three judges, drawn by lot, are due to hear the case this June. Two of the three were appointed by President Clinton.

People usually point to the mandates for auto insurance, but this is different. You get a choice whether to drive. You don’t have a choice on whether you fall ill. The real argument comes down to this. When people have no insurance and cannot pay their hospital bills, the hospitals add the debts to their overheads and pass on the costs to the insurance companies as increased bills. If there’s still a shortfall, they get the taxpayer to contribute. So forcing people to buy insurance means lower premiums for the insured and less demand for taxpayers to contribute. Those who refuse to buy insurance will have to pay more tax. Either way, there must be more money available to pay for health care since the plan to clamp down on the rising cost of drugs was not included in the new law. Read the rest of this entry »

When looking around the market for life cover, the first thing you notice is how much cheaper it is to insure your life with a term policy. When you are young, it can look a good option to buy term. The alternative of a permanent policy is going to take a bigger slice of your disposable income. You are not sure it’s worth the pain. This may well look the right decision but, when you take the longer view, what starts out a struggle to afford becomes increasingly affordable as inflation takes effect. But if you buy one term policy after another, the premium rate rises each time. Equally if you look to switch to a permanent policy, you are that much older and, again, the premium rates on a new policy will be higher.

A good compromise can therefore be to buy a term policy with the right to convert to a permanent policy. Why should you seriously consider paying a little more for this right? The first part of the answer comes in the total loss of all the premium installments you have paid. Once a term policy lapses because you stop paying or the term expires, there are no refunds. All the money you paid is gone. But if you convert to a permanent policy, you retain the value of the installments paid. The second part comes with the fact this is a right. Should your health suffer after you take out a term policy, that new health problem means you will probably be refused a second policy or the premium rate will be high. If you have a right to convert, this is not a new policy so none of the rules about pre-existing conditions affect you. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s easy to think the onset of erectile dysfunction is the end of the world. You’ve been satisfied with your life. Self-confidence was high. Then suddenly problems with sexual performance. The one thing you always assumed you could rely on is no longer reliable. Then you remember the erectile dysfunction drugs and it’s easy to think they will solve all the problems. That’s what all the marketers hope you’ll think as the brand names pop up in your mind. Except the loss of sexual performance always happens in a social context. You may be single and changing partners, or have a steady relationship. Either way, your partner(s) noticed the problem. Now let’s be real. It’s impossible to be in the mood every time the opportunity presents itself. If you’ve had a little too much to drink or you’re distracted by problems at work, the apology and explanation will usually be accepted without hesitation. But recognize the issue here. Your partner will notice if you get her in the mood and then fail to deliver. At the very least, it’s frustrating. It may also trigger insecurities and worry.

There are many reasons why you may fail and some of them are not so flattering to your partner. Have you stopped finding her attractive? Have you been seeing other women and so are too tired to keep your steady partner satisfied? Partners also live in the real world and read about sexual problems when they happen. Without much effort they can discover erectile dysfunction in younger men can be a sign of danger. The statistics show there’s risk of a stroke or heart attack within five years if you are not yet 40 years old. They want you to have a check-up, but are reluctant to raise the issue with you.

So you should discuss possible causes and see a doctor to have all the tests. This may save your life. But don’t imagine this solves all the problems. Some men find the pills don’t work the first time. They change the dose, change the brand until they find the right combination for a happy life. Some find they experience side effects. This is relatively rare, but you can’t ignore the fact you may find the “pain” is not worth the “gain”. Finally, there’s the loss of spontaneity. In all the as-needed drugs, you have to ask you partner in advance whether this is a night for sex. This is unromantic. How you manage this is something you must discuss with your partner. Whatever the agreed solution must match both sets of preferences to avoid taking the pills and then wasting the opportunity. Read the rest of this entry »

The world of sexual activity is full of myths and legends, one of the more common being the early claims that erectile dysfunction drugs acted like a condom. This always was a triumph of wishful thinking over reality. There’s no way a drug designed to dilate arteries can act like a physical barrier to prevent either the transmission of disease or pregnancy as the outcome. If you want “safe sex” in all senses of the words, you have to use a condom. Yet there are a surprising number of men who either never got into the habit when young or now find the idea of “natural” sex more appealing. This despite the continuing threat of HIV infection among both the heterosexual and homosexual communities. Well, unlike learning to drive a car, no one needs a license to enjoy sex. So long as you have passed the minimum age barrier, you are free to catch as many diseases as you wish.

Except, when erectile dysfunction starts to appear this can make the use of a condom challenging. Actually putting the condom on while less than fully erect is reasonably easy. But keeping it on if the erection does not stay hard is difficult. Once penetration has been achieved, it’s quite easy to leave the condom behind which is, to say the least, embarrassing. Worse, it can immediately expose the penis to natural body fluids and result in the transmission of disease or an unwanted pregnancy.

A manufacturer has identified this as a market opportunity and has produced a condom filled with a gel designed to work in the same way as the erectile dysfunction drugs. The advertising claims the wearer will keep the condom on and will enjoy a harder erection for longer. The gel is chemically different from the three erectile dysfunction drugs, but achieves the same result of dilating the penile artery. It’s derived from a drug used to treat angina, a heart condition caused by constriction in the blood vessels passing through the chest and lungs.

This is quite an interesting idea because it may encourage more men to continue using condoms. Unfortunately, there’s no evidence of clinical trials to justify the claims of effectiveness. We would all have more faith in the product if there were formal comparisons between the gel and the pills. As it is, we’re left to speculate on how effective and safe this gel is. Remember, this is not just something that might affect the men involved. Before, during and after condom use, the gel may pass to the woman – without there being any tests to find out whether this is safe for women, including pregnant women. So far, there’s no word of any application being made to the FDA for the use of the gel in this way. For the time being this means the condom cannot be sold over the counter here. Read the rest of this entry »