Houses Passes Health Care

Last night, at 11:15, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill for health care reform.  219 Democrats and 1 Republican, Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted for the bill while 39 Democrats and 176 Republicans voted against it.  The bill was passed 220 to 215.

Highlights of the bill require all Americans to buy insurance and all medium and large business to supply health insurance to their employees.  People will be able to chose their insurance including a public option which will provide health care for the uninsured who can't get insurance in their jobs.  A tax increase for  people who make more than $500,000 a year will help the lower income Americans pay for their insurance.  And most importantly, at least from my viewpoint, the bill will prohibit insurance companies for excluding people because of pre-exsisting conditions!  It's about time.

This is history.  Various Senators and Congressmen have been working for approximately forty years for healht care reform.  This is the closes we have ever come.

Now we just have to wait and see what the Senate is going to do.   I'm hoping they too will pass the bill.

Here's a link to an article about the historic vote:
House Narrowly Passes Historic Health Care Bill

Warning Signs

I wanted to post some of the warning signs for melanoma.  I was going to paraphrase the descriptions, but I would rather not lose anything in translation.  The information below is the Melanoma Warning Sings found on Skin Cancer Net http://www.skincarephysicians.com/skincancernet/melanoma.html.

"1. Asymmetry. If you could fold the lesion in two, the two halves would not match.

2. Border. Melanomas often have uneven or blurred borders.

3. Color. Melanoma typically is not one solid color; rather it contains mixed shades of tan, brown, and black.  It can also show traces of red, blue or white. 

4. Diameter. While melanomas are usually greater than 6 millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser) when diagnosed, they can be smaller. If you notice a mole different from others, or which changes, itches, or bleeds even if it is smaller than 6 millimeters, you should see a dermatologist.

 

5. Evolving. A mole or skin lesion that looks different from the rest or is changing in size, shape or color.

Other warning signs of melanoma include:

• Change in the appearance of a mole, such as the spreading of the pigment from the border of the mole into the surrounding skin
  
  
• A mole that looks scaly, oozes, or bleeds
  
  
• Itching, tenderness, or pain in a mole or lesion
  
  
• Brown or black streak that appears underneath a nail or around the nail
  
  
• Bruise on the foot that does not heal"
  
  Pictures of the four types of Melanoma can be found here: http://www.skincarephysicians.com/skincancernet/four_types.html
  
  

If you have any of these signs, please play it safe and go to a dermatologist.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.  I also want to stress the importance of listening to your gut.  If you have mole, and you just have the feeling that something isn't right, go with your gut.  Go to the doctor and get it looked at.  My mole, didn't look like ANY of the pictures on the net and didn't really fit into any of the warning signs.  If it didn't start bleeding, I would have just let it go.  And now where would I be?

Quick Update

I just wanted to post a quick update.

The hole has finally closed up.  It is now at the lovely stage scab stage, and is itchy, but it is finally closed.  And it has finally stopped draining.  I am so happy that i can finally stop putting adhesive tape on my poor back.  Now it is just a matter of time until the scabs fall off.  I was even able to cancel my doctor appointment on Monday. Now I won't have to go in until March for my checkup.

I filled out the form to General Hospital to see if they will lower the amount that I owe, and am waiting for the final verdict.  Noth that I am expecting them to lower it much because of the amount of money in my "car fund".  Why didn't I buy a car as soon as I found out about the melanoma?