South Portland doctor stops accepting insurance, posts prices online
"The family physician stopped accepting all forms of health insurance. In early 2013, Ciampi sent a letter to his patients informing them that he would no longer accept any kind of health coverage, both private and government-sponsored. Given that he was now asking patients to pay for his services out of pocket, he posted his prices on the practice’s website. ... But the decision to do away with insurance allows Ciampi to practice medicine the way he sees fit, he said. Insurance companies no longer dictate how much he charges. He can offer discounts to patients struggling with their medical bills. He can make house calls."
“I’m freed up to do what I think is right for the patients,” Ciampi said. “If I’m providing them a service that they value, they can pay me, and we cut the insurance out as the middleman and cut out a lot of the expense.” Ciampi expects more doctors will follow suit. Some may choose to run “concierge practices” in which patients pay to keep a doctor on retainer, he said."
It seems to me that the unintended consequences of Obamacare may indeed re-define the practice of medicine as we have known it in this generation. Those options listed in just this one excerpt are radical- but I like the notion of house calls and a concierge practice. Also, any way we can cut out the government middleman seems good to me.Israel's History in Pictures
"A 110-year-old trove of pictures taken by the Christian photographers of the American Colony in Jerusalem provides dramatic proof of thriving Jewish communities in what was then called Palestine, the name given to the area by the Romans hundreds of years before Islam came into existence and Arab hordes attacked the land to spread the word of Muhammed by the sword. Hundreds of pictures show the ancient Jewish community of Jerusalem’s Old City and the Jewish pioneers and builders of new towns and settlements in the Galilee and along the Mediterranean coastline. The American Colony photographers recorded Jewish holy sites, holiday scenes and customs..."
The link to the site where the photos are is IsraelDailyPicture.com Like this one-"Plowing with a cow and a camel (circa 1900)"
Photos can not only be proof, as they are above, but in these days they can be used for manipulation of the truth. This is an interesting story from Israel-
The infamous Haaretz photo that was never actually printed in Haaretz
A photograph cropped in two ways, captioned with two newspapers, Haaretz and Makor Rishon, purported to show left-wing vs. right-wing photojournalism. The only problem: Neither newspaper actually published the photo in question.
For some weeks, upset subscribers and other Haaretz readers have been asking the newspaper for clarifications about the “cropped photograph” being shared on social networks with the caption, “Who hit whom?” Everyone was convinced that Haaretz ran that photograph recently and that someone caught us red-handed."
The investigation into this libel found that the "accusatory" photo was actually an Associated Press picture from 7 years ago. The internet, with all its instant social media, has been a boon to humankind, but also a cautionary tale. It is increasingly used for manipulation hoaxes and outright libel. In the Tribulation, media will be used to allow peoples from every tongue, tribe, and nation to gaze at the dead bodies of the two witnesses on the street of Jerusalem. How will manipulations such as the photo cropping be extended to its worst facets in the Tribulation? undoubtedly to promote the antichrist and all his 'good works' such as forming a peace treaty, his "miraculous" signs and wonders, his "resurrection" from the wound he is prophesied to receive, and to make the image of the beast come alive. (Daniel 9:27, Revelation 13:3, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, Revelation 13:5)
The US is neglecting maritime Asia just as tensions are at highest level. See this story from The Diplomat. Remember that in end time prophecy fulfillment there will be a large army marching from Asia. (Revelation 9:13-16). Asia will figure prominently in the final wars.
Deleterious Neglect: Will the U.S. Navy Surrender Maritime Asia?
"The Chinese navy's surface forces are on the march. Destroyers, frigates, corvettes, fast-attack craft, and, most recently, the newly commissioned aircraft carrier comprise the surface fleet. Over the past two decades, the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) has put to sea four Sovremenny-class guided-missile destroyers procured from Russia, along with ten new classes of indigenously built destroyers and frigates. Some of the latter ship types have entered serial production, adding mass to the fleet. This is an impressive feat by any standard. The PLA Navy's metamorphosis from a coastal defense force into a modern naval service has riveted the attention of the U.S. defense community. In 2009 the Office of Naval Intelligence — a body not known for hyperbole — described the advances of China's surface fleet as "remarkable."
Steve Herman is a reporter for Voice of America in Asia. He tweeted this week, "#ROK foreign minister warns #jejuforum that growing historical, territorial & maritime tension in E. Asia could lead to "physical conflict."
Island dispute continues to test Japan-China-US relations
"Three Chinese maritime surveillance ships entered Japanese-claimed waters near the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea on Sunday. These incursions are becoming commonplace and they test not just China's relationship with Japan but also the long-running security relationship Japan has with the US. At what point would the US step in to help its ally?"
On a personal note, today is the last day of school for teachers. Starting tomorrow I have all the time in the world to read, study, and write. Happy summer!
