My 2 Cents On Health Care Reform

As someone who both lived many years overseas and presently works in the Health Care Industry I feel that I am qualified to speak out on this, maybe the greatest domestic issue of our time since Civil Rights. We are the only "modern" industrialized country to leave a considerable percent of its population without health care. We owe it to ourselves, if we truly want to be the glowing example of democracy and engage in worldwide nation building, to show that we can take care of our own.

I lived in Germany in my young adult years and had my own business there for 10 years. There has always been a centralized government run health care system. The AOK or Algemine Orts Krakenkasse is the mainstay of this system. Because there are laws and this is mandatory, everybody pays. It is also possible to buy private insurance on the open market or become a "Private Patient" or cash payer which providers deal with at their own risk. In 18 years I never had a problem with the AOK, everything was covered and I could see whomever I wanted. The only involvement on their part was to remind me to get check-ups. They have had and presently do have a government in Germany which is fiscally very conservative and even to the right of our right, but would not dream of giving up this system.

Since my return to the USA I was self-employed for years in the beginning until I got sick, could not keep the money coming in; lost my Health Care, my house, my business and just about everything else. I was able to re-build again and am now employed full time and run a successful Internet business on the side. I still have considerable health issues so it is impossible for me to get insurance unless I am within a large company plan. Unfortunately as it is I pay so much in co-pays that it is hardly worth it and whenever I need a procedure or new medicine there is always a battle with the underwriter as to where I can go and what I can have. The nightmare scenario for me is that I get really sick and drag my family down with me again.

As stated above I am presently working in the Health Care Industry and have some first hand insight in this business. In the last few years I have seen several hospitals close in this area and can say for a fact that bad debt is what closed them. That is to say there are too many people that rely on the Emergency Room as their primary access to health care. A portion of the cost of treating these patients is added onto all our insurance premiums. The rest is "Bad Debt" write offs for the institution and missed tax revenue for the government. All hospitals carry way more bad debt than they can write off and many collapse under the weight.

More Bang For The Buck

Probably the hardest part of dealing with a PC that just isn't getting it done anymore is contemplating the price of replacing it or paying someone (like us) $50 an hour plus parts to upgrade it. The truth of the matter is that there are several free maintenance programs built into Windows and a host of freeware programs online that can make your system run 10 - 50% better. It is also possible with a little web savvy to improve performance of you PC above the 50% simply by adding $100 - $200 in upgrades that easily plug right into the Main Board (aka Mother Board).

Part of any regular system maintenance should be a periodic disk clean-up and defragmentation. If you save and delete a lot of information fragments of this information are left on your hard drive and windows has to navigate through the "trash" to find the data you are seeking. On the same note, installing programs, surfing the internet, downloading plugins and other activities create a host of cookies, temporary and log files that you will never need again. These Windows System Tools can be run relatively safely though it is recommended that you create a restore point and/or backup before you run them. These are paths in Windows XP:

1. Start***Programs***Accessories***System Tools***System Restore

2. Start***Programs***Accessories***System Tools***Backup

3. Start***Programs***Accessories***System Tools***Disk Cleanup

4. Start***Programs***Accessories***System Tools***Disk Defragmenter

On the hardware side the easiest way to boost performance is to upgrade the memory and the video card. Most systems out of the box have an 50-100% upgrade path already built in. That means that most of the time your system allows you to almost double the memory and video performance on your motherboard. Windows 32bit systems and that includes XP and Vista can "see" or handle up to 3GB or 3000MB of memory. Some systems, especially laptops will reallocate memory over 3GB to the onboard video. So the first thing to do is check your PC book or Google your PC Model # and Memory Upgrade to see what kind and how much memory you can install. There are 3 basic types of commonly used memory types today, PC100/133, DDR, and DDR2. Your PC Manual or Manufacturer Website should give exact specifications including how many memory slots your board has available, what is already in use and what configuration upgrade possibilities exist. Then it is simply a matter of Googleing the type and size memory and getting the best price.

Video cards in use today most commonly fall into 2 categories: AGP 4/8 and PCIe type interfaces. Again consult your manual and/or Manufacturer's site to see what you need. There will also be information about any limitations though the cost limitations of these cards is usually the first one we encounter. The individual manufacturers and performance differences are really only of interest to the gamers as they will almost always be an upgrade to what came with your system. As this can be one of the costliest upgrades just remember that again the memory that the card has is probably the most important for these purposes because the more power the card has the less it needs to tax the PC Processor and system memory to do its job.

Now it is time to gain entry to the box, usually two screws holding the cover and some trick to slide or lift it off. Please remember that before you touch anything inside the case touch a part of the metal case to ground yourself and unplug the PC from its power source. Once inside it is easy to see the memory chips (they look just like the ones you bought) but there are usually a series of 3-5 upgrade slots on the board that will be used or unused. The Video Slot is almost always the top slot because it is the hottest card but check your documentation again to be sure. The memory is held in place by two clips, the video card by a screw and sometimes a clip in the back. Sometimes you need to move the cards up and down by the upper edges to release or install them. Always make sure that they are properly aligned in the slot and pushed all the way into the slot when installing. Try starting the PC before replacing the cover to make sure it will boot and sees the new and/or added items. If it hangs or gives any error messages try unplugging the power and reinstalling the new components buy removing and resetting the card. Once the new components are installed correctly and recognized by the system allow it to boot to Windows and install the drivers from the disk supplied with your video card.

CHASE = Legal Loan Sharks

As a small business we have to look at the recent developments in the credit market and say "HOW CAN WE REMAIN QUIET ABOUT THIS PIRACY?" We of course are dependent on various lines of credit including business and sometimes personal credit cards. We use these lines of credit for everything from buying inventory and supplies to putting gas in the car and paying online fees and shipping charges. Naturally we also carry balances on these lines; the interest is tax deductible. In the last year though there has of course been a most disturbing trend in all of these markets. We understand that the banks only narrowly avoided crashing and burning everything as a result of their own greed and that our grandchildren will still be paying for their folly. It is when that same greed threatens our business and livelihood that we feel it is time to call them to task.

Since we have been personally attacked we will name names and will not spare any details. The beginning of this disgraceful story begins in Spring 2009, when within days we received a letter for each of our four Chase credit card accounts. They stated that in order to make our accounts more profitable they were reducing the available credit lines to just above the amounts in use. We of course had the ability to refuse and close the accounts. This amounted to over $30,000 in credit disappearing which was about 60% of our total lines on Chase accounts. We contacted Chase and of course got a "Customer Service" Rep in Bangladesh; He was very sorry but there was nothing he could do. Next month came the notice that minimum payments were increasing from 2% to 5%; not a problem since we always try to pay at least double the minimum. We also began trying to find a way to move the balance away from these crooks. A month later the biggest surprise (NOT) came when our credit score began to fall as a result of percent of credit in use and hard inquiries. Soon after that they raised the interest rates as a result of the lower credit score and because they can whenever they want.

Of course our business and my personal credit reside in the toilet at the moment and now there is nothing else to do but pay off these crooks and be done with them. We are not crybabies or even pity pot sitters, but never had a late payment and always paid well over the minimum. Looking at the varies credit/ debt forums we see that we are not alone, they are doing this to everybody. They blame the reforms that are taking effect in February, so they have to rip us off as much as possible before then... There is not much solstice in the fact that we were not singled out for this treatment but much more outrage that they are allowed to get away with this. We have even read a "conspiracy theory" that this is a concerted effort to reduce the availability of credit but reducing the individuals that can qualify for credit. We hope this isn't true as it would represent the ultimate corruption of the system. There is always talk about supporting small business, but anyone who has tried to begin or operate one knows exactly what we are talking about.

Electronic Health Records (EHR)

There is a lot of controversy about the computerizing of our health records. Many are justifiably concerned about the security of these records and worried about with whom they could be shared. As Washington pushes to fast track this technology and has identified it as a source of significant future savings for health care, development of comprehensive EHR is seemingly unavoidable. Computer Consultants Group will be devoting resources to monitoring, blogging and posting relevant articles and documents to our site http://ccgmax.com on this topic.

Truth be told there is already way more EHR out there than many realize. All Health Systems are trying to develop ways to get away from paper records. The benefits of this technology are amazing. Doctors and other care providers can have instant comprehensive access to a patients medical history in the office, at bedside or in the Emergency Room. Especially in an emergency situation this can have a huge impact on treatment and recovery.

At this point most EHR is based on "vertical" or homegrown solutions so that the data can only be shared within individual Healthcare Systems or with others that can access their network. Access to and sharing of this information is strictly controlled by the systems and abuse leads to at least termination of employment.

Security of the records is covered under the HIPAA Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the Privacy Rule on December 28, 2000, and adopted modifications of the Rule on August 14, 2002. The Privacy Rule provides the first comprehensive Federal protection for the privacy of health information. The HIPAA Privacy Rule sets very important basic standards, but more regulation will be needed as this technology expands.

Eventually EHR should be developed to the point that if you are traveling anywhere in the country (or even the world) and an accident or other health event occurs, the care providers will be able to instantly access all the information they need to help you. The important issue will be securing this information from others that would use it for their own purposes.

Internet Merchants Beware

It is old news that fraud on the internet is huge. We have had first hand experience with our eBay account being hijacked to sell illicit items. In this case they use your good standing and positive feedback to lure buyers into a larger transaction that probably just is not going to happen. We have had buyers file fraudulent claims on eBay that shut down both our eBay and PayPal accounts. These things are just minor headaches compared to the volume and frequency of credit card fraud online and the policies of the card issuer companies and the online processors.

If you have your own online storefront you are likely to be targeted by some sort of credit card fraud sooner rather than later. There are two main types of charge backs that we have encountered:

• Stolen Cards

• Not Authorized

Against the first type of misuse you can only try to verify that the shipping name and address and the cardholder name and address are the same. But as seen later here that is only a guarantee if you cancel, refund and forget about the transaction. We have tried contacting the buyer when this information does not appear right but you always run the risk of getting a legitimate customer mad and reaping negative feedback. We have been contacted on several occasions by Law Enforcement investigating purchases from our site with stolen cards.

The "Not Authorized" charge backs are probably the most frustrating. Despite the fact that everything seems in order; the card used has the same name and address as the shipping, receipt is verified by the shipper at that address and you have done everything right; they can still file a charge back and probably get to keep the product and get their money back. We had one "lady" that hit us twice for over $400.

The infuriating part in all this is that even though you can prove that the merchandise was shipped to the registered card holder and delivery is confirmed by the shipper, the card issuer company will inevtibably rule in favor of their customer and you will have to repay them. Actually the merchant online gateways will just subtract the funds from your account. PayPal, for example, will represent you by the card issuer and forward any evidence you provide, but that doesn't help if the card companys have already decided.

Adware, Spyware, Malware and Viruses

One of the biggest problems facing both Business and Home Users today, in our opinion, is the propagation of trojans, browser hijackers, pop-ups, tracking cookies and assorted other goodies that we collect on our travels on the World Wide Web. They collect on our hard drives, run hidden in our systems, protect themselves from deletion, and even invite other unwanted guests into our systems. By now nobody should believe that there is anything "for free" on the internet (except here of course). The largest corporations with multimillion dollar systems are bogged down with the rogue programs and sometimes even brought to their knees (though they won't admit it).

The simplest solution is to not click on anything that you didn't go looking for in the first place, if it appears on your screen on it's own or if you think you are suddenly the discoverer of hidden treasure on the web. Amongst the most vicious of these pups are the ones that claim to have found potentially disastrous errors on your system and offer to do a full scan to "fix" the issues. After you click on some of these nothing short of rebuilding your system will get rid of them. From Corporate IT Departments to the Independent PC Technicians millions of man-hours are being spent dealing with these issues. We have found three ways to contain all but the most harmful of these malicious programs.

Ad-Aware

This is a free program that also has a professional and a paid version that has some enhanced features. Ad-Aware is great at finding Pop-Ups, Tracking Cookies, and most Malware and Trojans. It is very user friendly and almost absolutely safe for the "normal" user. If you use freeware programs for file shares or other ad-driven sites it will find those items and want to delete them as well. Worst case is you may have to re-install these if you cannot recognize them on the found list at the end of the scan. This program can be downloaded from many sites including Lavasoft's homepage and CNet's Download.com. If you are on the internet with a Broadband connection that is always on you might want to run this program once a week.

Spybot Search and Destroy

This is the "extra-strength" cleaner and in our opinion grossly under valued. Spybot Search and Destroy is also a free program by a software developer who needed to address this growing problem. There is an area on the program that links to the site where donations are collected to fund further development. There are two add-ons to this spyware scanner that will actually run constantly in the background and maintain protection for your browser and your system settings. When enabled these TSRs (Terminate and Stay Resident) programs will prompt you before allowing anything to make a Windows registry setting change while the other piece maintains a list of blocked sites and and known malware downloads. The scanner in this program finds issues that Ad-Aware does not. In fairness, Ad-Aware also fings things that Spybot does not. That is why we recommend both as an attack approach. Spybot Search and Destroy can also be downloaded from CNet's Download.com or SaferNetworking's Site.

Anti Virus and Manual Labor

Of course the above two great programs in no way are a replacement for an up-to-date Anti Virus Program. These cost money but are indispensible tools for avoiding catastrophic system crashes. Get a good one and keep it up to date if you spend any time on the internet. Also check the "Add - Remove Programs" list in your Control Panel for any applications that have installed themselves on your PC. There is also a place in tools-internet options-browsing history/settings-view objects where you can delete pretty much all the processes. The good ones will load themselves again as you need them. Also delete all the cookies and offline files while you are in the internet options. The worst that can happen here is that you may need to reinstall some add-ons to your browser, but you will be rid of whatever is eating your system's lunch.

Liquidation Software

Since we are involved in the area of online liquidation sales we feel that there should be more explanation about how these items come to be resold and the possible problems, resolutions and also the long term implications for the software vendors and the general public.

We are re-sellers on eBay, Amazon, Atomic Mall, and our own site CCGShop.com , specializing in the resale of liquidation computer hardware and software. We purchase larger lots of liquidated items online and at auctions and sell them individually online. These items are mostly returned merchandise from Best Buy, Amazon and other "big box" stores. For the most part we are talking about decent profit margins despite the huge bites the host sites and the payment processors take. Actually we do not buy it unless it fits a profile that allows us to profit after everyone else has and still be the lowest price that we can find on the Internet!

The biggest problem with the software liquidation side of this business are the dishonest previous owners that return installed and/or activated software to the retailers. The big box retailers liquidate the returns because it is easier and more price effective than returning the items to the individual vendors. The vendors are also happy that they do not have to deal with the returns. We are glad when we can buy them for 10-25% of retail and sell for 50-75% off retail. The customers are happy when they can purchase the software from us at this greatly reduced rate... right? About 90% of the time this is the case and everybody is happy, but the other (actually less than) 10% of the time the customer gets his software only to find that it will not activate because the previous owner is using it! Luckily, most software vendors will provide a new key if you can provide proof that you are in possession of the original retail package and media. Microsoft only requires that you possess the "COA" or Certificate of Authenticity. Unfortunately some vendors will still refuse to activate and we hope to compile a list to post.

The bottom line here is to remember that if you are buying "used", liquidated, or returned software to remember that the money you are saving comes with the risk of some inconvenience. We have been doing this for almost 10 years now and decided some time ago that the benefits far outweigh the problems. We as an eBay Powerseller and with any of the transactions we do will refund the item if it will not activate. That for us falls under our "DOA" or "Dead On Arrival" Policy.