The Economic Bandage Called Hyundai

Hyundai, the forward thinking South Korean Automotive Conglomerate knows what ails the American Economy and that is a need to inspire the American Consumer into consuming again. Hyundai, is offering American Consumers an opportunity to return their new Hyundai's in the event they lose their jobs without any eventual consequences to their credit.

Hyundai's Assurance Program applies to any New Hyundai purchase and is available to anyone, regardless of age, your health or employment history. Even if you are upside down on your New Hyundai when you give it back due to you losing your job. The Hyundai Assurance Program covers up to $7,500 of negative equity. It also covers if you become physically disabled, or lose your driver's license due to some physical impairment. It covers if you are transferred by your employer outside of the United States and it also covers you if you are self-employed and have to file for bankruptcy and it even covers. Lord Forbid, in the event of accidental death! You can get more information about Hyundai's Assurance Program here.

If, you aren't already impressed by Hyundai's Marketing Strategy, you may be pleased to know that Hyundai was the first automobile manufacturer to offer American Consumers a 10-Year, 100,000 mile warranty. Hyundai's 10-Year, 100,000 mile warranty help sway the American car buyer to see the South Korean Automaker as a viable alternative to purchasing an American car. Hyundai has steadily increased its market share in America since investing $1 Billion building an automotive plant in Montgomery, Alabama in 2002. Hyundai's commitment to the America automotive market and its host of groundbreaking practices such as "America's Best Warranty," its 10-Year, 100,000 mile Warranty Program, The Hyundai Assurance Program, was enough to change the thinking of more than one American Auto Manufacturer. You can get more information here about Hyundai's Warranty Program. Hyundai appears to be on a roll, in that it has also won many awards regarding the quality of their automotive construction in "Initial Quality Tests Study" by J.D. Power & Associates. Indeed Hyundai has come a very long way from its initial build quality that most Americans associate with the South Korea Automobile Maker. To read more about Hyundai's J.D. Power & Associate Report on "initial Quality Tests," go here.

How would you like to lock in the price of gasoline for an entire year? Well, if you buy a New Hyundai, you will lock in the price of gasoline at the price of $1.49 for the year. It's Hyundai's Assurance Gas Lock Program. The Assurance Gas Lock Program even includes leased Hyundai vehicles. The Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock Program runs from July 1, 2009 until August 31, 2009, so if you're interested in some of the best guarantees in the Automotive Industry, now is the time to go and make your purchase.

When you purchase a New Hyundai automobile you will get a special card that will give you the ability to purchase gas at $1.49 a gallon. The Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock Program Card will enable to get about 600 gallons of fuel, equivalent to driving about 12, 000 miles according to the Redwood City, California, the technology and risk management company PriceLock. New Hyundai Car Purchasers will be able to use the Hyundai PriceLock Assurance Gas Lock Card anywhere credit cards are accepted in the United States.

No matter what the gas price is when you use your Hyundai PriceLock Assurance Gas Lock Card, PriceLock pays whatever the gas price is and PriceLock collects the difference from Hyundai and you are only charged $1.49 per gallon for the gas. PriceLock is able to do this using its expertise in the financial and technology markets. PriceLock uses a hedge to lock in the price of gasoline. PriceLock purchases a "call" for gasoline at what it thinks to be a competitive price and locks it in with an options contract that allows it to purchase gasoline at a set price. If, Hyundai has the success that the Chrysler PriceLock Gas Card had for the American automaker back in the summer of 2008, Hyundai could increase sales traffic in their dealerships substantially. You can read more about Hyundai's Assurance Gas Lock Program here.

Veterans Administration Medical Centers & Non-Compliance

"Silence does not halt the truth, no more than the stillness of quiet." Curthom

Today I had an appointment to see my Nephrologist (kidney doctor) and he had just gotten the results from my 5-day stay in a private hospital.  I sat down in his office eagered that there would be good news regarding the series of tests that were done at the non-Veterans Administration facility only to have my kidney doctor chastise me for non-compliance.

My kidney doctor told me that he thought that I may have been non-compliant regarding my healthcare and that he sent me to the emergency room of a local hospital to find out for sure.  Five days later, after a number of studies and 3 times as much medications and increased dosages of the usual medications, I'm discharged sicker than when I was admitted to the hospital.

The new medications to include a pill for diabetes and syringe-induced insulin five times per day, did nothing to help with my spirits, yet the doctors say that I'm getting better.  I don't quite understand the doctors interpretation of my getting better, when my medications weigh in about 3 lbs for a 30-day supply and I'm taking more than 23 pills per day, excluding the insulin routine that I take before each meal, at 9p.m. and 2 a.m. in the morning.

I sat in the kidney doctor's office this morning to hear him tell me that the private hospital Nephrologist concurs with him that my problem was non-compliance.  When I ask what he and the other kidney doctor meant by a diagnosis of non-compliance, he could explain or even define what he meant, yet he was certain that I was non-compliant.  I asked him once again how could he state that I was non-compliant when he couldn't even explain it to me.  He told me quickly with a smirk on his face that he was just the messenger.  I thought to myself how could he be just the messenger when he told me earlier that he concurred with the private hospital diagnosis.

I was admitted to a private hospital for a problem that the Veterans Administration Medical Clinic states they were unable to control because they said I was non-compliant, a loosely-defined way of implying that you're not following their instructions or taking the medications that their prescribing to you.  The reality is that they increased the dosage and frequency of three of my medications and they put me on four new medications while in the private hospital and discharge me feeling sicker than when I went in the hospital.

If, taking 3 times my usual dosage more times a day means that I'm non-compliant, I guess I meet their operational definition of being non-compliant.  If, taking four new medications religiously, because my life depends on it means that I'm non-compliant, I guess I meet that operational definition for non-compliance too!
If, asking for medication refills weeks before they run out, I guess I'm non-compliant.  The automated prescription refill doesn't allow you to request a refill that early, even though you won't see your Primary Care Doctor for anther 6 to 8 weeks.

If, requesting a medication refill, even though your medication bottle states that you have no more refills available and you discuss it with your doctor a month or so before you run out, and your doctor tells you that they're not sure if they are going to keep you on that medication or that dosage and they'll decide after they see how you're doing on it means I'm non-compliant, I guess I hit the jackpot.  When I finally have one weeks of medication left with a prescription with no more refills and the automated prescription refill system that the Veterans Administration has set up doesn't allow me to reorder, but sends me to another automated system for making a doctor's appointment.

When I finally get through the automated appointment line and are routed to an actual human being to make a doctor's appointment to get a prescription refilled I asked for weeks ago, but the system told me it can't renew the prescription because it was too early or that there were no more active refills, the human being on the appointment line chastises me for waiting till the last minute to refill my prescription and tells me that I should take my medication as prescribed and calls me back a few hours later telling me that the doctor wants to see me before they fill my prescription.

When I walk into the Veterans Administration Medical Clinic without an appointment in order to go through their Triage System to be sorted out, the Unit Clerk tells me that I should have made an appointment and that he doesn't know if the doctor will be able to see me today, since I don't have an appointment.  When I called the automated appointment line and got a human being, I was told that they wouldn't be able to schedule an appointment for me for four to six weeks, but the doctor wants to see me today, so I should walk in.

Time lingers like the smoke of popcorn left too long in a microwave as I wait and wait and wait, my bladder bursting for relief, as I dare not go to the bathroom, lest someone call my name and I miss my chance at seeing the doctor that day.  I wait so long in fact that when my name is finally called, it comes as a surprise that somebody actually knows my name.

The tone of the nurse doesn't sound too encouraging when she mutters out, "So, you're out of medicine again" matter of factly, she asks?  I tell her that I have a few pills left, only to read her expression and gather that she is not pleased that I'm increasing her workload at that hour.  She takes my blood pressure and tells me that my blood pressure is always high and that I must not be taking the medications the doctor is giving me and notes something on her piece of paper and walks out the room.

The doctor comes in the room sometime later and tells me that my blood pressure is high and spends the next 10 to 12 minutes typing into a desktop computer and takes a look at me before telling me to go over to Pharmacy and pick my medications up and next time, don't let them run out.  She orders for a Nursing Intervention in about two weeks for me to return and have my blood pressure checked again.  I get up and check out at the front desk where the Unit Clerk is busing doing paperwork.  He looks up to glance at me and tells me that I'm all set and I walk over to Pharmacy where the wait time is about one and a half hour, which is a small price to pay, when you are one of the 49 million Americans without health insurance and your pre-existing  military-induced, medical condition makes you uninsurable!  This is the struggle that every man and woman in America faces at some point in their continuum for health care and for those who served our country honorable, the battles you may have faced in the military without getting yourself killed, is nothing compared to the battle you'll face with the Veterans Administration when it comes to your healthcare. Some of their staff are quick to put a label on you that sticks because they write it down and your only defense is that your life depends on your compliance, even when it makes you sicker!


P.S.  I leave you with a short saying from Curthom, my name consolidated.  It's amazing how much time you have to reflect about your life, when you're in a hospital, suspended between overmedication and medicated.

"There are things spoken and there are things left unspoken and between speaking and having spoke, is the truth."  Curthom