Today's update on the saga of Uncle's electric wheelchair repair…
Full saga here: blog.kamens.us/2026/08/10/how-…
Updates:
- July 21: 5 days after tech examined wheelchair in Uncle's apartment, NuCare still can't tell me the result of the examination.
- July 24: NuCare claims wheelchair was picked up and is at warehouse. [LIE!]
- August 10: I discover wheelchair is still in Uncle's apartment. They claim they'll pick it up on Thursday.
#healthcare #healthInsurance #caregiving #sandwichGeneration #NuCare

Jonathan Kamens 86 47

2026-07-17 07:40:41

Update on Uncle's electric wheelchair repair saga…
- 3 calls from #Healthfirst manager reassuring me that repair will be approved and Uncle won't be charged for it.
- Approval notice for repair (finally!) arrives via email.
- Tech comes to evaluate chair. Uncle claims afterward tech said they would take it away for repair/replacement which would take months. I don't know (yet) whether that's accurate; Uncle is unreliable narrator.
#healthInsurance #caregiving #sandwichGeneration #healthcare

♲ @jik@federate.social:

Here's today's update on the RIDICULOUS saga of me trying to get #NuCare (medical supply company), #Healthfirst (insurance company), and its contractor #IntegraPartners in #NewYork to fix Uncle's electric wheelchair.
A supervisor at NuCare just called and told me that they did submit the request properly to Integra, and Integra did give them a reference number for the request, but then somehow Integra "lost" the request.
#healthcare #healthInsurance #caregiving #sandwichGeneration
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Some Americans are obsessed with doing away with their version of socialism, as inaccurate as it may be. Socialism is not a system providing a strong social safety net.

But there is something more important in comparing high taxes with risk and true out of pocket costs.

Lower taxes are not necessarily a net benefit and definitely do not spread risk financial stress equally.

Here is a summary of what people in Denmark receive for their high taxes.

• Pensions, unemployment, and social support: Strong safety nets including unemployment benefits (often high replacement for a period), old-age care, disability support, and housing allowances. Reduces fear of poverty or job loss.

No out of pocket college expenses. no tuition plus a monthly living expense stipend.

• Paid vacation: Minimum 5–6 weeks by law, plus holidays—vs. variable/lower in the US.

• Elderly/disability care: Publicly supported home care and facilities.

Trade-offs and Context

Denmark’s system emphasizes universalism (benefits for all, funded by broad taxes including high VAT ** and income taxes), leading to high trust, lower inequality, better health/life expectancy outcomes, and high happiness rankings. However, gross salaries can be lower in some fields, cars/housing are expensive, and high earners face steep marginal rates.

Americans often pay comparable or higher effective costs when adding private expenses (health insurance + childcare + tuition + medical debt risk), but with more variability, administrative hassle, and insecurity.

And the level of financial stress varies greatly by income and family circumstances – but many Americans don’t see that as a concern or don’t see it at all.

Net disposable income after these “hidden taxes” can be competitive or better in Denmark for many families, especially middle-class ones with kids.

In short, Danish taxes “pre-pay” for security and services that create less financial anxiety around life’s big costs, while the US system with lower taxes shifts more risk and expense to individuals.

Outcomes vary by personal situation (income, family status, health), but the Danish model trades higher visible taxes for lower out-of-pocket volatility.

Data is drawn from OECD, government reports, and comparisons as of recent years (2024–2026).

So, while the current US political climate favors individual empowerment, lower taxes to use your money as you see fit, and less government involvement, many, perhaps most, Americans are not getting a better deal than Scandinavians who still live in capitalist countries.

** The VAT rate is 25% in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, with Norway and Sweden adding lower rates for specific categories, while Denmark effectively uses a flat 25% for almost everything subject to VAT.

The effective tax rate for a middle income worker earning about $76,000 is between 35-38% but varies by municipality.

Denmark is a capitalist country, it does not follow the extreme nonsense of the Democratic Socialists of America which is a social action lobbying group with branches in every state.

Denmark has 8 to 15 billionaires (according to recent Forbes data tracking depending on individual or family wealth) and approximately 366,000 dollar millionaires.

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QUINNSCOMMENTARY

2026-07-24 10:00:00

Extremes are not good

Neither the far right nor the far, far left are viable or in the best interest of anyone.

They represent a naive, unworkable and unsustainable ideology, but there are people who believe it all. People looking for their utopia as a way to solve their problems.

A Quinnscommentary reader sent (see comments) an interesting link to Democratic Socialists of America agenda.

program.dsausa.org/

It’s pretty scary stuff, it’s nonsense, but just like the Trump propaganda, too many people will accept it without thinking of the consequences or conflicting logic.

The Republican Party has not yet rejected Trump, let’s hope Democrats do a better job rejecting the Socialist extreme.

Here is a sample of the DSA agenda. A true route to chaos and disaster.

One has to wonder if the corporations are publicly owned, how does anyone become wealthy?

People work less, are paid more by corporations owned by government while all essential services are “free.” to individuals.

And then there is the small matter of paying for all the promises and functioning in a world where many people see things differently.

All we need is for the rest of the world to cooperate.

This is just what we have been waiting for.

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DSA Program

Workers Deserve More!

^{DSA Program}

Update on Uncle's electric wheelchair repair saga…
- 3 calls from #Healthfirst manager reassuring me that repair will be approved and Uncle won't be charged for it.
- Approval notice for repair (finally!) arrives via email.
- Tech comes to evaluate chair. Uncle claims afterward tech said they would take it away for repair/replacement which would take months. I don't know (yet) whether that's accurate; Uncle is unreliable narrator.
#healthInsurance #caregiving #sandwichGeneration #healthcare

Jonathan Kamens 86 47

2026-07-15 21:24:32

Here's today's update on the RIDICULOUS saga of me trying to get #NuCare (medical supply company), #Healthfirst (insurance company), and its contractor #IntegraPartners in #NewYork to fix Uncle's electric wheelchair.
A supervisor at NuCare just called and told me that they did submit the request properly to Integra, and Integra did give them a reference number for the request, but then somehow Integra "lost" the request.
#healthcare #healthInsurance #caregiving #sandwichGeneration
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♲ @jik@federate.social:

Fam, I am SO FUCKING PISSED RIGHT NOW. I am INCENDIARY WITH RAGE.
I spent a half hour on the phone today with #NuCare, the company that's supposed to repair Uncle's wheelchair. After a long hold time, they claimed the insurance (#Healthfirst) still hasn't authorized the repair. They gave me the ref. number for the request Healthfirst gave them, so I could call Healthfirst and find out what's going on.
#healthInsurance #healthcare #sandwichGeneration #careGiving #IntegraPartners #LuigiWasRight
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