My views on donating, asking for donations, and helping out your fellow webmaster
 

You know, if you're a part of this online community of adult webmasters, I see no reason why if you're truly in need and have had a horrible tragedy befall you that you can't ask for some help from the rest of us here. We're all in this together, one big community we are, after all.

It can, however, become a bit much for some when someone who has never posted here nor on any of the other webmaster boards, has never taken part nor interacted with any of us, never deemed it worth their while to do so, asks for money or has someone else asking for donations from us. I didn't make it that way, it just is, and reading many of the posts on certain threads confirms this.

For myself I am more inclined to donate cash to such a personal cause when it's "one of our own", someone known right here in the community, on this and/or other wm boards. Sorry to say it but it seems like it is less of a chance that the donation thread is a scam if you at least know the person from here or have had some direct business dealings with that person.... depending on the person of course. If you've been a total snotnosed asshole on the board for years and then you come on here begging for money you won't get a dime from me. Karma=bitch.

It's hard to know who is on the level and who is legit when these "help" threads hit the board, so basically each of us has to pick and choose accordingly as to whom we donate funds to. I've had no qualms about coughing up some bucks for several people here who obviously really needed help, and I will likely do so in future should anything awful happen to someone I like or know or care about in some way.... and awful things WILL happen, sad fact that it is.

But I tend to hold off or hold back on sending funds when I am unsure as to the legitimacy of the effort, or if it's someone I just don't know.... and really, one could do a "donation of the week" thing, paypalling or epassing money constantly, adding up to thousands of dollars per year if they wanted to or could afford to. I'm sorry but I can't see myself doing that.


And lastly, I hate to say this but I will anyway since others are airing their views....

Since so many Americans have argued with me and criticized the Canadian health care system in the past, and have actually told me that because we pay a few bucks extra in taxes that it's not as good a deal etc..... then you see dozens (yes DOZENS) of americans coming on the boards over the past several years asking for help with their medical bills, well, I'm a little turned off on this kind of donation help. Sorry, but you rarely if ever see a Canadian go online asking for money for medical bills. (special and very specific cases not included)

These past few days I find myself once again very thankful that I live in a country where, if I were to have any serious injury or illness and needed a long hospital stay, that upon my release to go home I would be given NO BILL, only a well-wish for my continued health.

Americans.... get health insurance if you don't already have it. Don't wait until the crisis hits and you have to come to the adult community for help because it's pretty obvious that much of this community is tired of forking out $50 here, $100 there, for everyone who comes along with hat in hand.

Well said

I am not giving anyone anything not even :2 cents:

I have had my share of flames from "help" threads, but I never ask for a donation straight out. I always offer up services and even lower my prices. I have done this in the past and recently with me trying to move back to my hometown.

I learned when I first came to GFY that the crowd is tough and I set myself up for the flames, I expect that when I type them. I have held back and tried harder and even went without simply because some folks can be cold hearted or just read into it the wrong way.

You win some you lose some, and yes Kharma is definately a bitch.

And I thank all of you who have accepted my services to help. You guys rock.

In the United States, hospitals are required to provide care for emergency services even if you don't have insurance. The unpaid fees are covered by county and state agencies. Hospitals actually prefer these types of billings that get paid by government agencies, because they don't scrutinize the invoices like insurance companies do.

There is also Medicaid and Medicare if you don't have income to afford healthcare services, which is used quite a bit by the elderly.

In the Nikki case, the company and its principals would be fully liable unless she signed a waiver.

Hospitals usually only collect a small amount of the invoices they bill anyway. This is why everything in hospitals are marked up zillions of profit margin percent. Its not so much they are gouging, but its the only way they can operate profitably because of all the non-pays and non-collectibles.

Hospitals also pay their bills notoriously slow. I'm a shareholder in a healthcare biz and it usually takes 6 months to get paid when hospitals are billed for staffing services provided. So they are just as bad as the patients.

Its terribly sad to see anyone hurt. I've helped a few people on GFY that I know. But, I'll admit, I don't feel comfortable when someone, like CD and Sleazy said, who isn't even a regular on GFY comes in all of a sudden asking for donations.

You can get limited health care insurance for major events like Nikki had for hardly any cost at all, so I have to wonder why someone wouldn't even have limited coverage of some kind who certainly has enough income to afford it.

The reason the Nikki post drew so much heat was the fact Adam should have just posted the accident and not even mentioned asking for money. He would have had a much better response just letting people ask if they could donate vs. asking everyone to donate.

Very well said, cdmsmith - saves me having to type it.

Even in Canada, and despite the health care system we currently have...my wife and I still carry extra medical coverage through her company for certain things. We manage to afford it even though we don't enjoy the comparative earnings of a top-notch playboy model.


SilentKnight

when i have extra money im super generous, when i dont, im super stingy.

beggars tho, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. And cant flame really cuz theres been times i was in a rut, but i never went so far as to to post on a forum asking for handouts. I dont think its THAT bad if you are known in the community you are beggin in, lol, but to be a nobody or have a 'somebody' beg for you... thats just pathetic.

Like I said in the other thread: I like you in spite of the fact that you're Canadian.

KRL,

Where oh where is the cheap insurance in the US? What do you call cheap? I'm paying $1K/MO for the two of us (sig-other 'n me). It is sure to go up too. Now, you'd think for the grand a month most would be covered?? Not the case at all. Have a $1.5K deductible on both of us. Plus finding many doctors demanding payment to make up what the insurance company will pay and what they charge. Can't pay? Too bad, find another doctor.

Sure you can go to the ER and get stabilized, but the care is not going to be the same from many of the professionals. Expect a long wait in that waiting room too.

Without insurance don't expect to get all the tests you might need when you need them either.

I just had a bypass a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure if I just walked in off the street complaining of angina, I would of never have been rushed in for a cath and certainly not the cath I got.

My point: In the US, those with insurance and money get a lot better health care than those without and in some cases (like in mine) it goes straight to the quality and LENGTH of life.

So I wonder if I lived in Canada would I have had the same quality care I manged to obtain here in the US?

Among the 15 years that I worked at the 2nd largest hospital here in Manitoba, I did 2 years on CVT (the open heart surgery ward), and over a year in the ER. I can tell you right now that if you walked into the ER today complaining of chest pain you would be taken in and given all the appropriate tests and treatments as you would anywhere else with modern facilities. If you needed surgery you would be admitted right then and there and scheduled for surgery, timeframe depending on how urgent your situation was. If your case is deemed not all that serious you may have to wait a bit.

The quality of care in Canadian hospitals is as high and advanced as it is pretty much anywhere else as far I know. The hospital I worked in is a teaching hospital with one of the largest cancer research facilities in Western Canada. They have MRI's, CT scans, and every test lab you can think of.

In my lifetime I've had maybe a half dozen surgeries, from having my appendix out to one major spinal corrective procedure, have had stays in 3 different Winnipeg hospitals. The level of care is pretty excellent as far as I'm concerned.

And aside from it being incorporated into our taxes, it's free. You can't beat free.

point well said!

Quality post !

Personally, I think this topic has been over-exposed and we don't need another thread talking about how King Adam did things wrong.

There is a woman in a hospital in very bad shape who, directly or indirectly, has helped a LOT of webmasters on this board earn a very tidy living. Women like Nikki are the real stars of this industry and whether she personally or her "team" have posted here, I'd still say he had every right to come to GFY and post what he did. I don't agree either with the way he did it but some of the comments have gone too far (thankfully that hasn't happened yet in this thread).

Maybe everyone can take a deep breath, step back and remember what cannot be argued: Ms. Nova is in a hospital in very serious condition. If you don't want to donate anything fine, but maybe everyone could spend more energy hoping, praying, or whatever you do, for her speedy recovery.

CD, no offense, I believe you are a straight-up guy and it's nice to see you didn't resort to insulting Nikki like, oh, someone else did in their thread. I think your points are pretty valid but I just get a bit disappointed in this board when so many are coming out with their views when it's so far from what is really important right now. Like the party line in New Orleans: In my opinion, it's no time to play the blame game.

That's actually a decent price. Raise your deductible, get hospital/surgical coverage only, etc. if you want to pay less. As I stated in another thread you can get a catastrophic plan (which would have covered Nikki in this situation) for less than $100 a month in most states.

If you think the Canadian system is "free", you're kidding yourself. I can bet most who are making decent money are paying more than $1K a month extra in taxes than we pay in the US.

Great post CD.