By Catherine A. Fitzpatrick
Via MidJourney
You know how scientists are constantly telling us that chatGPT and other "generative" artificial intelligence is going to improve our lives and save the planet? Well, I personally am waiting for that chatGPT revolution in dentistry which I don't think has occurred yet (and I don't see how it can).
chatGPT doesn't actually, really, you know, do stuff in the real world. And maybe we should be glad for that! What it does at its current level is provide advice by marshalling stuff not-from-a-data-base but from, I dunno, the Mechanical Turk's folders on his desk top in Bangalore, and gives you stuff like the following, which comes from the lovely Marge at the Break-Up Room, a venue I have in Second Life for the lovelorn to come and weep, eat chocolates, stare at the map of their loved one's home where they see two merged green dots (one of whom is NOT themselves) -- and ask for advice from Marge. She's pretty good. She is already version 4 and I think she remembers from session to session, not sure, but I clicked "history" on the script just in case (made by Pantera Polnocy adapted to SL).
Prokofy Neva: Marge, I'm getting kicked off Medicaid, how can I pay for health care?
Marge: (AI) Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with this. Health care is a necessity - something everybody should have easily accessible. Now, I know it feels overwhelming, but don't fret. There are options available to you.
First, check the Healthcare Marketplace during open enrollment periods or within 60 days of losing your Medicaid for affordable insurance plans. You might be eligible for discounted premiums through tax credits based on your income.
Second, look into community health centers or free clinics in your area. They often operate on a sliding scale fee system.
Third, some pharmacies offer prescription discount cards that can significantly reduce costs. Also, talk to your doctor about generic medications, they're usually cheaper than brand-name ones but just as effective.
Lastly, consider a part-time job that offers health benefits. Some companies provide insurance even for part-time employees.
Remember, your health is priceless. Don't put off regular check-ups and necessary treatments. You've got this, darling!
~!~
Well, that's...adequate. I have a pharmacy discount card which I can reactivate, which means you might pay $9.99 on some typical medicines but not mine, which have various been used for a) curing leprosy; b) preventing organ transplants from being rejected; and c) [I have to keep looking this one up] preventing and treating malaria and sepsis. So they cost hundreds of dollars each a month.
Every single job I've had since, oh, about 2002, is a 1099 job. That's because many, many employers now save on insurance costs by making you a freelance or contract employee, whether you work for 50 hours a week or whether (in violation of NYS law) you work on their premises. I can't imagine a part-time job -- hey, even a full-time job! -- that provides health insurance since I have not had such a job since 2001.
What I would suggest is just getting a job period which I will be doing, even at the age of 67 with a chronic disease, because I'll need it to pay for health insurance even with Medicare, once I get kicked off Medicaid under Uncle Joe's necessary ruling to end COVID forbearance and it will go up to as much as $618 a month as I found on the Marketplace (unless I opt to pay just $132 and have an $8000+ deductible). Yes, you can appeal this. Yes, there are various programs you can find and stay on the phone for hours or wait in office literally for days, coming back again the next day, to get on. And I will be doing that. I think Marge needs to realize this.
Generic, hell. Of course, generic. There's ANOTHER thing you can do, Marge (I should become a chatGPT myself). Ask your doctor to give you SAMPLES. In fact they often DO as they take pity on you. The Big Pharma salesmen who come through always leave them bags of the stuff -- maybe YOUR medicine is in that bag.
PS Marge is scripted, like my other chat GPT characters to play roles in scenes in SL (like Midsummer's Night's Dream, boy, wait to you see Bottom, he's a marvel!), to sound "in character" and speak from the prompts that go with that character, and not burden the RP scene with legalese and "thoughts and prayers" as he usually does at the end of every comm in regular use on the OpenAI site.
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