"How Colonoscopies Are Like Home Renovations" (Rahm's Brother Compares Life Saving Procedure)
By EZEKIEL J. EMANUEL
IT’S a law of nature: Everyone who undertakes major home renovations ends up loathing their contractor. When I was recently redoing my kitchen and bathroom, I finally figured out why. It has nothing to do with the contractor’s honesty, quality of work, punctuality or the mess they make. It’s about behavioral economics and human psychology — in particular, the unusual way that we assess pain.
In the early ’90s, the psychologist Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues did a series of experiments that revealed how people remembered the pain of a situation. In one experiment, participants held a hand in an ice-water bath (of 14 degrees Celsius) for 60 seconds — a pretty painful experience. To be precise: an 8.3 on a 10-point pain scale. In a second experiment they held their hand in the same ice-water bath for 60 seconds and then for another 30 seconds, during which the water was warmed just 1 degree.
This small increase had a big effect: afterward, when people were asked which experiment they would prefer to have repeated (for money), two-thirds preferred the second — the experiment that lasted longer and, therefore, had more overall pain.
Dr. Kahneman’s conclusion was that people don’t evaluate the pain of an experience by summing up the overall total. Instead, they remember the pain at the very end — and whether it got better or worse.
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The end of a remodeling job is always a terrible experience. A lot of little things need to be taken care of — some outlet doesn’t work, the countertop wobbles just a little, the door doesn’t lock. In my case, the three problems were a towel warmer that lacked an on-off switch, a shower that didn’t work properly and a loose piece of molding.
Repairing these types of minor problems is costly for the contractor. Sending out an electrician for one outlet or the plumber to fix one faucet is unplanned for and inefficient, and really eats into the profits. Consequently, contractors balk at doing the repairs, waiting to aggregate a bunch before fixing one. For the homeowner who has just spent what seems like a fortune on the remodeling job, each problem and delay is enormously annoying. (Indeed, my molding is still loose.)
More of this at:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/06/how-colonoscopies-are-like-home-renovations/
= new reply since forum marked as read
He's charming...but........
He was heavily involved with "Heath Care Discussions" with Obama. This thing sort of makes him look...Entitled.. "Hand Towel Warmers?" 
THEY live very Different Lives...than the rest of us. Maybe they just know better than us..?
"Colonoscopy" to his "Home Renovation?"
I'm a Colon Cancer Survivor...and have had family members die from it. I was really shocked that Dr. Emmanuel would even COMPARE such a thing in such a crass and brushed off manor.
Maybe the Emmanuels don't have to have Colonoscopies every 4 or 5 years... They only did a test ...because no family history...but, still ..for a physician to compare his "Lifestyle" with Colonoscopy showed how out of touch he is. And, remember he is very influencial in the Health Care Programs that Obama has signed off on. Some of which is helpful and good...but, other parts are "yet to be known" how the EXPERIMENT on US Populatin will work out.
Whatever...I thought his article in NYT was sort of in "poor taste."
Last one they had less fluid and some new thing. I thought it was worse...because you drank less but never left the bathroom...
So the "trade off" was worse than the 
"Go Lightly..Co-Lyte."
BTW...make sure you ask for Verced for Anesthesia... (It might be Versed but close enough)
Because what your Insurance Company Pays for in my last go at this makes you horribly nauseous after the procedure.. They said it was to cut costs and not everyone has a violent reacaction like I did to the new anesthesia as I did. Still since I'd had Seven Colonoscopies before and never had problem with Versed (Verced) ...I told them that it was the CHANGE in Anesthesia that made me so sick and that if I was one of the FEW then I hoped they'd mark that on my chart so I never...ever got the Substitute that made me sick ever again. I said..."I'll pay the difference in cost.!"..and I got a look like before they answered that if quote "patient requests" we can usually bill your insurance company." But..quote: "since you didn't ASK...you got what "our current recommendations are for our patients to save costs." DUHHH!
So...make sure to ASK!
