Medical Coverage

At the moment, there's a hot debate in our country over medical coverage. Socialized medicine? Mandatory coverage? Do your own thing?

My son is in the hospital at this moment with a catastrophic illness. He nearly died. I've been thinking a lot about the problem for the last few days.

There's a push to concentrate on preventative care. I understand that. But I suspect that could be dealt with on an ongoing basis if hospital coverage, lab tests, and pharmaceuticals were eliminated from the equation. I'm not saying it would be EASY.

In my own case, a hefty proportion of each office visit bill is comprised of necessary blood tests and the occasional EKG. Then, there is the drug store on my office shelf. And God forbid I have to go back into the hospital. With careful budgeting, I could pay my office visit. But that other stuff? That sends the cost up into the stratosphere.

I wonder...what if instead of the "preventative care", the subsidies were aimed at the lab tests and hospital cost? And what if the Congress imposed a limit on the drug cost and subsidized the research portion? Isn't that what pharmaceutical companies are always harping on? How the cost of our drugs pays for research?

WHY are lab costs so expensive? If you have the whiz-bang machine already, exactly what are the labs charging the patient for?

See...I'm wondering where the expenses are coming from. What part of it is really the patient's responsibility? If the lab has had that whiz-bang machine for ten years, surely they've made enough money to pay for that sucker? So, do they then have the right to keep on charging stratospheric fees, just because? It reminds me of toll roads that charge us to use crappy roads. And bridge tolls we pay for bridges that are falling down.

Does anyone really know what we're paying for?

On another note, I want to thank my daughter-in-law for braving snowy, icy roads to drive my son to a decent hospital an hour and a half from their home. I'm soooo grateful for her courage and determination.

anny

Sue!

My grandchildren and I were discussing an incident from my childhood the other day. When I finished sharing my story my granddaughter asked, "Did your parents sue them?"

"Well, no. Back then, people didn't sue other people very often."

"Why not?"

"They just didn't do that. The accident was actually my fault..."

She couldn't understand what that had to do with anything. I thought about how much things have changed and I've concluded it all has to do with the TV ads for personal injury lawyers. Mostly, they're all about getting money. And greed for money leads to spurious lawsuits. That's the reason all of us--you and me--pay more for everything in life.

Our car/house/medical insurance is higher to pay the premiums that have to cover lawsuits for people who don't take responsibility for their own actions. You say there's water on the floor? Well, walk around it. Better yet, bring it to the attention of someone so it's cleaned up.

You say the sidewalk is icy? Don't walk on the icy part. Have we all lost our common sense?

If the coffee's too hot, don't drink it. Add ice. Add creamer. Don't act like your stupid genes outweigh your smart ones. I swear more and more people live like they left their brains at home in a drawer.

Now I know there are people/companies who should be sued for sheer negligence. A few years ago the hunk fell eight feet and permanently damaged his ankle when a defective scaffold collapsed at his work. And yeah. We sued. That was over twenty years ago and his ankle still looks like someone hit it with a baseball bat. In my opinion, he had no part in causing that accident.

But when common sense goes out the door...when individuals get hurt because they're doing something stupid, then how is that the property owner's fault? When kids climb a fence to swim in a pool--and then drown--how is that the owner's fault? Or when they climb a tree and fall out of it? Or steal a car and then have an accident, killing a family in the process?

It's nonsense.

Because everyone wants a guarantee in life, our medical premiums are through the roof. Guess what? There are no guarantees. If you truly believe your doctor is incompetent, find another doctor. Get a second opinion. Research your doctor's training and record. Be pro-active instead of placing your life in someone else's hands. Read the literature for every one of your prescriptions. If you have reservations, discuss them with your doctor. Know your risks. And do what you can to minimize them.

Personally, I think all ads for prescription medicine, lawyers, doctors, medical procedures, etc., ought to be illegal. While we're at it, we ought to make political ads illegal, too. Instead we should just publish the voting records for the incumbents.

Hmmmm. Wouldn't that make life different?

anny

You have to plan for ambushes in advance...

That's the way insurance works. The house hunk will turn sixty-five in August and officially, he will be an old guy. That means he'll be on Medicare. On the other hand, I am not old so I won't be on Medicare for a few more years. So he's been on the phone for the last week trying to find out if I'll still have insurance once his retirement benefits change over.

The answer is yes. However, it appears that I will have a new plan. And that means I have to check if all my current doctors are in the new plan. If they aren't, then I have to find new doctors. All because he's gonna be an old guy.

I shouldn't complain. I have insurance. Many citizens in our country don't have that privilege. And that's the correct word because it isn't a right, it's a privilege...decided by how much money you have, who your employer is, and sometimes even where you live.

However, just because I will have insurance doesn't mean I have a choice about whether or not to accept it. Here's the gritty truth. If I don't take the insurance provided by my husband's retirement plan, then I won't have insurance because of something called "pre-existing conditions". Yep. That's right.

I have diabetes. High blood pressure. Thyroid deficiencies. GERD. Diverticulitis. High cholesterol. Heck, there's probably something else no one knows about yet. But because all of those are pre-existing conditions, insurance companies have the right to deny you coverage.

Just thought I would give all you young chickens a heads-up. Take good care of yourselves. Insurance companies don't want to offer coverage to sick people--they're only interested in well people. So pay up. Plan well. Otherwise, you'll find out it isn't covered.

anny