We all know that this has been the buzz since last year. The election was probably won and lost on this subject and sadly, some people don't get it. We all deserve some sort of health care. Don't we?
To me there are bigger issues than socialized, universal, private, HMO's, whatever forms there are. To me the problem lies with the recipients themselves. People pay into health care in case they get sick, but what if they disregard their health, because they are covered. I think the two biggest problems with health care are unnecessary testing and patient abuse.
A few months ago, 60 Minutes did a piece on why doctors bills are so high for those who are insured. They talked about a man waiting for a liver transplant who was in his late 80's in poor health otherwise, but who was willing to try anything. They tested this man for everything. He eventually got the liver and died days later from something else. His bill, all paid by insurance were somewhere in the neighborhood of $120,000 if I remember correctly. All unnecessary tests. Then there was the woman dying of cancer. Over 90 years old. Her bills were through the roof and the insurance company did an investigation. They received the itemized bills and found things like a pap smear was conducted. All unnecessary. At the end of the story, they came up with this staggering admission. The insurance companies feel that 70% of all procedures and prescriptions are unnecessary. I forget the number of billions of dollars they came up with, but the number was per year. Imagine if half those things weren't done? Insurance could be decreased significantly and probably another 25% of those who are uninsured could afford it. As much as the insurance companies are pegged as the bad guys, they are only doing what they can to offset these rogue doctors.
Further proof of this silly spending is private doctors and their prescription process. I remember a time when "scoring" a Tylenol with codeine was a big deal. These days, I could make about three phone calls and have handfuls of Percosets, Oxycontin, Xanax, Valium and a few other desirables in a matter of minutes. It's that easy. Do these people need these medicines? Very few. These luxury pills cause our insurance premiums to rise just to keep up with the demand.
My biggest gripe of all is people who have insurance who go to the hospital every time them or their kid gets a cold. When I was a two, I got sick a lot. To my knowledge, my mother would deal with it until morning, call my pediatrician and occasionally I'd get something prescribed. Usually dimetapp. Never was I rushed to the hospital unless I was gushing blood. Even then, if it could be butterfly stitched, that was a lost resort as well. After a while, even a broken finger was taken care of with home remedies...plus I got to eat the Popsicle, before we set the finger.
Today the issues are bigger and more costly. We all know people who have cancer or other diseases that will eventually take them, but what about those that ignored the signs. I know too many people with lung cancer, emphysema and other related issues who smoked a pack or two a day. Should we really be paying for their treatment, when it's only delaying the inevitable which they brought on themselves. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, If I get lung cancer or sarcoidosis (my mother had this and she quit the day she found out), I'm gonna be pissed if I can't be treated, but grandma Marlboro man is getting full treatment 24/7. I'm overweight, but my cholesterol and blood pressure are fine. If it wasn't and I was stuffing down hot wings like they were vitamins, I'd be pissed if I was neglected, but the 300 lbs version of Kobayashi is getting taken care. When my liver fails or my kidneys and the doctor says "do you drink a lot?" I'll smile and say yes, help the next person. I don't deserve it.
Many of us will lose loved ones in our lives. Every death is a tragedy, because so many are affected by each ones departure, but hesitate before you criticize health care. Were they being treated for something they knew would kill them? I know it sounds harsh, but they were the ones being selfish, not you or I. So why does a selfish act deserve our sympathies, our hard earned dollars? I think instead of my insurance costing $4000 a year and someone who smokes insurance costing $4500, mine should cost $500 and theirs should cost $8000. Wooooaaaah, you say. Well look at it this way. They are willing to spend $2920 a year on cigarettes (based on an $8 pack/per day)to hurt themselves, why should I split the bill to help them? The same can go for drinking. I'm no hypocrite. I just think if health care was done the way other things, like the credit unions, we'd reevaluate the system and realize those who don't purposely hurt themselves, like children, deserve to pay nearly nothing. Those of us who choose to hurt our bodies should pay more. Terminally ill people should be made to feel comfortable, but checking their blood every day just to see if it's the right color, shouldn't cost $500 a day. A Tylenol in any form isn't $175. If you can't sleep, you should try warm milk first, maybe a turkey sandwich. You shouldn't get a xanax prescription with ten refills.
Let's stop blaming a political party or saying we're better than France and Canada. Let's stop blaming the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for our problems. Let's blame the doctors and patients who abuse the system and do a little audit on them. If you make 12 doctors appointments where you need to be prescribed a z-pak per year, you should be missing 60 days of work and your social life. If you're not, you're part of the problem.
To me there are bigger issues than socialized, universal, private, HMO's, whatever forms there are. To me the problem lies with the recipients themselves. People pay into health care in case they get sick, but what if they disregard their health, because they are covered. I think the two biggest problems with health care are unnecessary testing and patient abuse.
A few months ago, 60 Minutes did a piece on why doctors bills are so high for those who are insured. They talked about a man waiting for a liver transplant who was in his late 80's in poor health otherwise, but who was willing to try anything. They tested this man for everything. He eventually got the liver and died days later from something else. His bill, all paid by insurance were somewhere in the neighborhood of $120,000 if I remember correctly. All unnecessary tests. Then there was the woman dying of cancer. Over 90 years old. Her bills were through the roof and the insurance company did an investigation. They received the itemized bills and found things like a pap smear was conducted. All unnecessary. At the end of the story, they came up with this staggering admission. The insurance companies feel that 70% of all procedures and prescriptions are unnecessary. I forget the number of billions of dollars they came up with, but the number was per year. Imagine if half those things weren't done? Insurance could be decreased significantly and probably another 25% of those who are uninsured could afford it. As much as the insurance companies are pegged as the bad guys, they are only doing what they can to offset these rogue doctors.
Further proof of this silly spending is private doctors and their prescription process. I remember a time when "scoring" a Tylenol with codeine was a big deal. These days, I could make about three phone calls and have handfuls of Percosets, Oxycontin, Xanax, Valium and a few other desirables in a matter of minutes. It's that easy. Do these people need these medicines? Very few. These luxury pills cause our insurance premiums to rise just to keep up with the demand.
My biggest gripe of all is people who have insurance who go to the hospital every time them or their kid gets a cold. When I was a two, I got sick a lot. To my knowledge, my mother would deal with it until morning, call my pediatrician and occasionally I'd get something prescribed. Usually dimetapp. Never was I rushed to the hospital unless I was gushing blood. Even then, if it could be butterfly stitched, that was a lost resort as well. After a while, even a broken finger was taken care of with home remedies...plus I got to eat the Popsicle, before we set the finger.
Today the issues are bigger and more costly. We all know people who have cancer or other diseases that will eventually take them, but what about those that ignored the signs. I know too many people with lung cancer, emphysema and other related issues who smoked a pack or two a day. Should we really be paying for their treatment, when it's only delaying the inevitable which they brought on themselves. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, If I get lung cancer or sarcoidosis (my mother had this and she quit the day she found out), I'm gonna be pissed if I can't be treated, but grandma Marlboro man is getting full treatment 24/7. I'm overweight, but my cholesterol and blood pressure are fine. If it wasn't and I was stuffing down hot wings like they were vitamins, I'd be pissed if I was neglected, but the 300 lbs version of Kobayashi is getting taken care. When my liver fails or my kidneys and the doctor says "do you drink a lot?" I'll smile and say yes, help the next person. I don't deserve it.
Many of us will lose loved ones in our lives. Every death is a tragedy, because so many are affected by each ones departure, but hesitate before you criticize health care. Were they being treated for something they knew would kill them? I know it sounds harsh, but they were the ones being selfish, not you or I. So why does a selfish act deserve our sympathies, our hard earned dollars? I think instead of my insurance costing $4000 a year and someone who smokes insurance costing $4500, mine should cost $500 and theirs should cost $8000. Wooooaaaah, you say. Well look at it this way. They are willing to spend $2920 a year on cigarettes (based on an $8 pack/per day)to hurt themselves, why should I split the bill to help them? The same can go for drinking. I'm no hypocrite. I just think if health care was done the way other things, like the credit unions, we'd reevaluate the system and realize those who don't purposely hurt themselves, like children, deserve to pay nearly nothing. Those of us who choose to hurt our bodies should pay more. Terminally ill people should be made to feel comfortable, but checking their blood every day just to see if it's the right color, shouldn't cost $500 a day. A Tylenol in any form isn't $175. If you can't sleep, you should try warm milk first, maybe a turkey sandwich. You shouldn't get a xanax prescription with ten refills.
Let's stop blaming a political party or saying we're better than France and Canada. Let's stop blaming the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for our problems. Let's blame the doctors and patients who abuse the system and do a little audit on them. If you make 12 doctors appointments where you need to be prescribed a z-pak per year, you should be missing 60 days of work and your social life. If you're not, you're part of the problem.
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