Health Care

This whole health care thing is absolutely ridiculous. How is your basic health not considered an inalienable right? In spite of his bias, Michael Moore presents an interesting argument in Sicko - free, universal health care for all; insurance companies abolished, and pharmaceutical companies strictly regulated.

That would be a government worth paying taxes to, frankly. The thought that our hard-earned money went to buy $5000 government hammers? Let me just say, I have an idea of what to do with that hammer...

The littles brought home a nice surprise from school for Easter - strep throat! They got low-grade fevers and a cough, but me? I got strep. Thanks, school! So within two days, I was shivering under the covers and begging Michael to kill me. Just kill me now! I'd rather do labor again - four times! - than have strep throat.

And of course, this is two weeks before our insurance kicks in at Michael's new job. Isn't that nice? So I had to call our little local town doc and make an appointment. They got me in right away, thankfully. She decided not to do a throat culture (if it walks like a duck, and quacks like duck... hell, I could have told you that, and I didn't have to spend eight years in medical school!)

That little office visit? $88.00 Granted, back in the suburbs, it probably would have been $120. What a bargain we got, right? They let me pay $20 on it, and now I have a balance I have to pay...

Then, there was the prescription. I asked her to write something cheap, and she did. When I called our little local pharmacy to check the price, they asked, "You mean your price, without insurance?" Right. Because, of course, there's a vast difference between what they charge me and what they charge Blue Cross. Their price to Blue Cross or HAP would have been double - maybe more. But for me, it was $12.95.

So now I'm mending. Antibiotics really are wonderful things. How in the world did people ever live with things like strep throat in the past? Infections that just grew worse and worse... the pain is incredible. The fever is completely debilitating, and makes every bone in your body ache. I can't even imagine not having some sort of treatment for something so awful.

But it happened then, and it still happens now. People literally can't afford to go to the doctor to get a prescription for the medication they need. And this is just basic health care. This doesn't even touch the biggies, like cancer!

What is wrong with this country!?