Musings of a Dumb Ass

Musings of a Dumb Ass...... Health insurance is an example of socialism at its most fundamental core. In theory the way it works is simple. Everybody pays their money into a sort of 'superfund' and when health care is needed a paper card that says the holder is a member in good standing is presented to the health care provider and service and/or medication is provided at no out of pocket costs or greatly reduced to the patient. The state is responsible to watchdog and make sure rates are set fairly for all providing care or medication and the providers bill the insurance companies while the patient goes happily along and everybody is happy and taken care of, no stress, no muss, no fuss. But Wait..... In theory it would seem this is a perfect way to take care of a universal need for a responsible citizenry by a responsive and caring government, but in reality this is proving to be the road to disaster and the worst boondoggle to this society in history, and will in all probability be a major cause of our collapse in the not too distant future, and one so volatile no elected official in any capacity has the nerve and will to call it as it is. So how is it? Where are the problems? How did they come to be? How can we bring it under control? Can we? It is a bloated inefficient uncaring and unfeeling industry, driven by bad management and protected by everything and everyone except the one needing service in it. The problems with it as usual start with greed and self serving attitudes by most at the top who make their livelihood from it. The insurance industry has the most powerful lobby known to man matched in ambition only by the drug manufacturers and in their shadow the medical community from the doctors office to and through the hospital or medical facility of your choice. No politician is able to resist them in any fashion. In my state most all hospitals are chartered as non-profit organizations and pay little or no taxes yet any sign of savings to anyone using their facility or services is unidentifiable. The patient has been groomed to be ignorant and irresponsible and has risen to the occasion quite well, never questioning 'how much does it cost and why', instead being comfortable that 'The insurance is picking up the tab, and it's not costing me a thing'!! How dumb can we be? Three weeks ago a neighbors child swallowed a foreign object and had difficulty breathing. Of course 911 was called, and the child was transported to a medical facility 6 miles away at a cost of $2400.00 for ambulance services. That hospital couldn't identify what the child had swallowed (still breathing, concious, and responsive) and the decision was made by someone to airlift her by helicopter to a hospital some 35 miles away, where the object was removed and the child returned home with her parents the next night. When the bills came in it was a whopping $18,000.00 plus that the parents were presented with!! The transportation portion of the bill showed $2400.00 for ground ambulance and $9500.00 for air ambulance leaving the rest to emergency room service and an overnight stay. The parents were insured, but as it turned out the child wasn't. I don't know why, but that isn't what's wrong with this story. What's wrong is the ridiculous charges and fees charged because they can, and will be protected by the full authority of the law and our government, while this industry takes what it wishes and makes the rich richer and more independant as the ones in need of it's services are considered less and less. The truck driver whose daughter was charged this bill is already preparing to file bankruptcy. It's the only way he can protect his paycheck against these vultures. Most will say it's his fault for not having insurance and should suffer the consequences and be glad his child is alive. I say there's something putrid about our system and how it's run, and we are the ones responsible for it. Of course, I AM a dumb ass. Seems to me fairness is a large circle that is being cut very short..............