Healthcare News Flash

News Flash! Are you sitting down? A startling bit of information just came to my attention that may change the whole discussion of health-care in this country. As it turns out, more people are dying every day who have health insurance than those who are dying who do not.
 In fact, statistics are beginning to point to the possibility that even rich people with health insurance are dying on a daily basis. Only time, and a continued study of this emerging trend will bear out if it's true or not, but I think, if it is, it may change the on-going debate in this country. May I suggest, in addition to these revealing statistics, that if people without health insurance would practice good eating habits and otherwise attempt to maintain a healthy lifestyle, that they would live longer than someone with health insurance that does not take care of themselves. It is a proven fact that lifestyle is more of a factor in a person's health than whether they have health insurance or not. I am among those who could live without health insurance. Since my employer requires I accept health insurance offered only on their terms, (that is to say they do not offer any options for those wishing to receive even just a portion of the cost associated with their health insurance in the form of increased compensation),I do have health insurance. And, as long as I am able to afford it, I believe it's a good investment. I just wish I could buy my health insurance myself. In fact, I wish we were all in charge of our own health insurance. Why? Hello "free market". As with anything the government gets involved in our current insurance climate is really mucked up. (did I spell that right?) If I could buy just the insurance I wanted and could "shop" around for doctors and services I believe the costs would come down dramatically. Certainly on a case by case basis the costs would come down. I don't need maternity coverage. Nor do I want chiropractic coverage. I could have purchased a high deductible policy when I was young and put money into a Health Savings Account which could well have grown to a sufficient amount that I could be considered self insured except for those extended hospital stays which my inexpensive, high deductible policy would cover. Instead, I'm trapped in a system that will not allow me to take responsibility for, or, control of, my own health-care. A system that will not allow society to bring the most powerful and effective cost controls known to man to bear on our health-care system. A system whose most distinctive characteristic is to empower the ruling elite which is more and more in the position of giving us our opinion when they want it. In case that last line looks a little funny just think back to a scene from the Godfather.
Your homework for this week is to look into Health Savings Accounts and to start now to plan your escape from our perilous health-care system. If you are too old to pursue this worthy endeavor I am indeed sorry. God help us all.

It's Hard To Be Eeyore

They say it's hard to be humble, but I never really had any trouble with that. In fact I'm quite good at it. But maintaining a consistently gloomy disposition really is hard. There is quite a lot of rather disappointing news coming at us from all sides these days. News that is often presented in a more negative way than would be supported by the actual facts. After all, they need to sell newspapers and radio and tv ads. So the truly disappointing and tragic events are mixed in with the media's default position of taking the most negative tack on every story until it's too late to redeem it to its more factual state. How often are we left basing an opinion of a situation on an intentionally incomplete set of facts because the media isn't as well-served with the truth as with the more extreme notions conjured up by editors whose strengths seem to lie in the art of deception? I would suggest if we could pull the curtain of selfish ambition away from the news media long enough to see the real world we would be pleasantly surprised at how far our society has come in its 236 years. Upon a solid foundation of a constitution that balances and limits the government's power, which helps insure the people's continued freedoms, our society has moved into and beyond many difficult and troubling issues. We are still somewhat free, and we are more tolerant and accepting than we've ever been and moving in the right direction all the time. Lest you feel obligated to offer a disparaging word about those nasty intolerant Christians please allow me to interject a quick word. I hang around a lot of these "Christian" types and if I may, they are much more tolerant and loving than most of the people who find it so easy to criticize them. Yes, the media are fond of finding someone who calls themselves a Christian but whose mouth seems to run in opposition to that claim. Or they will edit responses from respected Christian leaders in such a way as to see that no one's prejudice is negatively impacted. Jeepers Wally, where have all the good reporters gone? The news is what it is, but they seem to want to make it what it isn't. Alas, I digress. Negativity, often within my own life, seems to abound and find a quick friend within the human spirit. There is something that wants to move me in negative directions and pull me out of earshot of the love of God. This morning, with a near full moon in the West and soon rising sun in the East, we sang songs and read scripture about the most blessed event this earth has ever encountered. It distracted me long enough to catch a refreshing, positive, uplifting song from Calvary's tree. A profoundly blessed moment that is there for the taking each and every day. May we all look more intentionally for God's love in every day.

So heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
(David Crower Band from the song How He Loves)

May God surprise you with a kiss this day.