Warm biscuits with melted butter and a coating of grape jelly that my granddaughter helped make in Texas. Wow, God is so good. He gave me taste buds and a sense of smell so I could really enjoy this treat. What a creative idea. I'm able to nourish my body and receive a bit of joy all at the same time. If I had created the world it would have been much less imaginative. Need some nutrition? Just walk on up to this "filling station" and we'll throw a little in your tank. Instead of such a calculated, matter of fact approach, we are inundated with beauty and good things to remind us of His love. Sorry to make you wait but I needed to finish my biscuits while they were still warm. Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog.
My wife, yesterday, went to the hospital to have a liver biopsy taken. It all started several days earlier, with a blood test that showed elevated levels of some enzyme. This prompted the doctor to want a closer look at the situation. After a sonogram and a CT, which showed some nodules, a yet closer look was indicated. While in the operating room the doctor, through conversation with my wife, decided a couple of extra samples would be a good idea to check for another possible explanation for her condition. A call to a pathologist confirmed this to be a good idea, since they were already taking some biopsies anyway. I don't want to fill this blog up with anecdotal information as I know it can be a weak argument, but I have to react to what I know and then try to analyse external information taking into account what I have experienced. My experience with the healthcare system, to this point, has been a good one. Yes, I have been frustrated dealing with insurance companies who say this or that is covered then try not to pay when the bill comes. But in the end, my wife has prevailed and they have paid. I would say I have had more problems straightening out mis-understandings with the government. Whether it's getting a paid tax liability off our record or fighting over flood insurance that I don't believe we should need to have. I am not sceptical of the idea of us having the best healthcare in the world, but, even if my lack of scepticism has resulted in me accepting a "less than the best" system, I'll take it. I cannot imagine how these things would unfold under the weight of an incredible governmental bureaucracy. Waiting, who knows how long, to get a biopsy taken, then, what kind of treatment are you left with. Are the doctors hands tied. Is he able to make that phone call and take more samples than originally agreed on to cover another possible cause for the patients problem or is he a human machine carrying out his orders, knowing that the reimbursement will be the same either way and the patient can just wait in another line for another biopsy if it comes to that. The progression from blood test to biopsy was about a week for my wife. How long will that progression take with a government administered program? Can't we just make our current system better? If we introduce competition, in a real way, to the healthcare system then, I believe, we go a long way toward making it affordable for all. Those who still can't afford it, and want it, the government can help. With "real" competition the government will not need to control our lives like they will feel compelled to do with government healthcare. The government can concentrate on keeping us safe from terrorists and keeping our country on solid financial footing instead of telling us what we can eat, or how much we can eat, or what activities we can engage in. With a truly competitive environment in the insurance industry the actuary tables become the motivation for disciplining our choices. If we pay more for insurance because we smoke we have a built in incentive to quit. I understand the need for basic coverage for all, but giving discounts for lifestyle choices or refraining from more risky activities, would seem a doable option. Even now, if someone manages to go on a parachute jump without procuring the proper insurance, we are not going to with hold medical care from that individual. In fact, it is the stated policy of our medical institutions to not with hold medical care from any individual in need of emergency procedures. So I say true reform is indicated, not an overhaul. Free up the insurance companies from the heavy hand of government imposed restrictions, mandates and cost controls and then have a method of helping those who need assistance to make their premium payments. I don't have time here to address the historical issues that have led us to our current, inefficient, national medical condition, but I think we can fix it without setting us on a long slow decline into medical mediocrity that is the assured outcome of direct government involvement.
Film at 6.
