I have had an epiphany. You know, a sudden sense of clarity about something. And, I have to thank Sean Hannity for it. Believe it or not, he really opened my eyes today during his diatribe on the radio. He is a true American... the rest of us are just posers.
I listened to him go on for about fifteen minutes, I could not turn it off, I was mesmerized by his voice. He has made our country what it is. Only he tells the truth...We should all thank him becaue he is exposing to us the realities of the problems of government. He knows everything, just ask him.
This Thanksgiving, I really want to thank him and Rush, Glenn, and Fox News for exposing for us the ills of our society and the terrible path we are headed down. If only Jesus had these guys second guessing him! Can you imagine what the times might have been like had Sean gone about revealing the truth about Christ? The Master did not feed all those people with loaves and fishes, he did not raise Lazarus from the dead. Those were tricks that He pulled to fool us into thinking there was an afterlife, that there was something better in loving our neighbor. Christ, after all, had ulterior motives.
As I listened to the Rev Hannity, I suddenly realized that he probably had a broken arm from patting himself on the back so much. Never have I heard the first person pronoun used so much by someone with so little to give. But, he got me, I listened. And the more I listened to him, the more I realized that I have to listen to him. I cannot stop.
If I stop listening to him, I won't be informed, because he has read the ENTIRE healthcare bill and quote it line by line and tell his listeners what page his facts are on. I have to listen to I know what is being said about how my life and the lives of other Americans are going to be ruined by this President, but have not been hurt by the previous one.
Hannity is like a combination of the little boy who did not get what he wanted and the bully that tries to take over the block. On one side, his candidate did not win, so he never finds anything positive about the winner. On the other end, he YELLS at you and derides you by telling you how low you are and he beats you up psychologically instead of physically.
My eyes were opened today. And for that I am thankful. Amen.
Doughnut
Showing posts with label healthcare costs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthcare costs. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
My Eyes Are Opened on Healthcare
I think I understand healthcare issue now. My son, James, had surgery on Monday to correct a detached retina. He has no idea how it happened, but it happened, according to the doctor, because he is severely nearsighted. The optometrist spotted the problem and referred him to an ophthalmologist. This specialist then did surgery to correct the problem. He blew a gas bubble into Jim’s eye and then told him to lie face down on my couch for a week. This is not much different than what Jim did during his teenage years, so I agreed.
Before the surgery, Jim’s blood was drawn and he was diagnosed as being a diabetic. Now he has to go to an internist to have the problem addressed. It’s hell getting old, or so I am told.
Luckily, Jim has insurance. But, if he did not, he would have been paying for this for a long time. When we returned on Tuesday to the doctor for the “post op checkup,” Jim saw another doctor (not his surgeon, who was supposedly off doing more surgery type things). We went into the waiting room which was set up in a theatre like atmosphere with the patients facing away from the reception, but towards a 50 inch LED TV which was playing “The Lake House”. Oddly enough, next to the window where patients check in is a sign that says, “Expect to be here 1-3 hours” (At least they warn you, other doctors don’t.) Jim was called back immediately because he was priority patient.
Once inside the magic door from the waiting room, we were led through a maze of hallways into another waiting room where there were more people. (It began to feel like the stages of purgatory, or a Disney waiting line.) Jim was taken into a room where an assistant checked him out, undressed the surgical eye, and did some preliminary things. After this, he was taken again around a corner, down a hall, and into…ANOTHER WAITING ROOM! Luckily, because of his “priority patient” status, he was put into an examining room. The doctor came in (at least I think he was a doctor, he did not have on the official doctor coat, nor the heart listening thingy). He looked in Jim’s eye, said, “Keep following your doctor’s orders.” And left. Jim saw the Doctor a grand total of two (2) minutes!
When Jim went to leave, he was given a copy of the bill for services had he not been insured. The grand total for the two minute visit and the ride through Doctorland, was $268.00! Or, about 134 dollars a minute. We tried doing math on the intake of this particular doctor’s office. IF he and the other doctors saw only 30 patients each that day (There were more waiting to see him and the five other doctor’s in the practice. Jim had an early appointment.) the office would have pulled in close to $48,240 that day! For the week, it would have been 241,200 and over a year period, $12,060,000, assuming that they take two weeks off for vacation. Now, I know there are overhead costs, but …
Jim has not gotten the bill for the surgery center yet. But he was in there for about 6 hours. They called in another doctor for the diabetes who may or may not be covered under his insurance, even though Jim did not ask for the consult. That bill will be interesting.
Total cost for the eye surgery? My bet is on about $20,000.
How do people that have no insurance afford health care? Those that would oppose changes and even a public option are probably those who can afford it. But, we have to ask ourselves, if the government is to “promote the general welfare” as it promises in the Preamble to the Constitution, is it not its duty to be sure all citizens can be treated?
Next time you go for a doctor’s appointment, ask what the “usual and customary” charges would be for the services provided had you not had insurance. Could you have afforded it?
Food for thought.
Doughnut
Before the surgery, Jim’s blood was drawn and he was diagnosed as being a diabetic. Now he has to go to an internist to have the problem addressed. It’s hell getting old, or so I am told.
Luckily, Jim has insurance. But, if he did not, he would have been paying for this for a long time. When we returned on Tuesday to the doctor for the “post op checkup,” Jim saw another doctor (not his surgeon, who was supposedly off doing more surgery type things). We went into the waiting room which was set up in a theatre like atmosphere with the patients facing away from the reception, but towards a 50 inch LED TV which was playing “The Lake House”. Oddly enough, next to the window where patients check in is a sign that says, “Expect to be here 1-3 hours” (At least they warn you, other doctors don’t.) Jim was called back immediately because he was priority patient.
Once inside the magic door from the waiting room, we were led through a maze of hallways into another waiting room where there were more people. (It began to feel like the stages of purgatory, or a Disney waiting line.) Jim was taken into a room where an assistant checked him out, undressed the surgical eye, and did some preliminary things. After this, he was taken again around a corner, down a hall, and into…ANOTHER WAITING ROOM! Luckily, because of his “priority patient” status, he was put into an examining room. The doctor came in (at least I think he was a doctor, he did not have on the official doctor coat, nor the heart listening thingy). He looked in Jim’s eye, said, “Keep following your doctor’s orders.” And left. Jim saw the Doctor a grand total of two (2) minutes!
When Jim went to leave, he was given a copy of the bill for services had he not been insured. The grand total for the two minute visit and the ride through Doctorland, was $268.00! Or, about 134 dollars a minute. We tried doing math on the intake of this particular doctor’s office. IF he and the other doctors saw only 30 patients each that day (There were more waiting to see him and the five other doctor’s in the practice. Jim had an early appointment.) the office would have pulled in close to $48,240 that day! For the week, it would have been 241,200 and over a year period, $12,060,000, assuming that they take two weeks off for vacation. Now, I know there are overhead costs, but …
Jim has not gotten the bill for the surgery center yet. But he was in there for about 6 hours. They called in another doctor for the diabetes who may or may not be covered under his insurance, even though Jim did not ask for the consult. That bill will be interesting.
Total cost for the eye surgery? My bet is on about $20,000.
How do people that have no insurance afford health care? Those that would oppose changes and even a public option are probably those who can afford it. But, we have to ask ourselves, if the government is to “promote the general welfare” as it promises in the Preamble to the Constitution, is it not its duty to be sure all citizens can be treated?
Next time you go for a doctor’s appointment, ask what the “usual and customary” charges would be for the services provided had you not had insurance. Could you have afforded it?
Food for thought.
Doughnut
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