A recent discussion got me to thinking a lot about health care.  (Actually, I've been thinking about it a lot anyway.)

Jerry and I are on Medicare right now and we are not satisfied.  The old adage "You get what you pay for" comes to mind.  I have been denied coverage for prescriptions and for additional tests for cancer (even though I'm a cancer survivor and need to be monitored very closely). We paid for the prescriptions out of pocket and I've skipped the additional cancer tests.

So what's the solution?   We are unhappy with Medicare, but we have no choice.  Once we turned 65 our private insurance cut us off so we have to have Medicare or we have nothing.  We have also been unhappy with a supplement we had, but at least we were able to switch that.  Before Medicare we were unhappy with an HMO his company put us on, but again we were able to switch that. 

Recently I went to Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale to have a problem taken care of that doctors here couldn't seem to understand.  Here's what I discovered.  When dealing with Medicare/Medicaid patients volume is important.  So doctors don't listen.  They just want to get you in and out of their offices quickly.  The more people they see the more money they get.  Mayo has overcome that problem.  They don't take Medicare assignment and so therefore their doctors spend more time with you and listen.  Mayo doctors are paid a yearly salary not a per patient salary.  Mayo can run things the way it wants without government interference so instead of treating me for pain (not what I came in for, I'd learned to manage my pain.) They treated me for my complaint: a collapsing leg, which I couldn't manage.

After all this I'm reading the 1,000 page tome called the health bill.  (HR 3200) And, what I'm finding out is that the pundits are right.  We don't want our government in health care.  First, no one can understand it (and neither can I) unless they are a government bureaucrat.  Even the definitions are confusing, because to define a term it refers you to another statute (which you don't have) or section of the same bill and without a page number, it's time consuming to say the least.  I don't blame members of Congress for not having read the bill.  However, I do blame some of them for not knowing what will happen.  Be realistic.  When government started paying for prescription health care for seniors, my husband's prescription plan really went south.    They raised the deductible, started covering only those medications that Medicare would cover, etc.  In short we got screwed.  So we did what any sensible people should do, we stopped paying for it and went out on our own. Let's face it; the copay was higher than those at local chains.  We are both on maintenance drugs that are actually cheaper without the current copay. 

Since then we've had to pay for medication out of pocket periodically that might have been covered, but when we factor in the monthly charge, and co-pay that we are no longer paying, it hasn't cost us that much out of pocket and we might actually be saving money.  You just have to shop around.

So here's a thought (and this will probably get the government goons on my tail, but hey I want this country to return to the free country it once was.)  You can read the government health care plan just by going to http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf
This is the entire up-to-date bill before Congress right now.  Remember, it can be changed if the house and the senate both pass the bill.  If the versions aren't identical, conference committee can change it so this is by no means the final version.  It is only the current House of Representatives proposal.  I suggest you read it.  (Yes, I know I haven't finish the whole 1,000 pages either) rather than take someone else's word for it.  (I've already found some holy cows that back up what I've heard the pundits saying.)  Or if you don't want to read it just send it as something "fishy" to flag@whitehouse.gov.  We've done this.  Just tell them you got this fishy email and you wanted to check it out.  We've already done this and so far we're still alive.

I actually heard someone who had the same idea on a radio show so we won't be the only ones sending a copy of the bill to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  And, to think we had the same idea as someone whom we don't know in another state.  Must be a conspiracy!!!

Is the water hot enough for you yet?