The Latest
Well, the latest email I’ve seen going around regarding health care in this country is that Natasha Richardson (the actress who died this past year due to a head injury while skiing) died because it took 8 hours to drive her to a hospital. Ms. Richardson was skiing in Quebec when the accident occurred and the point of this whacko email is to show that socialized medicine does not work. There are many facts to straighten out here so let’s first begin with Ms. Richardson.
The facts of her injury are that the EMTs arrived on the scene stat, but when they arrived to transport her to the hospital, she refused such transportation, insisting that she was fine. As reported in an MSNBC news report:
“Yves Coderre, director of operations at the emergency services company that sent paramedics to the Mont Tremblant resort, told The Globe and Mail newspaper that he reviewed the dispatch records and the first 911 call came at 12:43 p.m. Monday.
Coderre said medics arrived at the hill 17 minutes later. But the actress refused medical attention, he said, so ambulance staffers turned and left after spotting a sled taking the still-conscious actress away to the resort’s on-site clinic.
At 3 p.m., a second 911 call was made — this time from Richardson’s luxury hotel room — as her condition deteriorated. An ambulance arrived nine minutes later.
“She was conscious and they could talk to her,” Coderre said. “But she showed instability.” She was transported immediately to a hospital where she later died. You can read the entire article here, which, if only the first half of the article is read, one could come to the conclusion that she had not received appropriate medical attention. Not the case. She refused initial treatment.
Next on our agenda is the issue of socialized medicine. People, our government is not headed towards socialized medicine but, if you sit and think about this a bit (which, unfortunately, seems to be the location of some brains out there and which is apparently causing a good deal of pressure, albeit loss of consciousness or clear thinking), we are not unfamiliar with the benefits of such a platform, i.e., welfare, state disability, Medicaid and Medicare. Regardless, the health care option the President is proposing is not socialized medicine. It’s an OPTION. Does anyone know what an option is? It’s like when you go to a restaurant and you look at a menu and you see all of the options. Or you go to Home Depot to look for a color to paint your living room and you realize suddenly that you never knew there were so many options for BLUE. I mean, all you wanted was BLUE but there are 800+ variations and now you don’t know what the hell to do and so you go home to get a swatch from your couch which you also thought was just blue but find out later it is cornflower. But then when you go back to Home Depot, you find out that cornflower is not one of their options. So now what? You go somewhere else and look at their paint. Because you are an American. With many options.
Yes, today’s word is, if you are still sitting on your brains, OPTIONS. If you don’t want that health care plan, go buy something else. You can find all kinds of healthcare options here. Then you can compare those options with the option the government has. It’s that easy. It’s that quick.
See you soon for our next swashbuckling escapade, i.e., yet another hysteria campaign the right is throwing out there: SENIOR DEATH WARRANTS!!! Let me tell you, if you’re 60+, you’d better hang it up. Keep a stash of cyanide by your bedside because otherwise, the government is going to give it to you on their terms, when you least expect it. At least have the option of when you’re going to be killed, for crying out loud! Stay tuned.
Perhaps this article may enlighten you as to end of life planning that many seniors, including me, are troubled by.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204683204574358590107981718.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
Donna K
August 23, 2009
Excellent article to add to the health care reform debate. What I am reading about this is that “Your Life, Your Choices” was initially created over 10 years ago but was not implemented. And now it sounds like the VA is trying to get it implemented yet again. It will be interesting to follow this and see where it goes, ie, whether it is tabled again. Of note is that it is entitled, “Your Life, Your Choices.” As with this health care plan, it is a choice. As I stated in my article, there are other options out there for Americans, many of which can be found at http://www.ehealthinsurance.com. Many of us, as we grow older, and deplete funds, may be eligible for Medicaid or Medicare. Both are simply outlined here: http://answers.hhs.gov/questions/3094. Additionally, many of us, as we grow older, create our own Living Will or DNR (Do not Resuscitate). My mother chose not to have a DNR. She wanted to keep on going for as long as possible. My uncle did not. I share in the concern as to who will make the calls on health decisions. The United States, sadly, has one of the lowest levels of respect for its senior citizens than any other country. In Eastern cultures, the elderly are revered and are cared for by family members and physicians, allowing the “patient” to make the final decision on their life, if they are capable of doing so. As it stands right now, that is still one right the elderly have in this country; we need to work together to make sure it is maintained. But “Your Life, Your Choices” is not part of the proposed health care reform package.
theonlymagpie
August 24, 2009
The current reality, it seems to me, is that most Americans have pretty close to zero options and zero freedom to choose their health care plan. Those without the means to afford any health insurance are often left with one “option” – the emergency room. Those with employer provided health insurance are often left with one “option” – the insurance offered by their employer,(even though sometimes there can be 2 or 3 small variations in coverage to choose from.) Of course, one option is really no option.
Let’s let a government option exist for those who cannot be covered properly otherwise. And let’s make sure all US private health insurance is available to all US residents and that it works just fine an all US hospitals and for all US heath services, just as all auto insurance works just fine regardless of how far away from home we travel. Then we’ll have some real options.
skphilfan
August 24, 2009
Side Comment: Too late I thought of selling “PALIN AND BECK in ’12″ bumper stickers outside congressional town halls. Once again not smart enough or quick enough to make the easy buck. Sigh.
skphilfan
August 24, 2009