Excellent Points

Bill Bunker — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:02:39 -0500

Terri,

WOW! All of your points are valiid and you are right on the mark with your assessment.

People need to choose between taking care of their health and priroitizing.

I have worked in positions where I have had first hand experiences with people who have chosen to opt out of health insurance because they did not want $50 deducted from their checks. Yet, they had brand new cars, went on tropical vacations, smoked, drank liquor, etc.

It is a matter of priorities. We all understand that we need to pay $X for this and $X for that but when it comes to health insurance, people just do not want to pay for something that they think they won't get instant gratification from.

There are those who have to choose between groceries and health care but that is the exception, not the rule. We should take care of those who are not able to take care of themselves.

I drives me crazy when I hear people complain about co-pays and having to pay $15 for a prescription.

As with anything, you have to invest in yourself before others will want to invest in you.

Nice points and VERY WELL PUT!!!! Maybe voters will realize that government run health care just builds dependency and defeats self reliance and self responsibility.

Our Role in Our Health Care

Terri Oberg — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:12:34 -0500

Dealing with insurance companies can be troublesome, aggravating and the American public loves to tell the horror stories that come with having an HMO. My S.O. is like so many others with a story to tell. About 10 years ago my S.O. was in a horrific motorcycle accident. He suffered broken bones, first degree burns and a piece of metal pierced one of his feet. Within hours he was transferred from Concord Hospital to the nearest burn unit in Boston. After his hospital stay and while still recovering at home, he found himself at odds with his insurance company. First they denied his claim, telling him he had gone outside the "network" for his treatment. When he explained that he had gone to the closest burn unit, the insurance company held up the claim while they conducted research to confirm my S.O.'s explanation. Next they contacted him to find out if they could file a claim against the motorcycle company. They tried to talk my S.O. into admitting some sort of fault with the motorcycle and going along with them in suing the company. Being a mechanic by trade as well as someone who is disgusted with the sue-happy nature of our culture, my S.O. refused to comply. He explained that the motorcycle was well beyond any warranty time period and parts on a machine, any machine, will eventually wear out and/or corrode. It was an accident, plain and simple. Eventually, the insurance company paid the bill.

However, I must admit that my S.O. does not always use his best judgment when it comes to his health insurance. In the six years I have known him, he has suffered kidney stones on two occasions. Both times he drove himself to the emergency room, only to be referred to a urologist on an urgent basis. Both times he grumbled and complained about the long wait in the emergency room and the bills that came later. He just can't seem to get it through his head that if he had called his primary care doctor first, he may have been referred directly to the urologist, thus avoiding the emergency room visit and cost of using it altogether. Somehow he has the impression that he will receive quicker results by sitting in the waiting room of the ER than by having his primary care doctor send him to the specialist right off. At this point, he has become well established enough with the specialist that he probably could just call them directly himself. Being involved in the medical field, I have tried to explain this to him, but he still believes for some reason he will receive better, quicker care by going through the emergency room.

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Excellent Points

Our Role in Our Health Care