Open Letter to Medicaid Recipients

Dear Medicaid Recipients,

The health care reform debate is heating up and I wonder if you really care. I know you already have "universal coverage," so the lively town hall discussions may not seem apropros to you. When people talk about "affordable health care coverage," you may not know what they are talking about, as you receive your health care coverage for free.

This may or may not get you interested in the health care debate going on around the country, but as it turns out, your coverage is not free. It is funded by thousands of tax paying citizens from all across the nation. There are many, many folks who earn income and see the government take a portion of it to fund your health care. Your health care is also provided for, in part, by the professionals and businesses where you seek treatment. Each one of them has to take a drastic cut in their reimbursement when they bill the state for your care. The Medicaid reimbursement does not cover their costs.

There are many Medicaid recipients who are not comfortable receiving this benefit from the state, and many who are probably embarrassed when they have to pull our their Medicaid cards when seeking treatment. This embarrassment is not necessary, but it is understandable. For some there is a stigma attached to being on any kind of welfare program.

If you find yourself on Medicaid, by all means use your benefits, that's why they are there. There is no sense in going through the application process, getting qualified, and then not accessing care. You should do everything you can to keep you and your family healthy. Though many people believe it's a shame that we have to rely on the government to make sure you have health coverage, verses relying on family, a church community, or a privately paid for health plan through a group or employer, no one would deny that you shouldn't utilize your tax payer funded plan if you have it.

Besides seeking the care you need, there is one thing I encourage you, and every other patient to do when going to the doctor or hospital. Please be gracious. In light of everything, please be thankful that you will likely walk out of the hospital owing nothing, even after receiving a high dollar test. There are many patients who pay an insurance premium every month, and will still owe a high deductable on that same test. Legally you may be entitled to your Medicaid coverage, but it would be a stretch to say you deserve it. No one should ever treat you with disrespect. You should receive the same caring and customer service as everyone else, but please be sure to return that kindness.

Perhaps one day we'll all have the same health ID card and no one will ever have to worry about being treated differently because of his coverage. Until then, take care.

Sincerely,

kenkenkenamerica

Write Your Congressman-I Did

Never in my life have I written my congressman, until this evening. I actually sent a message to the two MO US senators as well. Here is what I said:

Subj: Health Care Reform

Dear _______,

Please do your best to keep the United States government from getting into health care anymore than it already is. Our government cannot solve all of our problems. Please let the free market and the citizens' ingenuity solve this one.

Sincerely,

KRL

Writing your legislators has never been easier. Go to house.gov or senate.gov, find your legislators, follow the links to contact them, and clickety click, send a message. See. Easy.

I Trust the Government

Here is the preamble to that House bill 3200, you know, the one that will solve all of our health care problems:

"To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes."

• Affordable. For who? Services received by anyone on the government plan will be paid an Medicare rates. That's where the government tells you how much you'll be paid for providing care. But be careful, if you provide more care than the government says the patient needs, you won't be paid at all. Medicare rates are meant to cover costs, and Medicare gets to say what the cost is. And it's not like the Medicare system is rolling in cash. The free market is on life support.
• Quality. If more services are paid at Medicare rates, providers will see revenues drop. How many businesses do you know of where when you pay less, you get more?
• Reduce...spending. Uh? I thought we were all about spending! What's the stimulus package then?
• And for other purposes. This one's my favorite. Spend 10 minutes reading the monster bill and you'll see things in there that make you wonder why the government cares, and even if it did, how in the world will it ever manage or oversee it all without creating this huge, bloated bureaucracy that will become involved in our every health care decision...oh wait.

The government's got to get out. Reform the tort laws. Let medical insurance be insurance, not a pre-paid medical plan. Providers should make it clear what services will cost, ahead of time. Health care is not a right. Let the free market live.

If you feel that this blog is providing misinformation about the health care bill, feel free to report it to the White House.

No Nore F22s (with a little sarcasm)

The Senate and the Obama administration decided to not build anymore F22s. Finally. Why spend my money on weapons that real Americans build? Now, instead of giving that money back to the tax payers, they can take it and use it on some of that wonderful health care bureaucracy that will save our souls and help us live forever.

In California they finally figured out how to reduce their gargantuan deficit-cut spending! I just worry about the poor illegal immigrants. I certainly hope that none of the spending cuts will affect them.

Missouri in all their wisdom sent us a letter this week stating that our reimbursement for outpatient services would be a whopping 20% of billed charges. For now, that's the lowest they can pay per state law. Needless to say, a hospital cannot cover costs with that kind of reimbursement. Man, I sure hope Obama comes through with his health care reform!

The Great American Vacation

We just returned from an overland trip to Montana and back. The wife, the kids, and I all piled into our 1999 Ford Windstar and hit the road. It was just like I remember it when I was a kid.

Well, not quite. My parents were much more apt to camp. My family was more like Abraham's family when I was young. Travel to a new place, pitch a tent, build and altar. Our tents now come with plumbing, and some nights a fridge. I'm not going to complain about this new development. It's very convenient, and comfortable. The matress at our cabin was better than the one we have at home, and it was one hundred times better than a tree root.

The traveling was not quite the same, either. I could never read in the car, not as a kid, and not now. It makes me sick. So I've seen a lot of countryside and a lot of billboards. I wanted my kids to have the same experience, but it didn't work out like that. Someone thought there should be a DVD player in the van. Instead of enjoying the natural beauty of the Black Hills, my kids watched Boz, for the one hundredth time.

Otherwise, everything went fine. We walked each day until we were exhausted, drove mile after mile, threatened the kids everytime they fought (which was about as often as we passed a green mile marker).

We saw some of man's amazing handywork at Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse, some of God's most beautiful creation all throughout the Black Hills, but it was all second rate for the kids. What they look forward to the most is the day they make their pilgrimage to that magical Mecca known as Disney World. I've survived my whole like having never gone there, but I'm having a hard time convincing the kids they'll grow to adulthood if we don't go. The only time we went to Florida when I was a kid was to attend Hobe Sound Bible Camp. Surely they'll appreciate that, won't they?

Dr. George Tiller Killed at Church

It was very strange for me to hear about the murder of Dr. Tiller today. This is why. Just last night, actually very early this morning, I was thinking about partial birth abortion and how terrible it is, and dreadfully, how painful it must be for the babies. I couldn't sleep, and never can when my wife is out of town, and for some reason this thought came to mind. I also thought that as much as I'm against it, and as wrong as I think it is, besides faithfully voting pro-life, I've done precious little about it.

The other thing that occurred to me is how many professed Christians are pro-abortion, up to and including our President. Our President, the wise like Solomon Barack Obama, can't decide when a baby is a baby. When asked when life began he said "That's above my pay grade." Well, he's president now. Is it still above his pay grade? If it's a life, and you end it, then it's murder. So if you're not really sure, wouldn't ere on the side of caution, or rather, ere on the side of life? Because maybe, just maybe, it's a living human being and if we abort it, then we just murdered someone.

But 'Christians' go around voting for Democrats, jumping on President Obama's bandwagon, feeling like they're progressive, and hoping that the government will take care of poor people because as Christians, you know, they really care about poor people.

Anyway, I'm just saying that's what was going through my head this morning.

Then I log on and see a news story that Dr. Tiller was murdered, in church! Taking the offering! I cannot justify his murder at all. I believe in the rule of law. St. Paul tells me I ought to obey the laws of my land. However, I am not sad that Dr. Tiller will not be performing anymore late term abortions. Also, I cannot say that his murder was punishment. Many people who don't perform abortions are murdered every day.

So tonight, before I attempt sleep, I'll pray that something good will come of this. Somehow I feel this is a set back for pro-life. Yet, if there is an abortion scheduled for tomorrow in Wichita that won't be performed, I won't be disappointed.

Will to Skynyrd

Remember that group, Will to Power? Me neither, but I do remember a song they did. Actually, I think it was the song they did. At any rate, they covered Peter Frampton's Baby I Love Your Way. Now I've always liked that Frampton song, but the genius behind Will to Power's version is they put a verse from Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird in there. That song obviously did very well on charts. How could it not? If you take two great songs, mash 'em together, what do you get, one great song!

There is another song out right now that follows that formula, and interestingly enough, one of the songs in the mash up is another Skynyrd hit. Until last night I didn't know who did it. Turns out it's Kid Rock and his song is All Summer Long. He combines Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London and Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. I believe that song is doing well also. I have to say, when I start my band, the first thing I'll do is combine some Skynyrd songs with some other songs I like. It's a no brainer. Every Skynyrd song is great, so automatically one half of your song is great. So all you have to do find another tried and true song and bam, a hit!

With that in mind, here is side A of my first album:

1. Saturday Night is Back (AC/DC's Back in Black, Saturday Night Special)
2. Smell It (Michael Jackson's Beat It, That Smell)
3. The Breeze Never Sleeps (Puccini's Nessun Dorma, Call Me the Breeze)
4. Three Steps from the King (Robert Grant's O Worship the King, Gimme Three Steps)
5. Summer Questions (Kid Rock's All Summer Long, Don't Ask Me No Questions)

Now, where to shoot the videos?