Take That, Mary Poppins!

The Right to Buy Pants

Today I should be in a better mood, after all, I have the day off from work. But alas, it's raining outside and I don't have anything planned besides babysitting the kids. My wife hates when I say I'm babysitting our kids. I guess I'm exerting direct parental control over my kids today.

I feel like I should write about health care. Well, I'm not not going to say much about it, except that it will hurt providers if more people sign up for some kind of "public option". The reason is the "public option" will likely pay Medicare rates, and who can live on that? Last year the Missouri Hospital Association was pushing this program where more Missourians could sign up and gain coverage through Medicaid. This was somehow supposed to be a boost to hospitals, who otherwise were seeing these patients as self pay. I opposed it, on principal. It's not worth dealing with all of Missouri's stupid Medicaid regulations to be paid 22 cents on the dollar (if you're lucky). Like right now...oh never mind. I was going to talk about the convoluted way you have to bill the drugs a Medicaid patient receives in the hospital, but this paragraph is too long already.

Let's talk about pants. I did buy some over the weekend-two pairs of jeans, dungarees. Why would I buy jeans? Well, I recognize that in this culture I live in there are many instances where jeans are quite appropriate, and I didn't have any that didn't have big holes in the knees.

The first pair I picked are Levis 501 button fly. I know, I didn't think I could wear those either, but I bought a size bigger than what I normally wear, and they actually fit. The second pair are made by Vans, the skateboarding shoe company. I thought they only made shoes. Who knew? At any rate, they were a size bigger also.

So, maybe I'm fatter now. Since I was 19 or 20 I've worn 32/32, but recently I've bumped the waist up to 34. But here's the thing, I'm pretty sure I'm not taller, yet I've also had to bump the inseam up to 34 as well. This is not just my jeans, is all the pants I buy. I feel like when my stats are recorded they'll have to put an asterisk beside my pants size earlier in my career. "*Pre modern era pants size."

This went a little long. Sorry. But that's how it is once I start talking about pants.

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?