health insurance (Fred)

[David Ilvedson]

Well written Fred!   

David I.



----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
From: Fred Sturm <fssturm@unm.edu>
To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>
Received: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 17:25:36 -0600
Subject: Re: health insurance (Fred)

>--On Thursday, August 5, 2004 2:29 PM -0700 Susan Kline <skline@peak.org> 
>wrote:

>> Fred, is there something here which I've missed? Are you particularly
>> unhealthy? Are you a heavy user of medical services?
>>
>> You have obviously suffered great inconvenience, anxiety, expense, and
>> frustration getting yourself health coverage. Is there some reason you
>> couldn't just stuff some money into an account toward medical costs,
>> instead of fighting one uncaring bureaucracy after another?

>Hi Susan,
>	Nope, not chronically ill. ALmost never seen a doctor. My total health 
>bill  for my entire life is well under $5000. Adult life, under $500. 
>(Dental is another story). However, I do know many, many people who have 
>suddenly found themselves in a health situation: sister-in-law who has had 
>repeated cancerous tumors in bladder and kidney; close friends who have 
>come down with MS; etc. And when I did a cholesterol test last year, on 
>hitting 50, I found that I have real high numbers - very easily could have 
>had a heart attack like a somewhat younger colleague. Very easily could 
>still, though I have done a great deal to avoid that (mostly in the form of 
>aerobic exercise - I was not overweight, nor did I eat unhealthy food).
>	I am very sympathetic (on an emotional level) with the rugged 
>individualist, go it alone philosophy. But as I have grown older, and, I 
>think, wiser, I have realized that there is really no such thing as alone. 
>We are connected whether we want to be or not - and not just on a spiritual 
>level, but in very practical ways. Suppose you are uninsured, and you are 
>the one diagnosed with cancer, completely out of the blue. You end up with 
>easily (very optimistic case scenario) $250,000 in bills. Who pays? Well, 
>first your assets are liquidated. Then family and friends are called on. 
>But in the end, either the hospital absorbs it (meaning we all pay in 
>higher costs), or you are bankrupt and on Medicaid, and we all pay in taxes.
>	IOW, the non-insured route is an irresponsible one. It's like the person 
>who rides the motorcycle without the helmet, saying "Hey, it's my neck that 
>would get broken." But that paraplegic will be a public charge for the rest 
>of his/her life: we all pay.
>	That's where I am coming from. I say we should all pitch in and do it 
>together, rather than this hodge podge system we have (where we end up all 
>paying anyway). The days of the private practice physician are over. You're 
>either in a system, or you're out on the street. Why not a public, 
>non-profit system?
>Regards,
>Fred




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