One Family's Exposure with the Current Health Care System in America

In days long gone by, the elderly in certain societies would decide to end their life by going out onto the ice and sitting down to die. This person could decide, due to injuries, ill health or simply the tiredness that comes with a long life, that it was time to end. They may have been in excruciating pain or just felt that they were a burden to society. There were no health insurance or health care providers to insure they could live a longer, healthier life. It has been long time since we let our infirm or elderly end their life, simply because they no longer are of any use to society. Today something that was once a life ending problem, can be a minor bump in the road of life.

My wife was born with a deformed hip and as a child had numerous surgeries and therapies. A few years ago, in the middle age of life, the doctors installed a new hip, adding years of physical use to a body that 50 years ago would have been worn out. My wife also recently had surgery to remove a cancer. The removal of that cancer and the subsequent treatments, saved a life and extended it an immeasurable amount of time. Again 50 years ago this would not have been possible. In both cases our insurance paid the bulk of the bills and we were left with a few thousand to pay out of pocket. Paying for these "health problems" has been hard, but would have been impossible if not for our insurance.

This example is just one of many thousands, if not millions, of examples we can find here in the United States of a health care system that not only works, but works well.

My father retired last week. His health has not been all that good for the last 10-15 years. Seven years ago he had two heart bypass surgeries that saved his life and gave him some more time on this earth. He worked the last 40 years at a factory that did not pay all that well, but did have a health insurance plan that paid for his surgeries. $40,000 for one open heart surgery. They have also paid for my step-mothers health problems which includes multiple sclerosis. Now that he is retired, his health problems will be taken care of by the federal government and he is collecting social security. My step-mother has no insurance, she is younger that my father and never worked enough to collect social security.

One of my stepmothers main health care providers explained that since she does not have insurance anymore, not to worry about the bill. She may have to make a token payment, but he will make sure she is taken care of. Her health care providers have a plan in place to take care of patients in her situation.

Thinking about all this I came to realize that our health care system is not really all that bad. Politicians want to give us socialized medicine, but really, who needs it? I have lived all over the world and in every American town and city I have lived in, there have been free clinics. So you don't have health insurance, you go to a free clinic. Maybe you don't think the level of care is all that good at the free clinic? How good do you think it will be, if we all had to go to the "free health care provider?" Do you really think it would be any cheaper?