But The Tip Of The Iceberg

Have any of you ever wanted to change doctors after you've turned 65 and are on Medicare? It's no easy task. If they take Medicare patients at all, they take limited numbers. Why?

Medicare reimburses them very little and wants to cut even more. This is also the reason Family Practice physicians are in short supply and dwindling. They can't afford to be in practice. This is an ill wind for seniors. If the government increases it's role in determining how much should be paid out for treating an ailment, it is of concern. I do not, under any circumstance, want Congress involved in this. Insurance companies are bad enough since they've forgotten what insurance is supposed to be other than profit centers for their own gain.

Have you noticed that there has been no mention of offering the same health care packages available to government employees in the current discussions? It was a big part of Obama's campaign rhetoric. One way to level the playing field might be to drop government plans for themselves and make it mandatory they participate in those available to us. Then there may be hope.

As an example of how bad it is for the doctors I am going share with you an example. I had a cyst removed from my finger a month or so ago. For the initial exam/consultation and office x-ray the doctor billed $331.00. What was not approved by Medicare is the issue. $260.89. Approved was $70.11 of which Medicare paid $56.09. The remaining $14.02 would have been on me had I not had a supplemental that picked it up. The doctor had to absorb the rest.

This is not financial incentive for the doctor, now, is it!

The total for the complete procedure including the anesthesia was around $4000. For one little cyst. You can imagine, without my spelling it out, the hair cut the doctor will take on that!

That health care reform is sorely needed is not the argument. That government should be involved as an incentive for action seems to be needed. My nagging fear is the rush to legislate without adequate input from all aspects of the medical community. Not Congress and not insurers, but medical professionals who understand disease, injury and treatment.

I don't believe it can be done by August, 2009. If it is, the excess senior population will be remedied. We will be expendable.

No Bill Is Better Than A Bad Bill

With the rush to get health care reform passed before August, I've been fraught with anxiety. Nothing else Obama /Rahm has rushed through Congress is working. Yet everything had to be done "immediately" or the world as we know it would collapse upon us. The media has given all these rushes to judgement carte blanche.

They are abrogating their responsibility. One more time a 1000+ page bill is likely to be passed without it being read, what's more, debated.

For months now I've felt our young President was moving too fast and relegating too much to his chief of staff and Nancy Pelosi who in turn are using the opportunity to forward their own agendas which are not exactly pure in intent.

I've been torn over my own opinion. For a time I felt it is because I can no longer begin to comprehend the pace with which things are moving. Bloggers of a different generation seem to bear that out; it's an energy thing. Or is it?

Finally, a Democrat close to my own age has come forward with an opinion piece in Friday's Wall Street Journal, Obama Needs to 'Reset' His Presidency.

Ted Van Dyk is no slouch of a Democrat. He served as Hubert Humphrey's assistant during the Johnson White House years and has been active in Democratic politics for over 40 years. He's seen the good, the bad and the ugly. When he validates what I've long been thinking, I'm back to believing we more mature types have of a base of wisdom for which we need not apologize.

He begins with mention of the number of retreads from the Clinton years back in top positions. He shows where Rahm's tactics have been detrimental to the good promised in the campaign. He talks about the inordinate cost of these programs. Money this country no longer has and should not continue to borrow. He warns that if proposals and expectations aren't scaled back to a healthy level, the 2010 mid term elections could bring all good intentions to a grinding halt. He warns about continually digressing from the starting point; changing the rules as things move along rather than setting them at the start.

The administration is beginning to look foolish when continually back tracking. To state, as Biden did, the magnitude of the economic problem was underestimated, shame! Obama people were involved long before the Bush administration was out of office.

The Bush administration can no longer be blamed for everything. Obama has had the reigns for six months. That the stimulus is back firing is not Bush' fault. That the Iraqi government is putting more restrictions on our troops, as I read just this morning, is not Bush's fault. The escalation of the war in Afghanistan is Obama's. It's his war. Not Bush's.

Perhaps one of the most important pieces of advice Mr. Van Dyk gives is for Obama to stop campaigning. Get off Television. Get behind the desk, roll up the sleeves and take command. Back track Rahm Emanuel to his position as chief of staff rather than shadow President.

The goodwill with which Obama was elected is still strong but chinks are beginning to show in the armor. Slow down, take a deep breath and listen to those who know the ways of politics and ego. For the moment they still have your best interests at heart. It won't last, however, if ego supercedes the man we thought we were supporting. When a man of Mr. Van Dyks stature, a fellow Democrat, takes you to the woodshed, listen. If you don't, others will follow. And in the end, desert you.

Once A Comic, Always A Comic

Al Franken has officially been a member of the Senate since July 8th. Eight whole days and nary a peep. Not knowing how assignments are made, I'll just accept the fact he has a seat on the Judiciary Committee currently conducting the Sotomayor hearings.

I'm sure the Democrats helped him formulate the softball questions he would ask. These hearings are such a farce. Why they have to take up all day, everyday of CNN and MSNBC is beyond me. I thought that was the reason C-Span was created. No matter. What is, is.

I'm not much of a Franken fan. The last thing the Senate needs is another comedian, but no matter. What is, is. However, after three days of pontificating Senators and artfully dodging nominee, Franken at least brought a little comic relief.

Sotomayor has said the Perry Mason show inspired her to become a prosecutor. Franken asked her what the name of the one case Mason lost had been. She did not remember. "Didn't the White House prepare you?" he asked.

That last part was the funny part to me! That Franken also did not know didn't surprise me either. That the AP reporter checked it out did.

So here we have it. A new Senator reveals what we all really know anyway. The White House prepares the nominee for the questioning. She probably had all the Democrats questions in advance so there would be no slip up. The Republican questions get so lost in posturing they mean little in the pre-set scheme of things anyway.

The nominee has no quick recall of what might be considered trivia. That would explain a lot of evasions.

A reporter actually researched the answer for an unanswered question. Too bad it wasn't one of more importance. No matter. It's a step in the right direction!

The episode? "The Case of the Deadly Verdict." I wonder if that portends the end of the hearings and just how it will translate!

Why?

Seventeen kids, several with special needs ranging from Autism to Down Syndrome, are orphans. For some it is the second time. Why?

What kind of men are those who plotted to brutally murder the parents of these children? They are monsters. Deranged monsters. I'm not an advocate of the death penalty but there are circumstances that are prodding me.

An eye for an eye sometimes seems just. Especially when those who have committed monstrous crimes complain that lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment because there is no guarantee that they'll be unconscious when the lethal drug is released into their veins. I cannot put into coherent words how I feel about that argument!

It goes to show that no matter how much pontificating takes place or laws proposed, we cannot legislate monsters out of existence. They come in all sizes and colors. Some are on the right side of the law for a portion of their lives before something snaps. Most are not.

Fortunately for the community, suspects were quickly apprehended. What will happen now? Perhaps one of the adult children will be able to look after the siblings. One would hope so.

How long will it be before this story fades from the news? How many of you have even seen anything about it? If we are to honor people taken too soon, Byrd and Melanie Billings get my vote. Yet it won't be them who have hundreds of thousands of mourners weeping for the loss of their children. There will be no moment of silence in Congress. They will fade into the memories of those they loved and who loved them and life will go on.

In the grand scheme of things, despite the horror of what has happened, these people are the fortunate ones. The Billings will be honored by their daughter who has pledged to carry on her parent's legacy. I can think of nothing more appropriate no matter how low key.

None-the-less, why is it I feel compelled to even write this? Why?

And Now I Wait...

You who have been long time readers have listened to my complaints about an extremely painful lower back. It has taken four years to reach the point I came to this morning.

First I had an x-ray which indicated a slight bulge and deterioration of the L5-S1 area of my spine. I went to physical therapy. A lot of good things happened except for the pain. I became more flexible and my balance improved. Then came acupuncture to no avail. We investigated the bursitis issue of my hip which showed some "shredded" muscle in my gluteus medius and minimous. More physical therapy with the addition of deep tissue massage and chiropractic. Again, other things got better but the pain remained and was getting worse. At least I needed more pain killer to tolerate it.

Finally, my doctor suggested I might need to see a back doctor. Physical therapy shouldn't hurt! Well, DUH!! Finally. Finally.

Last Monday I went to see one. It took him about 32 seconds to spot the inflamed nerve root. The joy of going to a specialist! I knew he was going to suggest the "shot" which I had been dreading. "All I've heard," I told him, "is that they are extremely painful."

"Not so" he said emphatically. "It depends on how it's done. We numb you up then give the shot and you'll feel little if anything."

I nodded, wanting to believe him but not really doing so. But, after four years this was my last hope. My back is a pretty good back for one my age. There is nothing structurally the matter with it. But the inflammation can cause fits. Tell me!

So today was the day. Hub drove me because I was told my legs would be numb for a time and I shouldn't drive. Off we went for my Epidural Steroid Injection. The link shows exactly how it's done.

I should know in about three days if it's working. In two to three weeks we'll know how well. Hopefully I'll not need another. But on the bright side, if I do I won't hesitate. The doctor was a man of his word.

Did I feel anything? Yes. I felt it when they injected the laticane on each side of my spine. It was no worse than having an acupuncture needle inserted except for a slight burning sensation which was gone as quickly as it came. I was aware of the other needle being inserted but it didn't hurt as much as when you have blood drawn!

So, today, rather than feeling the dread that fills anticipation, I'm filled with cautious optimism. Gosh, if I could only translate that same optimism to my political observations I might again be a happy person!