Health Care Opinion

Tomorrow, January 4th, 2010, my wife’s stepmother will be having open-heart surgery.  The doctors say that she needs an aortic valve replacement and a bypass of a 100%-blocked blood vessel.  Shirley is 84 years old and not in the best of health.  But in order to give her a few more months or years she and my father-in-law have agreed to let her undergo this serious procedure.

We found out about this on Christmas Eve while we were up in Rockford, Illinois.  Shirley had a heart catheterization procedure while we were there, and it was then that her doctors determined this need.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, Shirley is 84 and not in the best of health because of recurring heart problems (congestive heart failure at least three time in the last two years).  Yet she can have major surgery less than two weeks after a diagnosis.

Hold that thought for a moment.

Last week our daughter Allison had a regular checkup with her doctor.  He detected something that could indicate a major problem (and those are all the details that I will give).  Scrambling to fit things into holiday schedules, we were able to get her to a hospital for testing the very next day.  Fortunately the testing proved that the indications were not serious, though Ally will need to undergo routine checking for problems for the rest of her life.

Here’s the common thread between the two incidents (besides being health-related):  in both cases we were able to make the decisions ourselves and seek immediate treatment for medical issues.  Under the so-called “health care reform” packages being forced through the government system at the moment, such decisions would have been in the hands of faceless bureaucrats who would have no real stake in the lives of these two people.  Shirley would probably either be refused treatment because of her age and condition, or she would have to wait for weeks or months to get her surgery, which would result in her death before such a procedure would be completed.  Do not doubt me on this.  This is the way that the Senate and House plans are structured.  This is the way it is done in England and in Canada, among others.  This is what our Democratic Overlords insist is best for us mindless sheep.

As for our daughter, the tests that she underwent would not even be allowed for someone of her age.  She is, by most standards, too young to have such a problem. She would have to wait at least 25 years before she would be eligible for testing, much less for treatment.  This, too, is buried in the fine print in both bills that are under consideration and “reconciliation”.  Look it up for yourself if you don’t believe me.

I am getting fed up with a bunch of power-hungry animals grabbing for glory and doing their best to destroy everyone’s lives except their own.  At the very least they should enforce the same “care” upon themselves as they are forcing upon us.  But since they are so much better than us (according to themselves, their worshipers, and the fawning fools that call themselves “journalists”), we are supposed to sit back a vicariously enjoy their lives of privilege while we scrape by on the leavings.

One only has to look at history to see some parallels here with the monarchy in France before their revolution. King Louis and Marie have been replaced by King Harry and Queen Susan.  I shall not mention what position in the palace that our current president holds.

In Alabama we are blessed with two senators who are standing up for what is right.  In the house, the Congressman that represents my family is strong.  The neighboring Congressman just switched parties, though many conservatives don’t want him either.  I feel sorry for those states who have no representation for those who oppose this unconstitutional seizure of power by the Federal government.

I’m thankful for what I have in the way of health care and health insurance right now, thank you very much.  The current system is working fine, just as Rush Limbaugh pointed out after his incident in Hawaii last week.  We do not need, nor do the majority of us want, government-controlled health care, or even competition from government in the health care or health insurance fields.

Please leave us alone.

Please?