Free Health Care

Imagine two middle age men walk up to two separate cash registers at Wendy's. They both order the same thing: A number one combo with no mustard and a diet coke. The first man pulls out cash and pays for his meal. The second man wants his meal for free. He waits and waits at the counter, unable to pay for his food, but still demands it. He lives in America for goodness sake. Shouldn't he be entitled to what every other American is, a meal from Wendy's? Man number one has already finished his meal and is leaving. Second man waits, and pounds his fist on the counter, sleeps on the floor, has loud annoying conversations on his cell phone and yells at the staff to give him his food. He may eventually get it, but I'm pretty sure there will more than just an all beef patty, lettuce and tomato on his burger.

I just finished reading this article online. When I first saw the video a few weeks ago I cried. How absolutely awful. I hurt inside for Esmin Green and her family. What a completely awful way to die.

But the rational part of me wonders: Esmin, why didn't you take care of yourself? Why didn't you plan ahead? I am sure she wasn't oblivious to the fact that she was close to 50 years old. Where was her family? She had six children, could none of them be there to make sure their older, weak mother was looked after?

I don't believe in universal medicine. Nor do I believe it is the Governments responsibility to provide health care and health care coverage. Their current programs suck... and only look to get worse. Medicare reimburses physicians at a little more than 30%. It cost doctors money to see Medicare patients. It cost more in paper work to submit a Medicaid claim than a physician can hope to recoup from submiting it.

No wonder over worked, understaffed, under supplied facilities pick and choose the patients they see. From my personal experience uninsured and under insured patiens take more nurse and physician time and energy, require more extensive workups and tests and normally argue for a discount because they are "paying out of pocket."

The crazy thing is I have insurance. I don't get a discount on my premiums. No one helps me out. I still have to pay my copays. That money is coming directly out of MY pocket.

So, yes I feel for Esmin, she shouldn't have died that way. But like a lot of people in this country she relied on free health care and she ended up getting everything that free paid for.