Paralysis

What is it that keeps us rooted in the same? Fear. Fear of change. Fear of the unknown. There's a lot of fear going on around us today. President Obama achieved what every Democratic President has wanted for decades but none have been able to realize, health care reform. Is the bill perfect? Probably not. And to be fair, I have not read the whole thing. But I believe it has to be a step in the right direction. A healthy people make for a healthy America. A large part of good health is preventative care. If you can prevent a major illness or disease why wouldn't you? If during your regular scheduled office visits it's discovered that your blood sugar is a little off, your cholesterol is a wee bit on the high side or that mole on your back is getting a little scary, there are things that can be done at that moment that will save you years of pain and heartache and will save you insane amounts of money. It also saves the insurance company insane amounts of money.

This plan does mandate that all Americans have insurance but really, is that a bad thing? It also allows for subsidies if you are at or below certain income levels. Is that a bad thing? We're paying for the illness of the uninsured anyway, this way we're paying for it upfront and in the hope that preventative care-which let's face it if you aren't insured you are not going in for preventative care-will end up saving America money in the long run.

Something I'd like to see added though, stop all the damn drug marketing on TV!! I am so tired of seeing ads for Cialis, Viagra, anti depressants and that smooth talking Antonio Banderas spokesbee for my sons Nasonex spray! That spray, WITH my insurance, still costs about $30 to fill. And that's after the coupon I get on their website. Why is it so much? Cause of Antonio's beautiful accented voice bringing that silly bee to life! We've become a nation of drug addicts because of these ads. Not long ago, my own teenage son saw an ad for a drug to treat restless leg syndrome and declared that HE had that! His legs do that sometimes! Uh, no honey, you're young and active and sometimes your freaking legs hurt, it's normal. But that goes to show how impressionable we are as humans. We see this drug marketed from this fictional doctor and we already have this implicit trust due to the white lab coat so we accept that we need this drug. Hey! Sometimes I have a hard time winding myself up to face the day! Give me that pill!! Enough is enough. Stop the ad campaigns. We want to stop all the junkie food ads directed at our children but we're ok with them continuing to be bombarded by ADHD med ads? Yes, some people truly need medication but isn't that a conversation best left to a doctor....at a preventative care visit?!

But the anger I see, the rage, the disgust, it's all rooted in fear. We fear change. We fear the unknown. We know that what is happening now does not work but we are paralyzed by fear. We are powerless. Is this what our Country has become? I can only imagine how different things would look if all those hundreds of years ago they'd gathered around the table and said...nah, it might not work out if we go to war with England....change and growth can be scary and painful but they are necessary for vibrant lives. We need to help all Americans get and stay healthy-yes they have to do the majority of the work by putting down the Fritos and picking up the apple-but can't we offer guidance? Can't those who have a good system in place offer a helping hand to the ones that struggle? It is a crime for our Nations children to go hungry. It is a crime for them to be neglected. It is a crime for them not to be cared for on a basic level with access to medical care. Looking back over the past month, Paulo's been sick a few times with nasty ear infections. My health insurance, which I pay dearly for, probably saved me well over $1000 in office visits and medication for his infections. That's not counting the recent visits to the allergist for testing. I'm assuming $200/office visit, I pay a $15 co pay and may have a few bucks left over to pay after my insurance kicks in, times 4 visits plus the insanely expensive antibiotic that we got for the first EI and the moderately expensive antibiotic that we got for the second. Yeah if I had to pay all that out of pocket I'd be in trouble. I can't afford to be without health insurance and neither can any other parent in America.