Headphones On

That night a few years ago when I hit my head getting into a cab did more than draw a lot of blood. It made me angry. As my (so patient and caring) friends and I waited into the emergency room for hours before someone could see me, I was being charged from the second I walked in the door. I'm not a physician or nurse, I know little about the human anatomy. Who was I to know that superficial head injuries bleed and bleed without doing any real damage? Because of my lack of knowledge on the subject the meter was ticking as we waited and dozed off to the Discovery channel on the suspended televisions. When an intern finally did look at my tiny little wound, put a drop of glue on it without even cleaning it up and sent me on my way I figured, "I'm insured... no big deal." Wrong. That little drop of glue and 2 minutes of a physician-in-training's time cost me $800. I hadn't called the insurance company on my way in to the ER therefore negating my health coverage. I hadn't paid my deductible for the year anyway (see ya get screwed for being a generally healthy person) so even if I had called this service wouldn't have been picked up. $800 for a drop of glue. What kind of miracle glue was this? As I walked home (at 7 am) with dried blood STILL covering my scalp I had no idea the multiple bills that would come in the mail. And what kind of system was set up at the hospital for debating the cost of their services? None. As I called Illinois Masonic Health Care months later demanding to know WHY one drop of glue applied five hours late to the tiny gash in my head cost $810 (to be exact) I was given the run around and basically old "well, it just does." Imagine if I was seriously injured.

See, I can't imagine that. I was rather fortunate in that despite the ridiculous trumped up charges, I could pay them and keep my credit rating in the clear. What about the massive numbers of people who can't afford medical treatment and have to file bankruptcy? Over HALF of the personal bankruptcies in this country are related to medical expenses.

I listened to a podcast the other day about Britains NHS (National Health Care System) and what amount of money should be used to help the average couple trying to conceive a child with invitro-fertilization, I was was rather astounded. The idea that a government would pay ANYTHING to help childless couples give birth leaves me speechless. We can't even get our government to help cover the costs of preventative medicine for children.

Tangent over... my ideals haven't changed. I am still as incensed about these issues (and many more) as I have always been. I just can't take reading about it on a daily basis anymore. I can't face the negativity that surrounds any amount of political change in this country. I am stupefied as to why the majority of people in this country don't pay attention or seem to care about any of this. That most people are only looking out for number one shouldn't surprise me, but it still does. As we continue to wage a ridiculous and lie-induced war in the Middle East and beyond, why don't more people recognize how that money ($201 BILLION dollars and counting) could have been better spent for the benefit of our society and the world? Why am I in such a small minority?