Friday, Indianapolis, Indiana

Although I am certainly a person with clear opinions, I am also willing to admit readily but for many large social problems I operate the way most citizens do: on the basis of the (usually limited) knowledge available to me. So while I have a point of view about such hot button issues as the war, politicians and global warming, in fairness I have to say that my information is based on impressions gleaned from the media I can access. I have no friends in the CIA or any others who operate “behind the curtain” of secrecy. So with that caveat, I am pretty convinced nonetheless that the American Healthcare system is an abominable mess. Further, I have no confidence that too few people are profiting obscenely at the expense of the rest of the population getting screwed to the wall by our system.

Our community is very fortunate to have two brand-new, state-of-the-art hospitals opening up within the next year. This sounds pretty great, except that the two hospitals have a long standing, fiery and nasty competition with each other. In a nutshell, they can’t stand each other. And for the majority of us citizens here in town it means that we are at the mercy of each one’s acrimonious tactics to gain an edge against the other. It’s pretty revolting.

Now I am certainly not anti-competition. Quite the contrary. I love that our local Best Buy and Circuit City have to compete for my business. It’s in my interest to have both stores do well. But obviously this is not the case with our local health-care providers. For several years before I was on Sally’s health-care plan, I had to pay for our coverage independently. Although we are not young, we are very healthy. About five years ago my monthly premium for health care was around $650. Two years ago, the last year we were covered, my premium was $1350! This is just nuts! It’s damaging, obscene and from my point of view immoral.

This horrendous cost for routine coverage is a scourge on society, more troubling to me than even paying $4 a gallon for gas. And if health care costs are putting the squeeze on someone in my position, I cannot imagine what even a minor medical problem does to a working class family, paying their taxes and doing what they’re supposed to do for their kids. I don’t resent for a second giving generous compensation to the brilliant professionals who do incredible, nearly miraculous things to save lives and repair broken bodies. They all deserve to be highly paid and highly esteemed by society. To me the doctors and nurses are not the problem. I don’t know who is making millions in the system, but something has to change. This issue has made me put the matter of health care reform near the very top of my list of priorities as a citizen and voter.

I want what everyone else wants in this country: an end to the war, a plan for security against terrorism, a serious approach to alternative energy sources, and, LEADERS WHO WILL STAND UP AND MAKE THINGS RIGHT WITH THE MEDICAL SYSTEM IN AMERICA. It’s way past time!

- Meals at the hospital are from a fast food hamburger chain

- The receptionist is a chain smoker

- The local ambulance has a standard transmission

- Your hospital only accepts cash

- Your family physician moonlights as a barber

- When you call for a doctor’s appointment they ask if you can bring your own thermometer

- Your nurse admits she faints at the sight of blood

- Your community has not yet adopted the 911 system

- After each use, equipment is wiped off on the doctor’s bloody lab coat

- When you refer your doctor to an article in the A.M.A. Journal he asks what those letters mean