The Health Care Debate

As we speak our politicians are huddled together, trying to come up with a health plan that pleases everyone. For me, its hard to remain unbiased, because I have been on the medicaid line, & I have been without insurance. I did this with children. So those experiences tend to lend themselves to my views.

Medicaid was a horrible experience. The people who were supposed to help you treated you like garbage. You were forced to get a third party involved, to state that you were so destitute that they had to help you financially. I believe I even signed a paper that stated if I should die, they can recoup their monies through my estate. The medicaid system does all that it can to make sure you do not have one ounce of dignity left.

Private practitioners do not accept Medicaid. I was told by one doctor, that its because Medicaid doesn't pay out enough (if at all). So people who have medicaid are forced obtain medical assistance from either hospitals, and or clinics. Most of which, are not nestled in my middle class suburb, or staffed with experienced doctors, in opposed to students.

After 3 years, I decided to take my daughter off of medicaid. I wanted her to see one doctor, and or group that she could rely on to provide interested care. I found a pediatrician who gave me samples of antibiotics to help with pharmaceutical costs. When she had seasonal asthma, it sometimes came down to a choice between buying the prescription, or paying the rent on time.

After I had my second child, Child Health Care Plus came out. It covered children, below a specific economic level, and more doctors accepted it. I found a great group, loved the doctors, and then was thrown off the plan. Apparently you can not receive Child Health care Plus, if you are Medicaid Eligible. Once again, we were left without insurance, until my husband switched jobs and we finally got into an HMO.

I am grateful for my health insurance. Its not perfect, but its better than medicaid. Its a HMO, so there are issues with finding doctors who accept it, and medications that may or may not be covered. I can deal with that though.

Doctors do not want to accept governmental health insurance because it doesn't pay out. Hospitals are then overrun with patients without insurance, or those who have Medicaid. Its a mess. How can it be fixed? Do we need socialized medicine, and additional programs? Maybe we need just a reform of the programs we already have in place.

In a civilized society, we should not have people who can not get treated medically when they need it. We, despite are all attempts to separate ourselves, are connected in some way. Disease knows no color, race or religion, or citizenship. As the swine flu is showing us, it crosses borders, and poverty lines.

Our society seems to believe that we are so separate from our unfortunate brothers and sisters. As if the poor, and working poor are just living off of our charity. Let me pose this to you. If you should lose your job and cobra runs out.. (a scary reality in todays economic situation), who will help you when you are sick? How will you supply your children with medical care?

Burning SUV Rescue

Something that restores my faith in humanity. Every day, people put their lives on the line to save others. They risk injury, and death so that others may be saved. Thank God for these guardian angels.

Burning SUV Rescue

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Evolution Today Part II

I have been wondering about the physical issues that are, and will plague our children with the expansion of technology, and other "advancements". What will their bodies suffer as a result.

I, in my late thirties, have begun to show signs of too much computer use. My eyesight is no longer 20/20. I am near sighted and can no longer see the digital clock across the room. The doctor says its computer related. In addition, I have double carpal tunnel syndrome. I have only started using a computer in the last 15 years. Our children, have started younger. So by the time they are in the their late 30's, I wonder about how their bodies will be effected.

Kids today all of have cell phones. I know there have been studies about them causing cancer of the brain in reference to the placement of the antenna. Let say, your child has their first cell phone at the age of 10, what will 20 years of carrying this device do to your child's body? Will they even make it another 20 years if they are texting while they are driving, or walking?

The other day, while I driving home, I noted a teenage texting while she was walking. She almost walked into a car turning into the driveway. People, not just teenagers, are so immersed with this technology that they text while driving, walking and doing other things that require their attention.

I do however recall the controversy about "walk man's". Remember the Sony Walk Man? People were up in arms because several people were hit by cars because they weren't aware of what was going on around them. Man, I wanted one of those.. lol but I digress..

So I pretty much hit on the techonology aspect. What about other advancements? What are the red M&M's of our time? Sacchrin causes cancer in lab rats. Its one of the oldest sugar substitutes. I wonder about Splenda, and Aspartame though. Oh and you have to love those sugar alcohols and fat substitutes. Frankly anything that indicates "Anal Leakage" is a not worth the attempt to lose a few pounds.

Red Bull Energy drink? Really? They are kids, they should have enough energy! I heard that there was Cocaine in the drink yet I still see it on the shelves.

So will kids be sporting carpal braces with bling on them in the future? Will they come in hot colors and be a standard part of their wardrobe? Maybe a Coach ™ brace? Will more of our children need glasses by the time they are 20? These physical issues, coupled with the emotional issues they will likely suffer due to the over exposure to violence does not paint a positive picture for the future.

Lets just hope that the sociopaths of the future will be too stricken with Carpal Tunnel and Near Sightedness to do any real harm.

Evolution Today

Every so often I will stop and think about how the future will be. Aside from the normal "How many grandkids will I have?", "Will I ever pay off this mortgage?", thoughts. I wonder what we are doing to the next generation. How will the way we live now, effect our children as they grow older?

We are living in the age of information. Never before have we been exposed to so much of it. Is it too much? When my parents raised me, we read books, newspapers and watched the news to find out about the world around us. In modern times, anything we want to know about, and even things we don't, are displayed before us on a little LCD screen. We get to SEE, visually absorb information. How is this effecting our children?

The upsurge in adolescent violence, sexuality, depression, are all direct results to being over exposed to these subjects. Our children are becoming desensitized to the very things that we would have found horrific in the past. Not only are they witnessing it on the news, internet, movies and television, they get to partake in video games that glorify this violence. The line between right and wrong is no longer a definitive solid one. Subliminally they are being fed a double standard.

So, in the future what kind of adult will your child be?

Idiot Tax

In these tough economic times, I would like to take this opportunity to propose my own new tax, "The Idiot Tax". It would take out country right out of the recession if IDIOTS were taxed for their actions.

I am not saying that ignorance, accidents or mishaps should be taxed. We are human after all, and shit happens. I am proposing a tax on people who knowingly do stupid things in order to satisfy their own needs.

For example, handicap parking. If someone parks in a handicap spot because they want to be close to the store and are too lazy to talk a couple of feet, they should not only be fined for their actions, they should be taxed for being an IDIOT!

Examples of common idiocy can go on and on. We could tax speeding tickets. If you get into your 2000 pound SUV and drive 85 mph on the parkway, you indeed are an IDIOT, and should not only be fined for the offense, but taxed for being an IDIOT! Hell, one evening on the LIE should offset the Nassau County Deficit by 50%.

We could eliminate the other 50% of the deficit by applying an idiot tax to people driving with their cell phones plastered to their ears, and people who disregard stop signs. The list is endless, just in the area of driving and parking.

Reading is Fundemental

I remember as a child, going to the library to get my first library card. My dad even signed us up .or the summer reading program. Every week we told the librarian in the children's section about the books we had read so that we could get a gold star. As a teenager, I would meet there with friends to study or work on whatever book report was due. I, being the nerdy type, even went to the library to read for recreation.

20 years later, I found myself living in a community that doesn't allow my children access to the local library, because we do not reside in the village. When my oldest entered Kindergarten, she was heartbroken that she could not take out a book on her class trip to the Library. Her peers could, however because she did not live in the village, she was not permitted to get a library card.

Things have since changed a little, but they have made it difficult. We can have limited access to the library, & borrow non-newly released books (no media). In order to gain our lower offering of library services, the condition is, we travel out to East Meadow, and request a county library card. No kindly local librarian to make my kids feel important. Not exactly welcoming us with open arms.

How ridiculous is this? I get it, Village residents pay extra for the priviledge of living in the village, with all its standards and ammenities. Should the local Library, the only one in town, be considered one of those priviledged ammenities?

Responsibility Act of 2009

I propose a new law..... lets call it the "Responsiblity Act of 09"

I take my baby for walks around my area, and see houses up for sale. Some of them foreclosed. I wonder, who OWNS the house. I would assume that the BANK does. So then why aren't they responsible for the upkeep of the grounds?

Take for example this one corner house. There is an inground pool in the back yard. How many mosquitos are brewing up the next batch of West Niles virus. Its a nice size property with knee high grass, harboring even more mosquitos, fleas and tics. The garage door is partially open, and one can only wonder what animals are squatting there. The house has been vacant for a couple of years now, and I have never seen it cleaned up.

Since the bank OWNS the house, and is attempting to sell it in this horrendous condition, why shouldn't they be made responsible for the upkeep of the property? If I, as a homeowner allowed my home to become such a disaster, I would be certaintly be fined by the town.

Its time that these banks, mortage companies, be made responsible for the properties they own.