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This
morning brought the news that health care spending in this country
will equal nearly 20% of our national gross domestic product by
the year 2017. This means that nearly one fifth of our entire economy
will go towards medical and health related spending in that year.
Our health care cost by 2017 should reach approximately 4.3 trillion
dollars per year. A number that is double what we spent in the year
2007.
This increase is partly due to the number of baby boomers who will
be eligible for Medicare in a few short years.
OK, so what’s the big deal?
Well, I’ll tell you. I’m not concerned about those who are supposed
to be on Medicare (I am) what concerns me are those who aren’t (In
my opinion) supposed to be on the government dole.
Take a news report just last night. ABC news reported that several
women were suing different medical practices around the country
for certain medical operations they had undergone.
What’s wrong
with this, you might ask?
Well, their
law suits (against the doctors and hospitals) are the result of
surgery and treatments they were subjected to without their knowledge.
Without their
knowledge? How is this possible?
Well, it seems
these ladies cannot read so when they went to their doctors’ offices
they signed whatever forms they were given but were too embarrassed
to admit that they were illiterate and did not understand any part
of what they were agreeing to have done. Now they feel that they
have somehow been ‘victimized’ and want the courts to restore them
for the pain, suffering and emotional distress they have suffered.
Give me a break.
Didn’t these women have a mouth? Couldn’t they speak up and ask
the doctor to explain what they were signing and agreeing to have
done?
I’m certain
some sympathetic judge and jury will award these women millions
and millions with the thought in mind that ‘malpractice insurance’
will cover the loss.
Guess what happens next?
The doctors
insurance premiums will rise and so will his or her fees to their
next generation of patients to compensate for their increased insurance
cost. So who pays for the actions of people who are too embarrassed
to admit they can’t read?
You and me, that’s who.
Next case. Just heard about a young woman, who was on several different
prescription drugs and goes to a bar. Leaves the bar headed for
home when she gets into a horrible traffic accident.
Her fault.
She is going to be in therapy for years to come and it might be
years after that before she can return to work. Her medical bills
are in the hundreds of thousands.
Her parents tell me that one of the hardest things they had to do
was to sign her up with Social Security for disability payments.
The forms were long and detailed.
I’m asking why she is eligible for any type of social security in
the first place.
They look at me in the same way a calf looks at a new gate.
“Because she doesn’t have any income.”
I understand that, but why is it the responsibility of the government
to dispense a check to her for years to come because of something
stupid she did in the first place?
So, now I get the news that if you are on drugs or drunk and get
into an accident and as a result cannot work, then that makes you
eligible for governmental assistance for many years into the future.
How nice.
All of us who work and pay taxes should be proud. We are the life
line to those other unfortunate people who are either too stupid
or too irresponsible to accept responsibility for their actions.
Do all the drugs and drink you want, the government will take care
of you.
Ignore the
fact that you are an adult and can’t read, just fake it and then
when you sign a document that you don’t understand or didn’t ask
what it was about, then you sue those that people.
It’s their fault….
No, it’s your fault. We have programs in this country to help people
who are on drugs or alcohol. We have literacy programs to help people
who cannot read.
I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to read or that circumstances
might have prevented you from going to school, but don’t blame others
for your own shortcomings. There is help for you out here; you need
to ask for it.
I’m sorry you were injured and may have to be out of work for some
period of time, but how is this my responsibility? I didn’t force
you to take drugs or drink and drive, why should my tax dollars
go towards your continued support?
Perhaps I am too harsh and not showing any compassion, but at some
point in time, if projections are correct, we will run out of money
to pay for all of the multitude of programs and entitlements we
have or are about to establish.
Then we will all be in the same boat, won’t we?
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