10-12-2012, 09:34 AM
You've talked about his before and I've never actually addressed your loss. Parents are supposed to precede children, I'm so sorry for what you had to endure and hope you are finding a way to heal.
Without Medicare I'd be dead and my family would also be carrying an open wound. At least I'd like to believe they would. Suspending any suggestions of whether my survival was a good thing or not, let's talk about realities.
I had private insurance but only later found out the fine print disallowed many of the procedures my aortic aneurysm surgery required and but for the fact I had just barely crossed the artificial Medicare time line for coverage. Without Medicare I'd have been repaired, the hospital and surgeon would have gone mostly unpaid and I'd have been out on the street if I needed follow-up, which I did, I'd have been hard pressed to find anything.
Not to mention, how do you later face the guy who saved your life after a 16-hour operation and tell him he'd have to wait for me to earn enough to pay for his services?
Medicare made that follow-up painlessly obtainable. Without the drama and detail, Medicare (and USC) have kept me alive beyond my expected lifetime.
There is a philosophical question as to if we ought to be expanding that natural life span, you'll not find me arguing in the negative.
Without Medicare I'd be dead and my family would also be carrying an open wound. At least I'd like to believe they would. Suspending any suggestions of whether my survival was a good thing or not, let's talk about realities.
I had private insurance but only later found out the fine print disallowed many of the procedures my aortic aneurysm surgery required and but for the fact I had just barely crossed the artificial Medicare time line for coverage. Without Medicare I'd have been repaired, the hospital and surgeon would have gone mostly unpaid and I'd have been out on the street if I needed follow-up, which I did, I'd have been hard pressed to find anything.
Not to mention, how do you later face the guy who saved your life after a 16-hour operation and tell him he'd have to wait for me to earn enough to pay for his services?
Medicare made that follow-up painlessly obtainable. Without the drama and detail, Medicare (and USC) have kept me alive beyond my expected lifetime.
There is a philosophical question as to if we ought to be expanding that natural life span, you'll not find me arguing in the negative.