Is Free Coverage the Answer?

Most if not all of us have either been to an emergency room or to a doctor's office. We get there and fill out a mountain of paperwork, wait for what seems an eternity to get called to the back, and wait another lifetime before the actual doctor comes in and does a three minute exam and gives us a prescription for drugs to help us feel better. On top of all of this is the most important stack of paperwork that we have to fill out, the insurance information. This is the form that both the doctor's office and the emergency room staff seem to stress over the most. One of the reasons that we wait so long in the lobby is because there is someone who is making sure that the hospital is going to get paid while we sit in pain. They verify that our insurance is valid and that we are covered for the services that will be performed that day. It is possible to get treated without insurance, but it would result in receiving a huge hospital bill which most of can't afford that would ultimately ruin our credit rating, in turn affecting other aspects of our lives. I have always defended our healthcare system because I felt that it keeps lazy, deceitful lowlifes from taking advantage of it and driving our premiums up. But after watching the documentary, "Sicko" and doing more research on our system, I am leaning more towards a universal healthcare system like the rest of the industrialized nations have. I believe that if we adopted a universal healthcare system, our citizens would have healthier and happier lives.

Many of us neglect going to the doctor on a regular basis because we don't have adequate healthcare coverage. Some of us have to come up with ten, twenty, or even fifty dollar co-pays before we can be seen. Even after we are seen and diagnosed, it's such a hassle trying to get the proper care because the insurance companies are trying their best to withhold our claims. They throw every excuse in the book at us in order not to pay our claims. From "preexisting condition" to "experimental procedure", insurance companies do everything to save themselves money and deny us our right to proper care. As a result, we miss out on preventative measures that could possibly extend our lives. The United States ranks 21^st in life expectancy for men and 20^th for women. I think this is directly related to the high cost and the inability to obtain quality healthcare.

My wife recently gave birth to our son at a major hospital here in Jacksonville. While we were there, she and the baby were given the best possible care by very courteous and professional employees. Even though I was elated to have my son safely delivered into our lives, I couldn't help but worry how much the bill would be after my insurance company paid their portion. Sure enough, a few weeks after we got the baby home and settled, hospital and doctor bills started coming in the mail. Luckily, my wife and I were prepared and were able to handle the bills but other people are not so lucky. The high cost of healthcare can cause some people to go into serious debt. This causes unnecessary stress which is one cause of heart disease. People in debt are usually less happy than those that are not. Unhappy citizens make for a resentful nation and more crime. If we didn't have to worry about our healthcare costs, our citizens would have less debt therefore making life a little easier to bear.

Many politicians in this country are vehemently outspoken against a universal healthcare system. They would have us believe that we have the greatest healthcare system in the world. In reality, the United States ranks poorly compared to other industrialized nations in healthcare despite having the best trained healthcare providers and the best medical infrastructure of any industrialized nation. They also would have us believe that universal healthcare would be too expensive when in reality the costs would be lower than the current system due to lower administrative costs. Any argument that the government can throw at us can be proven wrong with extensive research. So why do we continue to deprive our citizens of free healthcare? So the rich can get richer and the poor to stay that way. Enjoy your shorter lifespan and life of debt.

 

What it means to be a man

In reading Paul Theroux's essay on being a man, I came away with a much different perspective than I had before. The author explains in quite some detail how much he hated being a man. In reading his thoughts, I gathered that it was tough for him having so much more intelligence and imagination than his other male counterparts. His experiences caused him to dislike what he was because he did not want to conform to what is thought to be the norm. When we think of what being a man consists of, we automatically begin to think of the gladiator and caveman mentality. We are supposed to be tough, ready for a fight at any time. We are also supposed to be hunters and go out and find our food and provide for the village. Only certain professions are "manly", like a mechanic, construction worker, or even a newspaper journalist. Even many today's young men take on a "tough guy" mentality whether it is starting fights for miniscule reasons or carrying around a gun with intentions to use it at the first sign of trouble. I agree with the author in the sense that we as men are expected to conform to a prearranged type of behavior. In reality, men have a responsibility that can directly affect the country and the entire world around them. We need to work on shedding our tough guy image and start behaving in ways that make us real men.

We've all heard the expression "behind every good man is a good woman." This is true more times than not. I know that I certainly would not be the person that I am if my wife didn't support me 100% in everything I do. I feel that she is supportive of me because I respect her and treat her like the intelligent woman that she is. What is wrong with a lot of today's men is that they were not taught to respect women when they were growing up. They could have grown up in an abusive home where the father beat the mother, or where their mother was totally submissive to their father. Either way, these so called men are the ones who disrespect our women and treat them like dirt. They use them as sexual objects or meal tickets. Without women, this country would not be what it is today. We owe our women a whole lot more than just our irresistible personalities. Our mothers sacrificed a lot to raise us to contribute to our society. We owe to them to treat the rest of our women with the respect that they deserve.

One of the most beneficial aspects of my life was that I grew up with both of my parents in the home. Unfortunately today, about 30% of our households have children without a father in the home. In my opinion, a major part of being a man is being fathers to our children. The numbers on fatherless homes today are staggering. Children without a father in the home are more likely to commit murder, spend time in jail, have behavioral problems, and run away from home than children with both parents in the home. Being a father can directly affect the future of our society since today's youth are tomorrow's leaders. Any idiot can make a baby, but it takes a real man to be father.

Being a man involves much more than what kind of job we have or what kind of car we drive. We have a responsibility to our community to be fathers to our future men and to give respect to the women that that we owe our existence to. Then and only then can we begin to call ourselves "real men."

Admirable Determination

The movie "Murder Ball" is a very eye opening film. It gives an unexpected view into the lives of people with disabilities. When we think of people with disabilities, we automatically assume that they are so much more limited than we are. This movie proves that this thought process is very erroneous. The film was powerful in that it showed the determination and perseverance of people faced with disabilities. These guys not only participated in sports, they did it on an international level. The competitive nature of these disabled athletes rivals that of some of the top players in our professional sports. But this is only one part of the life of these people that the movie touched on. What made this movie so powerful was that it focused more on the personal lives of the rugby players. This was the most fascinating part of the film for me.

The movie chronicles the lives of the American players and the American coach of the Canadian team. It shows them dealing with everyday life while training for wheelchair rugby. Contrary to popular belief, people with disabilities have lives that are very similar to the rest of us. They have families, jobs, and homes that they have to maintain. They are regular people that because of some birth defect or terrible accident have had to live with not having full use of their legs and arms. Instead of lying around feeling sorry for themselves, these brave souls deal with their disabilities and try to live a life that parallels those of us that are blessed not to have the same problems. While watching the movie, I found myself feeling admiration for all of the characters. Each of them had a unique story of tragedy and triumph. It made me wonder if I could have the same tenacity to overcome a debilitating injury and live a normal life. We never know the amount of inner strength we have until we have to face adversity. How many of us would have half as much courage as these men?

"Murder Ball" really gave me a different perspective on people with disabilities. I know that we see famous people like Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and Christopher Reeve and think that they are rare cases because they have money and better resources than other disabled people. But this movie made me see that there are plenty of disabled people out there that go on and try to enjoy their lives just like the rest of us. So the next time we are complaining about having a bad hair day or how we can't find the right outfit to wear, think about these people who are just happy to be alive and realize how blessed we really are.