Newer Posts

Houston, We Have A Drinking Problem

 Health Care Card

(note: this was originally posted in November 2007. Funny how things work out in two years, doesn’t it)

There are a lot of reasons why I work for a large company, as opposed to a start up or myself. And it isn’t because I enjoy falling in line with the company “vision”, or enjoy dealing with people I otherwise wouldn’t associate with. The main reason is this: Stability. Recently I got a flu shot provided by my employer, and it made me sick. Or, at least lowered my immune system to allow something else to make me sick. Either way, I’m still feeling somewhat crap-tastic. And I haven’t gone to the doctor, since I know what’s wrong. But I could if I wanted to, since I have insurance. It’s that little card glistening in my wallet telling me everything is going to be ok. Here’s a rundown of how it has single-handedly saved me from bankruptcy (and possibly alcoholism):

  •  
    • November 1999: Tonsils removed
    • November 2000: Wisdom teeth removed
    • April 2001: Shattered femur / hip socket
    • January 2007: MRI for knee cartilage, or lack thereof (surgery pending)
    • August 2007: Birth of first child
    • August 2005 – Current: Required daily medication for stomach acid problems and arthritis (family history)

And I assure you that I am not accident prone. And this is a condensed list, since I have only included what has happened since I got my own insurance (not parents). Now here’s the fun part.

  •  
    • Estimated Total cost: $250,000
    • Estimated Total out of pocket expense: $7,000 (including follow-up doctor visits, prescriptions, and therapy for my hip). I think the numbers speak for themselves.

Now, what prompted this was a recent Yahoo! article regarding Health Care Gift Cards, mainly through Visa. So instead of getting that not-so-special someone an impersonal gift card from Best Buy or Barnes & Nobel’s, why not pay for a doctor’s visit? How about some Botox? 

Now, politics aside (I believe the mindset of heath care being an “industry” is completely wrong, and should be free for everyone, period), I’ll gladly pay the $180 a month for my family (wife, baby, and me) to know that I don’t have to make a medical decision based on whether I want to have electricity or not. I wish I could say the same for everyone else

Comments Off

A Wordsmith

Instead of railing against something I’m pissed off about, I thought I’d rather just quickly leave a description of one of my favorite local bands Nessie.

How they describe their music:

That feeling you get when, after stopping off for one cold beer after work, you suddenly realize you’re on your sixth cold beer and you haven’t eaten and it’s dark outside and the people you were going to meet out later are here because it IS later, and the band is starting to set up. That feeling you get right before you shrug, smile and order Lucky Number Seven.

Comments Off

Maine, Gay Marriage, and a Black Heart

The rings certainly don't care about gender.

So the voters in Maine repealed the same sex marriage law. This isn’t the first time a state has either banned gay marriage, or repealed a law on the books. I am serious when I say that I feel ashamed for my fellow man. The fact that people will make the effort to deny others the joy (and frustration) of being with the person they love, in a relationship ‘approved’ by the state is just mind boggling.

This evening I had a conversation on twitter with Lance Haun, who didn’t see it the same way. Not the issue, but the fact that I felt shame over it. After all, I don’t live in Maine, and I certainly didn’t vote to repeal the law, so why should I care? Lance put forth a call to action, to work on improving the human condition instead of feeling shame. I plan on doing both.

Now to be perfectly honest, I don’t know why I care. I’m a middle-class white guy married to a beautiful woman, and have a great son. No one is attempting to remove any of my rights at all. Consider this, however. My wife is part Cuban, so in the past our marriage would have been viewed in a negative light. Her grandmother was disowned for marrying her grandfather (from Cuba), so we aren’t all that far away from that.

Personally, I think NO marriage should be recognized by the state. At all. After all, I do agree with the argument that marriage is defined as a man and a woman. However, that definition comes from the Bible, a book that I don’t give any credence to. I’m not Christian, so the implied morals and rules that come along with it aren’t relevant to me. So if your faith doesn’t agree with the idea of two men or two women getting ‘married’, fine. The states should strictly issue civil unions, and afford all the rights (property, tax, and otherwise) that comes with what we currently attribute to marriage. Then, if your particular faith involves a marriage ceremony, have at it. My ceremony was done on the beach, with family, and no bible was involved.

At the end of the day, I see it as a matter of rights. Rights that voters have said aren’t the same for everyone. I don’t feel OK with the fact that those people share the same blood and soil that I do.

Leave A Comment

Older Posts