Excited about Kevin Everett possible recovery

[jIM_Ohio]

Bitter? You're darn right I am.

All the examples that you gave of paralysis victims made my point, Joan. The above treatment whether expensive or inexpensive (and for people without insurance the latter is a relative term) should be available to anybody, but unlike in other Western industrialized countries which have some form of universal health care, medical care in the U.S. is a privilege, not a right. And speaking of which, do you have any idea how costly a trip to the ER can be?

Joan, suppose your brother's accident weren't covered by the VA (which sounds unusual anyway for that agency to cover a non military work-related injury). What then?

It's a matter of priorities. Gladiator athletes contribute nothing to society Yet they make outrageous salaries because there are too many people who are willing to spend ridiculous amounts of time and money on sporting events instead of utilizing their resources on improving their own and their families' lives, such as by contributing funds and volunteering time to campaigns that call for government funding of decent and affordable health care for all Americans, regardless of income--or fame.

using this man's tragedy as your soapbox for healthcare reform is classless.

[DebbieL]

I agree with what the other posters have written. Would Exile be happier if there was no hope for this guy just because he has a high paying career in a dangerous sport? We all have choices in life. I'm not a rich athlete, but I didn't put the time in practicing, etc either. I don't resent highly paid people who made different choices in life than I did. We all have our own path to follow. I chose mine (and it wasn't a high paid career). I am happy for ANYONE who has the potential to recover from a devastating injury no matter what the cause.

[txex86]

using this man's tragedy as your soapbox for healthcare reform is classless.

I couldn't agree more. Wow Exile, you have a massive chip on your shoulder. From your posts here, it seems clear you know nothing about Kevin Everett personally, so to claim he is a "gladiator" only and does not contribute to society is baseless in fact. I know that Everett donates money to and works with charities in the Miami area for underprivileged children and has done some charity work in the Buffalo area as well. Given this, one can imagine that he will extend those good works to help research efforts into spinal cord injuries once he is better.

Don't make Kevin Everett your scapegoat for what ails this country's medical care system.

[Exile]

Perhaps this incident will cause Kevin to help raise more awereness for these types of injuries and maybe even raise money to help those who can not afford the best treatment. Everything happens for a reason.

I think that Christopher Reeve and his wife did a pretty good job of bringing this kind of injury to public light, but that just begs the question as to why we need celebrities to call our attention to what everyone should recognize as a danger that could strike anyone?

"...raise money for those who cannot afford the best treatment" only highlights the fact that there are two classes of medical care in the U.S.: one for the haves, and one for the have-nots. BTW,how do we know that everything happens for a reason?

jIM Ohio, I'm truly sorry that you feel that way, but I stand by my OP and the context under which I wrote it. Speaking of standing by one's words, no one has yet addressed the matter which I brought up in my OP: Thousands of football fans in the stadium and millions of TV viewers scream for mayhem against players on the opposing team and then claim to be so sorry when it actually happens. How classy is THAT?

Joan of the Arch, Yes emergency rooms do treat unisured patients. But if you cannot pay, you will be sued. Medical collections is big business.

[Homebody]

Not all football fans are as you describe. When my husband watches or I watch, we are watching plays be executed. When our friend coaches pee-wee football, the parents are not screaming to injure the other team, they are looking at executed plays. Football is not just a brawl, there are actual plays and defensive plays.

I don't think any "normal" fan wants an opposing team player to get hurt. I don't know, maybe I'm crazy?

I buy my own health insurance as my husband and I are self-employed. People need to look at it like car insurance instead of an entitlement issue.

I'll never forget a patient, a contractor, who came in driving a brand new pickup, but didn't have health insurance. He ended up having back surgery. He should have spent some of that money for the new truck on insurance.

I don't know about other states, but in California we have share of cost Medi-Cal (Medicaid), which people who have jobs and make more than the income threshold for regular Medi-Cal. They have to meet a share of cost each month and then Medi-Cal kicks in.

[Aleta]

Exile: I agree that for the most part that we ALL focus too much on celebrities. We have a familiarity to celebrities since we see them on a regular basis in movies and on the television or radio shows. I would say that some see these people more often than their own extended families. So, we are endeared to some of them and when tragedy does strike, it feels very close to us.

I'm glad that they can put a face on illnesses and accidents like this one. If we can only keep them out of politics, we would be better served.

[Exile]

Not all football fans are as you describe. When my husband watches or I watch, we are watching plays be executed. When our friend coaches pee-wee football, the parents are not screaming to injure the other team, they are looking at executed plays. Football is not just a brawl, there are actual plays and defensive plays.

I don't think any "normal" fan wants an opposing team player to get hurt. I don't know, maybe I'm crazy?

I buy my own health insurance as my husband and I are self-employed. People need to look at it like car insurance instead of an entitlement issue.

I'll never forget a patient, a contractor, who came in driving a brand new pickup, but didn't have health insurance. He ended up having back surgery. He should have spent some of that money for the new truck on insurance.

I don't know about other states, but in California we have share of cost Medi-Cal (Medicaid), which people who have jobs and make more than the income threshold for regular Medi-Cal. They have to meet a share of cost each month and then Medi-Cal kicks in.

Homebody, thanks much for responding to the issues that I raised. I may not agree with your answers, but I appreciate your at least addressing my OP concerns.

It's true that many people could buy health insurance and instead choose to blow it on stupid luxuries. But for others, such as myself (due to my age--62), the premiums for private insurance are prohibitive. When I left my employer two years ago and moved overseas, I of course gave up health coverage as well. If my wife (age 66) and I were to return to the U.S. at this time, she would qualify for Medicare. However, I would not, and as mentioned, carrying my own insurance would be unaffordable unless I lucked out and found work with a health insurance-carrying employer, which due to age discrimination (illegal or not, it's still practiced) would be highly unlikely.

Yes I know that we made the choice to move abroad and lose our insurance (We did buy coverage here in the Philippines, at about 25% the cost of similar coverage in the U.S), but universal medical care should be available to all qualified U.S. residents, just like in other Western industrialized countries. BTW I understand Gov. Schwarzennegger all people is pushing for that kind of health plan in California—amazing.

My wife and I are also from California and are somewhat familiar with Medi-Cal, although fortunately we never had to use it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you have to strip yourself of just about all your assets before you can use it. I seem to recall horror stories of infirm elderly people who would have qualified for Medi-Cal/ Medicaid long term care but for the fact that they owned their home. Again, I may be way off base here.

It all comes down to values, Homebody. And what I was getting at in my OP is that for too many Americans, they have become severely misplaced.

Aleta, thanks also for your response. But if you think the celeb-turned-politician situation is bad in the U.S., it's nothing compared to the Philippines. Here almost every other major political figure got his/her start in show biz--including the former President who was just convicted of plunder.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Meanwhile, Exile, nurses and doctors from the Philippines are coming over here in droves to take positions in nursing. Hope your 25% as expensive policy will still be able to buy you a professional when you need one.

[Exile]

Good point, Joan; but what good is it to have a large quantity of doctors and nurses in the U.S. if you can't afford treatment or receive it in time (ER's there are closing right and left)?

So far the medical care that we've received here is fine, and BTW a lot of doctors from the Philippines who gave up their positions to become nurses in the U.S. are finding out that the reduction in rank and loss of prestige as m.d.'s doesn't sit very easily, especially the part about having to take orders from senior and head nurses. That can make for ugly politics with the patients caught in the middle.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Yes, I know. I tutor some nursing students. The US has taken in a lot of people (not just Filipinos) to work as nurses who culturally feel ashamed of such a "lowly" position, but who swallow their pride and do it for a materially better life. And while it is true that health care is a growing industry, I wasn't trying to make a case that medical care is getting more available in the US with this influx. (The needs and claims upon the system(s) are expanding and as far as nurses go, continue to be unmet. ) I'm just doing as you did in your initial response, that is, changing the topic.

[Aleta]

Exile: I can appreciate what you say about health insurance costs. My husband and I pay $1,257.00 a month and it doesn't cover anything. No tests unless they are 500. and over and we have to pay the first 500. and 20 thereafter. We have a cap at 100,000 per illness.

My belief is that the people in Washington shouldn't have better health coverage than the people they are governing or representing. If they had what we did, we would see more changes and for the better at that.

[Exile]

Exile: I can appreciate what you say about health insurance costs. My husband and I pay $1,257.00 a month and it doesn't cover anything. No tests unless they are 500. and over and we have to pay the first 500. and 20 thereafter. We have a cap at 100,000 per illness.

My belief is that the people in Washington shouldn't have better health coverage than the people they are governing or representing. If they had what we did, we would see more changes and for the better at that.

Right, Aleta. This is a perfect example of the two-class system of medical care that I mentioned in my previous post.

Well as Orwell put in Animal Farm "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".