The article is yet another instance of the medical community backtracking on their previous advice. They now tell everyone to evaluate the practice of taking a daily low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks, that this could be damaging to one’s health. If you have never had a heart attack, a daily aspirin regimen could deter blood clotting. Duh uh! But here’s the kicker. They will not come right out and say, “ If you have never had a heart attack and do not have risk factors for one, do not take aspirin daily.” The current advice is, “See your doctor.”
Now wait a minute. If I see my doctor, I have to make an appointment, juggle my schedule to attend, and most importantly, have the $150 or so ready to pay the bill. What an advertisement! That should really drum up some business.
Let’s extrapolate for a moment. If I consult my attorney, he charges around $150, but that is for an hour. In my experience, if you talk to your doctor for 5 minutes you have done very well. I have never spent more than 30 minutes with a doctor, and that was during a life threatening situation. A good lawyer’s ad could read: “If you think anyone might file suit against you today, consult your attorney.”
If you even remotely think something is amiss with your car, do you immediately call your mechanic to schedule an appointment? Most folks can’t afford to do that unless they know there is some kind of problem. A lot of people wait until the symptoms clearly indicate a problem, and some wait until a major problem is obvious. I know this because I was a mechanic for thirty years. A good auto repair shop ad could read: “If you think there is any chance that your vehicle could experience problems today, consult your mechanic.”
These two examples sound ridiculous, don’t they? Why someone would do this astounds me. In all aspects of life, one has to incorporate a little common sense, which seems to be at a premium these days.
The news story continues with even more ludicrous advice. “If you even think you are having a heart attack, do not take a private vehicle to the hospital, call 911.” In my personal experience, if 911 is called, it takes at least 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. I can drive to the hospital in less time.
Here is the real kicker. When I had an accident in 2008, an ambulance was called. The wreck scene was about 5 miles from the hospital. The emergency medical service that operated the ambulance charged over $700 for that short trip. That’s $140 a mile. Minutes after my arrival at the hospital, they informed my family that I needed transported by helicopter to a trauma center about 40 miles away. The helicopter pad was located at another hospital, less than a quarter-mile away and within sight. The ambulance service charged almost as much for the quarter-mile trip as the 5 mile trip. The helicopter flight cost $15,000. That’s right, fifteen thousand dollars! Looking back, since I had lain in the road for about an hour and a half before being found, I don’t understand what the rush was all about.
I see numerous local news stories about accident victims with non-life threatening injuries being flown to a hospital by helicopter. Why? The only obvious reason is money, cold hard cash. Totally un-necessary expense.
When I was growing up, we accepted what the doctor said as “gospel.” He was the expert, his advice was not questioned. That thinking is obsolete. The only way one can think like that nowadays is if one is independently wealthy. That approach is just not practical anymore. Who can afford to do that? This is one of the many reasons why healthcare is unaffordable to many.
What is the solution? The problem is multifaceted and very complex. But even complex problems have solutions. We have sent how many men to walk on the moon?
I think the saddest point in all of this is our failure to utilize a lot of the intelligence and creativity that exists within the population. Our system is configured such that lots of ideas can not see the light of day. If a concept is not shown to obviously make money, and lots of it, that idea is never heard by people who can bring it to fruition. What a waste. If we are to persist, we must find better ways to discover and implement solutions to our most vexing problems. It will not be easy. Remember JFK’s statement, “We do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” I absolutely love that philosophy.
Visit us at: Off The Grid Energy Solutions & Facebook