THE GOOSE

Perhaps a big problem with patients having to hold benefits to raise funds for medical care is that it continues to feed the problem. As long as the bills get paid, then the medical system will keep charging its outlandish fees. It will charge what the traffic will bear. Yet, who isn’t going to help someone who is having a benefit so he can get healthcare? It’s a catch 22. If patients keep raising the funds to pay the costs, the medical system will keep the costs high. But then, if patients don’t raise the funds, the medical system won’t treat them…unless they become bankrupt and/or qualify for Medicaid. Since Medicaid reimbursement to doctors and hospitals is much less than it is for the regular insurance and co-payment system, it’s odd that specialty medical care is so expensive that it drives so many people to it. I guess they’ll get while the getting is good. Insurance is the goose that lays the golden eggs for the medical system and the system is killing the goose. Indirectly, we are helping kill the goose by holding benefits to pay the high fees. Yet, I’ve decided that if I ever come into a mega-substantial amount of money, I’ll set up a foundation to help people being priced out of their healthcare. In our will, we already definitively limit the amount of money we can leave to our kids. The remainder goes to a named charity. With the medical situation in this country we might consider changing the charity. However, if things keep going the way it is with medical costs, we may not have to worry about it. Our own goose may get cooked!!