NOTE: I recently added this Medical Care issue as a major category of My Reality because of the recent hoopla going on about medical care reform in the US. The extreme left wants complete socialized medical care to be implemented and the extreme right wants to deny any medical care to neer-do-wells such as illegal immigrants.

I was very fortunate throughout my life regarding healthcare. I remember Dr Rogers coming to our house when I was a kid whenever anyone had some sort of sickness. I guess my mom had to pay about $5 for each visit but I don't think it was a big strain on her even though she only about $60 a week. In those days the doctor came to you.

My first major medical problem came at about age 12 while I was on vacation with my mother in California. I had an appendectomy and my mother was able to work out a time payment plan with the doctor. I think the total bill came to less than $200.

At age 21 in 1958, during my discharge physical from the Air Force, I was diagnosed with a leaky heart valve. Since it hadn't been detected during earlier physicals, it was concluded that I either got it while I was in the Air Force or it got worse during that time so it was rated as a service connected disability and I was granted a medical retirement. The big deal about this was that as a result, my immediate family members and I have been eligible for free medical care from the military ever since. Initially this care was provided directly at military medical facilities but later was expanded to allow cost sharing services at civilian facilities under the CHAMPUS Program and still later under the TRICARE Program.

My children were both born at Fort Belvoir Army Hospital in Arlington VA. My cost was that I had to pay for my wife's meals (about $3.50/day) while she was in the hospital.

My first big medical expense came in about 1995 when I broke my foot falling from a ladder. The total bill came to about $12,000 of which I had to pay 20 percent. Shortly after that experience, I purchased supplementary insurance with a $200 deductible so since then my total family medical expense has been less than $500 per year.

At age 65 I became eligible for Medicare and then Tricare became my supplemental insurance. Mean time, my wife is still covered by Tricare and she has relatively inexpensive supplemental insurance.

Everyone in the country wishes they had my medical care coverage.

Summary of my ideas:

I feel major reform is needed NOW - our current system is un-sustainable.

I feel the total issue should be de-politicized. As the worlds leading democracy, we ought to be able to resolve major issues like this with out all the mudslinging.

Note: I plan to expand this section in the near future since this is such a major issue in America today. This expansion will include my views on:

4. Advances in medical care
5. Health Care providers

And More!!!

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