It’s A Long And Winding Road

There are probably a million different resolutions you could make for the new year. People even come up with themes for their resolutions, most of the time it has something to do with our health, dieting, exercise, stop smoking, and so on. All of them are good choices. In addition, why not make a list of “green” resolutions.

1. Walk. As the weather improves into spring, if you live within a few miles of your workplace, choose at least one day of the week that you will walk back and forth to work. Maybe, if others in your workplace live along the way you can talk them into joining you. You could call it “Walking Wednesday.” If you live a little further, try biking one day a week.

2. Recycle. If you have been separating your newspapers, plastics, glass and metal for pickup, great. But, a new year is a great time to clean out closets, garages and cupboards. Box up all the things you not longer use or want and donate them so that someone else can make use of those things.

3. Water. By now we all know it’s good for us to remain hydrated, but those “throw-away” plastic bottles are just going to the landfill. Find a more permanent solution to your take-along water bottle, such as a permanent container.

4. No Meat Menu. Take meat off of the family menu for one day a week. It’s not that hard. Oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, grilled cheese and potato or tomato soup for dinner. There are a million different options.

5. Grocery Bags. Keep canvas grocery bags in your trunk so you won’t need to use the plastic ones they give you at the grocery store.

My complaint is with conventional medicine, specifically doctors and hospitals. My husband had back surgery about 5 weeks ago. Thank you, he’s doing very well, but not back to work yet. He has good medical insurance through work - Blue Cross. It pays the usual 80% (of what they want to pay). It’s true, he does have a $3,000 deductible, but we were lucky to have the surgery at the end of the year when that had already been paid for doctor’s appts. and prescriptions.

Okay, here’s my complaint. The hospital cost was $50,000 before insurance payment. That was for four days and didn’t include his surgeon’s, lab work before/MRI, etc. or anesthesiologist and who knows what else is coming. How could being in the hospital $12,000 a day - and the first and last day were only partial days. I haven’t received the other bills yet as insurance hasn’t paid. I don’t want to even think about them.

So, why does no one ever talk about the huge fees hospitals and doctors charge? All we ever hear about is how we need to get medical insurance for everyone. Well, I guess so!!! Not many people could pay these kinds of bills out of their pockets.

I have a friend who’s mother passed away a couple of years ago. Her mother had pancreatic cancer and after a short while in the hospital they sent her to a nursing home to be cared for. Her bills were in excess of $75,000 when her medicare ran out. Yes, I said ran out. I didn’t know that could happen, but apparently medicare will only pay so much and then you are on your own. So, my friend’s sister had to sign, saying she would pay for the bill or they wouldn’t let her stay. Wow, it was a good thing they were able to sell the mother’s house and pay those bills.

Okay, I’ve got it off my chest.