{"id":1515,"date":"2021-08-04T15:26:05","date_gmt":"2021-08-04T15:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1515"},"modified":"2021-08-04T15:26:05","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T15:26:05","slug":"august-4-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1515","title":{"rendered":"August 4, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In my search for a place to potentially move overseas, one of the things that is always on my criteria list is the need for accessible and affordable health care.\u00a0 I mean, let\u2019s be real, I am soon to be 70 and although I\u2019m in pretty good shape I fully understand that none of us are invincible.\u00a0 I have suffered a torn and partially detached retina in each eye, have one artificial knee and a small aortic aneurysm in my chest.\u00a0 Access to health care is one of the things at the top of my list.\u00a0 That said, it is not hard to find places in the world that have excellent, affordable and accessible health care.\u00a0 Unfortunately, despite being one of the wealthiest nations, the United States continually lags most of the other \u2018wealthy\u2019 nations in access to affordable health care.^{1<\/sup> This is a tragedy and borders on being criminal.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n}

Even worse, there are continuing efforts by Republicans to make even further cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, not to mention the numerous (and unsuccessful) attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA), i.e. \u2018Obama care.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Amid one of the most devastating health care crises this country has faced in over a century, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that in 2020, about 31 million Americans or roughly 10% of the population have no health insurance.^{2<\/sup> It just boggles one\u2019s mind.\u00a0 Much of the rest of the world has figured this out, why can\u2019t we?\u00a0 I would argue that simple greed that continues to feed the exacerbating wealth disparity in this country is a major factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n}

Virtually every country on my \u2018target list\u2019 has better access to and more affordable health care than the United States.\u00a0 That is also true for prescription drugs.\u00a0 There are a number of reasons people retire overseas, but I have read many, many accounts of people who moved overseas primarily because they had more affordable access to health care somewhere else.\u00a0 That\u2019s pretty sad.\u00a0 \u00a0America is probably one of the few industrialized nations where people can work hard their entire lives, put together a nice little retirement nest egg, and then be forced into bankruptcy because of an unexpected serious illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now with the ongoing self-inflicted wound imposed upon the health care system by all of the people who refuse to get vaccinated and mask up to help stop the spread of the COVID Delta variant, the situation is getting even worse.\u00a0 I cannot, for the life of me, understand the reluctance to get vaccinated or take easy healthcare measures, i.e. wearing a mask.\u00a0\u00a0 My frustration level got to the point that I submitted a letter to the Bozeman Chronicle a couple of days ago.\u00a0 I doubt they will publish it but we\u2019ll see.\u00a0 I have included the text here just for fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are in the middle of a pandemic and now the Delta variant is causing a dramatic increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths primarily among those who refuse to get vaccinated and wear masks if they are, in fact, unvaccinated.\u00a0 This is certainly frustrating.\u00a0 However, there is a kind of silver lining if you will.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m sure there is a very strong correlation between those who refuse to get vaccinated and those who do not believe in science and prefer to listen to TV talking heads rather than medical professionals.\u00a0\u00a0 This current situation then provides a real-life giant experiment that will once again prove Darwin to be correct.\u00a0 Given that the surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths are primarily amongst the unvaccinated, one would expect the unvaccinated population to thin itself out, so in the long run, the segment of the population who are not smart enough to take the simple steps required for self-preservation, i.e., vaccinations and wearing masks, will continue to get sick and die out.\u00a0\u00a0 Thus, in the long run, the population will be composed primarily of people who are smart enough to take steps to guarantee the survival of the themselves and the species.\u00a0\u00a0 There is no doubt that more \u2018Darwin awards\u2019 will be given out this year that in all previous years combined.\u00a0 So, the way I see it, you can get in line for your Darwin award which may cost you or those around you their lives, or you can get in line for a vaccination.\u00a0 But, you\u2019re correct, it is your right to make whatever decision you want.\u00a0 Just remember that when your Darwin award is sitting by your bedside in the hospital and you\u2019re struggling to breathe!\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0You had a choice. \u201c<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I only went off on this tangent today because of an article I read.\u00a0 I have some things I need to take care of so that\u2019s it for today.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n