Weekend Reflections 4/14

Looking outside...it's cloudy and overcast. Crisp, but not cold. We have had rain this week and everything is green.

Listening...to the the family. The Boy is at work. The Artist is on his computer. The Doctor and I have been talking.

Loving...time spent with friends. We met some good friends for dinner last night and had a delightful evening laughing and visiting together. 

Thinking...that I love that our boys like each other. Today, before The Boy went to work, he and The Artist went shopping to find some sneakers and then they went to see Ready Player One together. 

In my kitchen...Crio Bru. We are going out to dinner after Stake Conference.

Wearing...black skirt, purple top, bare feet.

Reading...I haven't finished anything. 

Today...some errands. Some laundry. Stake Conference tonight and tomorrow. I need to pay bills.

Quoting...“The smug mask of virtue triumphant could be almost as horrible as the face of wickedness revealed.” ― Granny Weatherwax, Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett.

Feeling...tired. The fact is, I am weary. I am tired of working in a field that is depressing and so very, very broken. The Doctor asked me how I would fix it. And honestly? I don't know. I do know that I don't want government run healthcare because that would be like Medicare and Medicaid and it is never beneficial for providers to work with either organization.

I have no problems paying for healthcare or health insurance. But, I expect to get the care I need. Not to be nickel and dimed, not to have some things covered and other things not. Not to have some spawn of Satan who sits in a gilded tower decide if my care or procedure should be covered or how much of a bill they will actually pay to us as providers.

I grew up in the Kaiser system in California and I miss those days. You paid a premium each month and you got the care you needed. Our son was born under that system 20 years ago and his open-heart surgery was covered. Totally and completely. We didn't receive extra bills and threats of bankruptcy or collections. I know that the Kaiser as I knew it has changed now, but boy do I miss those days.

I know that some of those who want universal healthcare expect that it will simply be free. That they will walk into a hospital or doctor's office and get what they need without paying anything. That is a fallacy, but it is perpetuated. Universal healthcare certainly won't help those doctors who are in this work because they care. It won't help them pay their bills. You might not believe me, but not all of us live extravagant lives and exhort high prices from their patients or insurance companies.

We are like you. We have our own bills and our own struggles. We like putting food on our tables. But, we don't have salaries. We don't have a guarantee of what we will earn each month. I know what I bill, but I don't know what will get paid by the all-mighty insurance companies and I don't know if patients will actually pay theirs.

Our system is broken and with our current political climate, I do not see answers coming or a solution that will actually help people.

So while I like our patients and I enjoy seeing them and I love watching them leave our office feeling better, I am weary of all of the drama and frustrations and brick walls that we run into trying to help people feel better.

Planning...this next week. 

Gratitude...for my husband and sons. I say that a lot, but it's true. They are my world. They are amazing. 

The Artist came home this week and told me about a situation that had happened at school with some boys who were being mean. He explained how he hadn't been in a position to stop the action, but he had stayed behind to make sure the boy in question was ok. We talked about what he could do and the next day he talked to the boy and found out his name and then talked to his teacher who said he should report it. And he did. 

I am so proud of my children because both of them look out for other people and when they recognize a need, they act on it. I have seen The Boy reach for his wallet when the person in front of him in a store is a few dollars short to pay for their groceries. He has often given rides to girls from work because they would have been waiting outside, in the dark, late at night waiting for their rides to show up. I have seen The Artist ask if someone needs help and seen him give service to others.

They are becoming good men. They give me hope.

From my world... 



Truth.

What about you? What are you reflecting on this week? How has your week gone?

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