Either Way

When I turned 50 my physician demanded that I have a colonoscopy. As it turned out my health insurer would not approve the procedure at that time and opted for a less intrusive exam that was, nevertheless, unpleasant. The results concluded that I was in good shape in the lower intestines and beyond. Good. Today I have read that our government has estimated that Medicare is anticipating a $38 trillion dollar shortfall over the next 75 years based on their projections of life expectancy, disease, an aging population and the growth of our citizenship. The first decision put forth by OMB is that Medicare will no longer cover the costs of colonoscopies. There now exists a ‘virtual colonoscopy’ (not available in stores) that enables trained technicians to view the same delightful sights (and sounds) accessible, heretofore, only to doctors performing the standard and invasive colonoscopy. If, during the ‘virtual colonoscopy,’ polyps or other matters of concern arise, the patient will then be cleared for the real deal. When colon cancer is detected early there is more than a 90% chance of full recovery. When detected late the rate drops to less than 10%. Given the raging waters flowing away from common sense in our country it is obvious what health care will be like in this country within 15 years. Either way, we’re all going to take one for The Gipper.