So Goes People of Faith… So Goes the Nation

I'm really enjoying my new job, which involves research on various topics, but I realize how mis-informed and easily manipulated I've been about a lot things during my lifetime. One of my recent topics has been communism, specifically in the Soviet Union. I try to find websites that present an accurate view, but I've also found a number of websites that continue to espouse that a communist society is the best way for people to live. Some parts sound noble: the classless society; everyone is taken care of with a job and pension and place to live; free healthcare and education. Property and businesses belong to everyone. Sounds good, right? But history paints another story, much of which has been hidden under layers of misinformation and eliminating anyone who might tell the truth.

In studying Lenin and Stalin, I recognized an intellectual arrogance among them. They thought they knew what was best for everyone, but then they had to use tools such as lies and propaganda, ruthless secret police, mass executions, fear, and complete and total control to get the populace in line with their philosophy of life. Have you ever heard of the Gulags? We've all heard of the Nazi concentration camps during World War II and are glad they were closed down, but Soviet Russia used hundreds of forced labor camps to control their people for MANY more years. No one knows exactly how many people Stalin killed; I've seen estimates of 7,000,000 up to 20,000,000, and many of them people of faith.

I found testimonies of people who miss the communist way of life. They felt secure when someone else made all the decisions for them and guaranteed them a job and pension when they got old. They didn't like the insecurity of a republic or a democratic society where the individual had to think and make decisions for themselves. One website, a blogger, said that he'd met people living under communist rule that said their life was just fine. The blogger also seems to think he could continue to express himself freely, study religion, and live however he wants in a communist society.

I also found testimonies of people who suffered tremendously under Stalin's communist rule: practicing Jews, the Christians, creative artists and writers, free-thinkers, land-owners, and more. Nikolai Getman spent seven years in a Gulag just for sitting with some artist friends in a cafe when one of them drew a caricature of Stalin on a cigarette paper. In the year of terror 1937-38, 85% of the 35,000 clergy were arrested; an average of 1,000 people were executed each day during 'the Great Purge' to keep Stalin in power. Why were churches targeted? Did people of faith represent the conscience and consciousness of the nation?

Atheism was the only accepted belief in Soviet Russia. Not in the beginning; in the beginning people were told they could keep their religious beliefs. But it didn't take long for the those in power to start persecuting the churches and people of faith. Again, the arrogance of the atheists in power thought their way was the only way; that an intelligent man would not stoop to believe in the mythological hearsay of a creator god who seeks to have a relationship with puny man. No, man was/is at the top of the totem pole. If man wants to be saved, he must do it himself. And the intellectuals will guide the ignorant, with force and lies, if need be. And that's what it took for communism to work.

I see a disturbing parallel today on all fronts. And too many have already become comfortable with the mindset that a socialist system is the fairest; that the intellectuals in power know what's best for us; that the government taking care of us is the least complicated way of life. And with all of that comes the loss of personal freedom and responsibility.

But take care to watch what's happening to the people of faith. They're slowly being silenced, if not penalized, for expressing or attempting to live out their beliefs. And the culture is being manipulated to stand against them. Rise and shine in love, people of faith, before we lose it all.

What About Medical Menus?

Why can't health providers post a list of prices like everybody else in business? Maybe that could infuse some real competition into health care. I'm not talking about insurance. Health care providers charge whatever they want. Insurance companies decide what they're willing pay, and we're stuck in the middle having to pick up the difference. We walk blindly into the doctor's office for help, and have no clue what we will be charged until we get the bill. Or that's the case with Scott and White in Central Texas.

I went to my dermatologist this past year to get checked for skin cancer, which I've done every year or two for a long time now because we have a history of melanoma in the family, so I try to be responsible about getting checked.

The year before I had a basal cell carcinoma shaved off my leg, which involved two office visits-- one to get checked, the second to come back and get the spot removed. That cost me over $500. So when another place showed up on my leg, I figured this would cost about the same thing.

I was wrong. Scott and White charged me $2,550 for the lab work. The dermatologist charged me  $579. This was for TWO office visits for minor procedures, not cosmetic surgery! I cried when I got the bill. At the time, I was living off my savings so I could take care of my mother, so I saw the $3,179 as costing me two months less time that I might need as her caregiver. 

A friend told me that her doctor occasionally froze things off, but that was included in her inexpensive office visit charge. I don't know how S&W came up with over $3,100 for two office visit procedures. When I wrote the dermatologist to tell her I couldn’t afford her anymore, she referred me to their financial office, saying that since I wasn't working, they might reduce my bill. Even though I had no income coming in, the fact that I still had money in savings and wasn't living on the street meant they denied my request. 

Who do we turn to when someone "legally" robs us? Even my insurance company was no help. They weren’t concerned when I told them S&W had way overcharged me; I hadn't reached my deductible so it was no skin off their backs. I actually tried to pay cash at the time of the service, but the office didn't do the billing so they had no clue what numbers S&W would pull out of the air. I'm insured, but I cannot afford even basic health care with Scott & White now when they charge such exorbitant fees. 

I used to go to a wonderful family of dermatologists in San Antonio, and I'm thinking about writing them a letter asking them what they'd charge for the equivalent services S&W charged me. I really don't want to drive the two hours to SA, but I can't afford to keep going here. 

Why can't health care providers post their costs for the different services so we can actually shop around before choosing? I feel like it's Russian Roulette now when I need medical services. I recently received a letter from the dermatologist saying I needed to come back to get checked, and I thought, "Are you kidding me?!!" I threw it in the trash. 

The Affordable Care Act is such a misnomer. It's not just about insurance or the lack thereof. What about the out-of-control medical charges? I can't afford to have any health issues now, even WITH insurance.