I have already communicated the good news I received on Friday to many of you. Four weeks ago, I had received more daunting news when scans displayed “enhancements” which my doctors could not be sure meant cancer growth or not. Another MRI was ordered for four weeks hence, at which point a determination would be made about whether the scans were showing real cancer progression or “pseudo-progression.” The fateful day came last Friday when I met with my doctor to receive the verdict. Frankly, given the way things have been going, I was expecting the worst. But my doctor doesn’t possess the best poker face, so his chipper mood tipped me off that good news was in the offing. Sure enough, as he showed me the scans (which always look like incomprehensible blobs to me) he explained that they showed no progression since the last scans.
HUZZAH! Great news and a tremendous relief. I will continue to use the chemo drug Temodar for the foreseeable future . . . which leads into my next bit of not-so-happy news.
I have never seen a bill for this Temodar. The UNM Cancer Center led me to believe it was their mastery of charitable foundations that spared me this expense. The truth is that last year, I had already blown through all my deductibles and out-of-pocket limits by the time Big Pharma sunk their bloody fangs into my throat. Even expecting the worst, nothing could prepare me for the shock that awaited me when I saw the actual bill. My bill for a five-day supply of my allegedly life-saving drug came close to $2300, or a bit over $150 a pill.
The only “good” news in this shameful scenario is that this blows through my deductible for 2014, so Blue Cross foots the bill from here on. But this doesn’t come anywhere close to excusing this bald, unabashed piracy. There is no possible justification for it anywhere on Earth, and certainly not in a place that loves to lay claim to “the best health care system on the planet.” The U.S. health care system is rotten to the core, a crime syndicate of Big Pharma, hospitals, and insurance companies, far more damaging to the health and welfare of this country than any international drug cartel. One need only observe the muscle and zillions expended to quash any attempts to break this racket or make health care even slightly more affordable or available to a few more people. The U.S. health care system is something about which all Americans should feel ashamed.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Groundhog Day
I know, I know, it’s Super Bowl Sunday. There was a
time I’d get all excited over this, and some people will recall SB parties at
our house in Grayslake, IL. I care a lot less about this stuff than I used to,
and some of you may have read a previous entry in this blog (“Pigskin Pigheads”)
in which I expressed my increasing disenchantment with most big-time sports,
and NFL football in particular. But I do still enjoy spectacle, and I know
several Broncos fans, so what the hell, bring on the cheese dip!
However, there is another big event occurring today, on the
same day as the Super Bowl for the first time in history: Groundhog Day! Unfortunately, I believe that Punxsutawney
Phil’s prognostications are limited to the weather. He has not been known to
handicap sporting events, to my knowledge.
The film GROUNDHOG DAY, written by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis
and directed by Ramis, was released to generally favorable reviews and decent
box office business in 1993. The reputation
of the film has grown steadily over the past twenty years, to the point where
it is now considered one of the classic American films of all time. More than
this, the film has come to be embraced by scholars, theologians, philosophers,
religious leaders, and a host of other deep thinkers as a thoughtful and moving
treatise on the meaning of life, death, love, mortality, among other things.
Hold on just a darn minute, you say! This is a Bill Murray
yuk-fest, and don’t you dare ruin it for me with your egghead philosophizing! I
couldn’t agree more, and the last thing I would ever think of is to diminish
the comic element of GROUNDHOG DAY. Laughter is one of our most spontaneous and
heartfelt emotions, which no amount of analysis will ever explain, thank Zod.
Comedy is the most difficult art form to pull off, IMNSHO, and this is why it
can be such a powerful medium for imparting deeper truths.
But deeper truths are never going to be imparted to anyone
by a yokel like me, and many people smarter than me have written extensively
about GROUNDHOG DAY. I love the film and watch it every Groundhog Day. It never
disappoints and I always see new things in it. I believe this little film resonates
with so many people because it offers the promise of hope and personal redemption
that everyone wants. The world is far
from a perfect place and we are far from perfect creations, but each day offers
each of us a fresh start to try to make each of our little words a little more
perfect. What else can we do?
I was never a huge fan of the late Chicago film critic Roger
Ebert, but I enjoyed his writing in general, and found that he could occasionally
rise above the mundane and produce work like the following. I feel this piece by Ebert speaks about
GROUNDHOG DAY was well as any I have read:
GOODBYE AMIGOS! SEE
YOU SOON! HAHA!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)