Yesterday our family had urgent need of our American medical system . . . and boy, did it ever deliver!
In our case, the medical problem was a blockage caused by a large blood clot in the brain. A skilled surgeon was able to use a new, less invasive procedure — one that has been in use at the hospital for only about six months — to follow the blood vessel up into the brain and use suction to dislodge and then safely remove the clot. The entire procedure took less than an hour and left the blood vessel and brain tissue undisturbed.
Americans often complain about the cost of our health care system, but we also should boast, even more frequently, about the amazing quality of the care it provides. In our case, the very recent technological advances permitted a result that is nothing short of miraculous — and it was a result that wasn’t reserved for royalty or the super-rich, but instead was available to a worried family that brought a loved one to a neighborhood hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Where would we be if our hospitals were not striving to provide the best care imaginable?
Without lapsing into the political realm, I think it’s fair to say that our experience is one of the reasons why the Affordable Care Act is of concern to so many people. Yesterday, when time was of the essence, we received the care we needed immediately, without having to cut through red tape or waiting to receive bureaucratic approvals. I’d hate to think that things might change that would change that result — or, in some way, remove the incentives that our hospitals have to purchase and use the space-age technology that consistently delivers the modern medical miracles to which we’ve become so accustomed — and for which we are so grateful.
I think most people would like to go out like my grandfather did. He lived to be 99, kept his mental and physical health until the end, then had a stroke while eating breakfast and died later that day. No institutionalization. No dementia. No months or years of a twilight existence, apparently unaware of his surroundings, experiencing bedsores and diaper changes and incomprehension.
The 
So, was the House vote a waste of time? I don’t think so. By voting to repeal the “health care reform” legislation, the Republican majority was fulfilling a campaign promise. We should applaud politicians who do so, not condemn them. The general public would have a more favorable view of politicians generally if more politicians actually tried to keep their promises. By acting so promptly, the Republicans are demonstrating that elections have consequences. And, of course, you never know whether political pressure will build on the Senate to consider some form of repeal legislation. If Democrats in the Senate consider the legislation to be such a great success, why should they duck a vote on its proposed repeal?
Here’s 
I’m sure supporters of health care reform have lots of rationalizations for the landslide in Missouri — it was a special election, Republicans were more motivated to go to the polls, serious people understand that ballot issues aren’t going to decide the matter and therefore we shouldn’t pay attention to the results, etc. — but I think the Missouri election result has to be viewed as having some significance.
I don’t use indoor tanning salons and can’t imagine doing so — but I question the underlying concept of the “tanning tax.” Do we really want to get into the habit of taxing what the federal government considers to be risky behavior? Should sports cars and motorcycles be taxed at higher rates than sedans? Should mountain climbers, skydivers, and participants in extreme sports should be taxed more heavily than couch potatoes? We are moving beyond “sin taxes” on alcohol, tobacco, and gambling to a new realm of governmental efforts to modify human behavior — and I am not comfortable that the government is well-situated to make those kinds of judgments.
