It must be Tuesday.

I can remember (and maybe so can some of you) that a hamburger addict in the old Popeye cartoons named Whimpy is always saying (with a slight British accent), "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today". Eventually we all have to settle with our creditors or those to whom we owe money for services.

The medical bills have been rolling in for services rendered in November and December. I do not know if all the medical professionals and facilities have already submitted invoices for all their services to the insurance company or if more are on the way. 21st Century medical procedures are pretty amazing, but so is the price tag. Wow! All I can say is, Clayton you're getting into the right racket...er I mean profession. My insurance company medical claim summary shows nearly 3 dozen claims in the past 3 months. The bill from my colorectal surgeon alone is...drum roll please...$73,116.00. I expected it to be about 1/10th that much. Since this doctor is associated with the hospital, I sure hope his bill includes the cost for the hospital itself. The total for all claims submitted is a whopping $109,213.70.

Now of course the insurance company talks the medical service providers into discounting their charges somewhat and the insurance company itself covers a good portion of the bill; however, medical services billing is still a black art that completely eludes me, and I suspect most other mortals. I keep asking myself why is medical care so extremely expensive. I know part of the reason is because the costs for all services provided by all health care providers is spread across those who have the ability to pay, including the costs of services for those who do not have insurance or the means to pay themselves. Another reason is that medical professionals (doctors in particular) must prepare for many years and at great expense to acquire the knowledge and expertise to be able to practice medicine in the 21st Century. They deserve fair compensation for their services and their investment in time and money. Another factor in high medical costs are malpractice lawsuits. I agree that medical professionals make mistakes or sometimes are downright negligent, with serious or even fatal consequences to their patients. But should juries award outrageous settlements that make malpractice insurance unaffordable, drives good doctors out of business, keeps many lawyers employed, and greatly increases the costs of medical services for the rest of us? In my own situation, I had to go back into the hospital for an extra week, at great additional cost, because my bowel sutures were not watertight. Should this be a sueable offense even if the doctor has done his best effort?

So, is the answer to more affordable health care costs the adoption of government administered universal health care or socialized medicine? I don't think so. I read where one of the Presidental candidates was talking about forcing everyone to buy health insurance and even garnishing their wages if they didn't do it voluntarily. No thank you! Should all patients, regardless of ability to pay, have unlimited access to all available health care resources? I tend to think not. Should everyone receive basic humanitarian care? Probably. But, if a limit has to be set, where should that line be drawn for people who can't afford to pay? Where is the line for families who can afford to pay or have insurance? To what extent should insurance companies be required to fund medical procedures to attempt to extend the live of of someone one year? One month? One week? Tough questions, I know...but I would enjoy learning what other family and friends think and feel about these financial and morality issues. You are welcome to respectfully share you opinions, even if they differ from my own.