Monday, July 21, 2008

Traffic Jam

I got a call from Holly yesterday, asking me to look up information about traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

A big section of the West end was completely closed (both ways) yesterday evening due to an accident that I can only assume must've been really massive to close it down in both directions.

Although, you never know. I was once stuck in a traffic jam on I-95 South of here where there was an accident that closed traffic both ways. The accident was only on one side, but the other traffic direction had been closed to provide a clear spot for a chopper to land to airlift out injured motorists. I wish the accident had never happened, but watching the rescue operations (particularly the chopper) was fascinating.

And why is this relevant, you may ask?

My granddaughter, Malaia was stuck in the jam. She called her mom after being stopped long enough for other motorists to decide to get out and walk around, etc.

I was checking with Holly, and she still hadn't arrived in Baltimore as of pretty late last night. I'm assuming that she did get home, and that she is all right. Sitting in traffic, even for a few hours is so much better than having arrived at the site of the accident just in time to be in it. I am unbelievably thankful that she wasn't involved in the actual accident.

I expect to at least get the knitting on the shawl done today, but there isn't a photo yet.

Today, I gearing up for a visit to Social Services in Prince William County. I know my county was named after someone else, but it's such a trendy name at the moment.

Someone there will be helping me get some information about Medicare, and how to control some of the costs. There will also be someone examining my application for food stamps. I hope the food stamps get approved. It will defray some of the other expenses that are happening. I'm also going to ask about getting dental help, although I don't have a lot of hope about that. Don't forget the donations button in the sidebar.

I have all my information together, and will just have to deal with getting out of here early enough to catch the two buses I'll need to take to get there tomorrow.

If approved for the food stamps, what I'll actually get is an ATM card that will get my food stamp money deposited once a month. It's possible that I could get some or all of my Medicare expenses paid. I have mixed feelings about that.

I've been going to a clinic which I won't be able to go to if I get Medicare. The clinic gives really good help. The usual medical system in the US is the pits! I think of most doctors as "pharmaceutical salesmen." 

The doctor I saw at the ER is a perfect example. He looked at my ear and my throat, then listened to my chest, prescribed almost $200 worth of drugs and billed me $300! And didn't prescribe enough drugs to really get rid of the problem, only to shift it back to a chronic condition. So, for close to $1,000 (ER bill, too), he kept me from being seriously ill, but allowed me to be chronically ill. 

Around the turn of the millennium, the statistics for the previous year listed the eight highest cause of death in the United States as "doctors in hospitals."

The US medical system is terrible.

I hope you're having a great Monday!

No comments:

Post a Comment