All Roads Lead to Healthcare
Like most toddlers and children, I had ear infections growing up and goddamn did they hurt (or maybe I just have a low threshold for pain tolerance). During one of these infections my dad took me to the hospital in the middle of the night and got an x-ray to confirm that it really was just an ear infection. This was in my hometown, Calgary, a Canadian city with the Rocky Mountains serving as the view from just about every window. The entire hospital visit, including the x-ray, was covered by the Alberta Provincial Healthcare system, which was, and still is, subsidized by the Federal Canadian government. And then there's my experience with the drip-by-drip dispensation of health care services in the US. After suffering a concussion in the fall of 2023, my GP advised me to get an MRI, sound medical advice. But the medical office that does the MRI needs prior authorization from Aetna that, yes, they'll pay the cost of an MRI, and for a neuro specialist to look over the image and ...
