A Long Drive
I recently completed a long drive (approximately 11 hours each way). I figured out years ago that the drive went faster if I listened to talk radio instead of music. My wife figured out that the drive even went faster if you listened to a book on tape.
For this trip, my wife picked a book called Viral by Robin Cook. I must admit that the book captured just the right amount of my attention for a lot of the 22 hours in a car. The story is not important except that the bad guys in the story was a hospital and a short term medical insurance plan with a twist of climate change to add the third bad guy. While the story line was intriguing, every time the author would mention one of the bad guys, I’d roll my eyes a little knowing that I was only hearing part of the story.
It’s hard to give an example without alluding to the story line so if you have any desire to read the book, feel free to stop reading now.
As an example, the main characters’ wife comes down with a unheard of disease in this country (due to the effects of climate change), and runs up a $200,000 hospital bill. Of course, the main character can’t get his head wrapped around how the bill could escalate to such a large dollar amount so quickly. You might guess how the insurance company becomes a bad guy from this as well.
From my experience as a former health actuary, I can assure you that medical care is very expensive and, much as we might like, neither the health care provider nor the health care insurer is trying to gouge you or take advantage of you. In fact, health care and the insurance of health care is one of the most regulated industries.
Many times have I been introduced to someone and told them that I was an actuary. They’d, most of time, ask what an actuary does and after I’d tell them, they’d inevitably ask why health insurance cost so much. I got to the point where I’d answer by saying “because of you”. Then I’d explain that every time we use health insurance we add costs that the insurance plan had to pay which is used to set the premium rate. No one liked the answer but it is true.
We long to find the bad guy, punish said bad guy, and pass laws to prevent bad guys in the future. Most of the time, the world doesn’t work anywhere near that.
“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” - Galatians 5:17 ESV
“Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.” - Isaiah 13:7-8 ESV
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he
who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” - Revelation 21:1-7 ESV
We live in a fallen, imperfect world. Thank God for his promise of the perfect heaven awaiting us.
