American Healthcare Sucks Ass

(It sometimes takes an act of God just to see your doctor.)

Yesterday, I read The Scarlet Ibis with my middle school class. This tale is a real tearjerker. It’s about a boy born with physical disabilities, and these handicaps are an embarrassment to his older brother. So the kid tries to fix his younger sibling by teaching him to become a normal person. Ultimately, this results in the crippled kid’s death.

One girl raised her hand. “Why are all the stories in this book so sad?”

I shrugged. “You got me. It’s not like I pick them. They simply come with the anthology.”

“I’m naturally a happy person. Now I’m going to spend the day suffering from depression.”

I smiled at her. “Come on. It’s not that bad. Are you familiar with The Little Match Girl?”

She shook her head from side to side. “Never heard of it.”

“That surprises me. It’s actually a Christmas tradition. It’s about a little waif who lives with an abusive father. She has to sell matches to fuel his alcohol habit, and if she fails to earn enough money, he cruelly beats her. Anyway, one night in the depths of winter, she’s afraid to go home and eventually freezes to death.”

My student let out a long sigh. “Oh, for the love of God! A Christmas tradition? Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Welcome to the wonderful world of literature. Everything’s a downer.”

The rest of the day went smoothly. In fact, lunch was a delight. It featured poultry and rice. And let me tell you assholes something. That chicken was delicious. It was covered in a scrumptious brown sauce.

I finally caught the bus back home at 5:30 p.m. And to my surprise, I actually found a seat. Many days, I’m forced to stand for the entire twenty minutes.  Then I sat on the sofa and watched several episodes of Peaky Blinders. I’m on the part where the boys have alienated the Italian mobsters. Good stuff.

Life has been very peaceful these days. But I’m caught at the crossroads of staying in Asia or going back to America. The great thing about South Korea is the health insurance. The medical benefits on the peninsula are outstanding. Yet I often long to be with my older son Ken the Chicken Man. The Dragon Lady ripped my family apart with her outrageous behavior. I’ll never forgive her for that.

I went to bed at 9 p.m. and slept like the dead. Then the alarm rang at 5 a.m., so I walked to the kitchen for a cup of Joe. After that, I called my mother using Facebook Messenger.

I said, “How’s your blood pressure?”

“Not that great. It’s a hundred and twenty-seven over sixty-four.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“Well, I’m still alive. And any day above ground has its advantages. But if it goes below sixty, then I have to get to the emergency room.”

“Maybe you should call your doctor.”

“I did. He’s gave me an appointment for October.”

“You might be dead before you can get to see him.”

She smiled at me. “What can I do? That’s just the way it is. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

And here’s the thing about the United States. We’re the richest country in the history of the world. Yet many croak because they have to wait endlessly to visit their physicians. With that said, we never seem to run out of money to fight wars across the globe. Go figure.

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