Nephite Health Care

The Kingmen's plan was to put all their friends in power against the voice of the people so they could control all the riches and leave the poor church people to their own devices. Certainly, the poor's silly religious beliefs would help them out if they were attacked, hungry or got sick. It sure wasn't the Kingmen's responsibility. The Zoramites did one better and kicked the poor right out of their church because they were obviously not favored of the Lord - that was in the standard "prayer" of the Zoramites. (See Alma 31 for the Zoramites, Alma 51 etc. for the Kingmen - oh heck, just read the whole book!)

Last night I helped with some priesthood blessings to heal the sick. Faith helps the healing process while still using all the physical miracles of modern medical science that the Lord has blessed us with here on earth. This family has a son in the hospital with very serious illness. He was one of my Scouts. We saw him a little earlier yesterday evening. The blessings were for his Dad who is going in for hip surgery this morning in another hospital and for his Mom who is beside herself with worry and fear - not to mention lack of sleep. The Dad works hard with his own business. The mother works in a basic job for local government, but it is the one that has health benefits for the family. Thank Heavens!

I have a couple of other friends who are professionals. They both work very hard and are good at what they do with great benefit to society. One currently has employment with health coverage. The other does not. Even the one with access has not always had it as she has been an independent contractor at times. The one who doesn't have it currently has had coverage in the past as she had state government employment that dried up due to cuts throughout government. Why is one entitled to easy access to medical care and the other is not? It makes no sense to me. Maybe it's their own fault, but then we'd have to answer to King Benjamin. (Just read the whole book! And please, not in the style of  the Pharisees or the Skousenites.)

Well, the Obamacare helps are in process. It's probably not the best way to address all these problems, but it's certainly better than the American, er, Nephite disease of dividing into classes based on wealth and despising the poor - and even worse, accusing those trying to address these problems as being in cahoots with satan to steal "free agency." We all need to work together in our representative democracy to find common ground and support each other the best way we can. Make corrections to Obamacare as necessary and make it work!

One alternative, of course, is to continue the status quo and let the "free market" help out the poor - well, at least the charity of some of those in the free market. But that system has failed us. And for the best health care potential in the world, we are one of the worst countries in delivery of those services and with astronomical and steadily rising costs to boot, chiefly because of the necessity to cover the expense of those unable to pay for primary care so they wait until they have to go to the hospital when it is the most expensive. The profession also milks the government and private programs for all they are worth to enrich the Kingmen powers that be as they separate into classes and despise the poor. And I have no problem limiting the gains to be had by the kingmen lawyers threatening the doctors with expensive lawsuits.

Yeah. I'm starting to see Anonymous D's point in all this and getting a little angry about it too.

But repenting and backing off the anger - I was able to tell my former Scout last night, who is at significant risk of losing his life or at least having life-long medical challenges, to remember the time we were on King's Peak, highest point in Utah, and the storm came upon us. We had to get off that mountain and fast as we were in danger of losing our lives. We made that one. I told him he was a tough kid. That's why we do Scouting. To learn some life skills to face the challenges that come along.

I hope and pray he makes it off the mountain safely.