Readers know I am endlessly fascinated with the permutations of portfolio management and the impact of myriad economic data on different portfolios, along with the politics that thread them together.  However, those subjects become less entertaining when laying awake at night with your throat burning and your lungs rattling.  It has even been hard to care whether people see economics as a suit, rather than a wardrobe to mix & match.  Or, that most stock analysts don’t understand the relationship between earnings-per-share and growth rates.  Or, that the Tea Party would rather capsize an aircraft carrier than change course slowly.

Not being one who prefers hope instead of action, I’ve been to three doctors in six days, i.e., my family doctor, an ENT specialist, and the local Urgent Care.  You guessed it . . . the local “doc-in-a-box” finally diagnosed and treated the problem correctly.  By the way, they don’t accept Medicare.  Does that suggest anything about ObamaCare?

The visit to the family doctor cost me nothing.  The visit to the ENT specialist cost me nothing.  Medicare paid 100% of both.  However, I paid 100% of the visit to the doc-in-a-box, which was only $150 and included a chest X-Ray, after a mere ten minute wait.

Countless polls tell us that Medicare is the most appreciated entitlement program in our country.  As a result, politicians are understandably loath to cut any funding for it.  They’re too afraid of us!  This is one Medicare patient who begs for change.  Make us pay larger co-pays.  Increase our monthly premiums.  Set up ways to  decrease end-of-life costs when there is no hope.  But, most of all, find a way to pay for results.

It is not time for the perfect solution.  It never is.  It is time for a first tiny step, Mr. President!  Please think about that during the upcoming spending negotiations.

Anyway, the worst is over for me, I hope, and it will soon be time to start thinking again . . . finally!