Comments on The Fifty Factor: Health Care At Our House & UPDATE

that's a cute story--I think a lot of us would...

2009-11-06T12:21:08.901-08:00

that's a cute story--I think a lot of us would love to see the "good old days" of medicine return--it's become more business and less healing, don't you think?

Our family doctor made house calls til I was about...

2009-11-06T10:26:59.882-08:00

Our family doctor made house calls til I was about nine, I think. I believe he charged about $10 per office visit. I don't remember having health insurance til I went to college and Dad put me on his military health insurance, CHAMPUS.

What a mess we are in today, eh?

That dollar balance today would not go over well. ...

2009-11-06T06:19:44.437-08:00

That dollar balance today would not go over well. It would probably incur a $10.00 monthly late fee.

That is funny! And I can't imagine going to th...

2009-11-06T05:45:23.951-08:00

That is funny! And I can't imagine going to the dr's office and not having to cough up the copay immediately upon entering the reception area!!

Ha.. your Dad had a simple and clever plan. I migh...

2009-11-06T05:22:29.163-08:00

Ha.. your Dad had a simple and clever plan. I might just have to try that sometime. Probably with the dentist or vet bill since we're covered medically here in Canada.

Thanks for your regular updates on your friend's son.

that is a great story. if we had to pay for our d...

2009-11-05T23:50:44.297-08:00

that is a great story. if we had to pay for our doctor, i'd do the same just out of superstition. :-)

How very wise of your parents! We rarely went to t...

2009-11-05T21:14:37.109-08:00

How very wise of your parents! We rarely went to the doctor growing up...only when we were extremely sick. Thankfully for the most part we are healthy. I already had that terrible nasty flu for 2 weeks so hopefully that's it for the year!!!

The best part of childhood I think is to have sibl...

2009-11-05T20:51:50.379-08:00

The best part of childhood I think is to have siblings. A trip to the doctor is fun because you go with your siblings.

Genius!

2009-11-05T19:27:51.061-08:00

Genius!

I love this story, your dad's healthcare syste...

2009-11-05T19:26:04.077-08:00

I love this story, your dad's healthcare system seemed to work a lot better than the current one ;)

I remember when my kids were younger and it seemed...

2009-11-05T18:49:00.168-08:00

I remember when my kids were younger and it seemed that way too...always at the ped's office. Always a throat culture, an ear infection, a false alarm that still required the copay, lol.

Your dad's system is very cute. He never needed that extra dollar at the obgyn did he? lol. In the end it was just you 5? What a wonderfully cute story!

Five kids in our family too......I can't recal...

2009-11-05T18:24:51.700-08:00

Five kids in our family too......I can't recall a single doctor episode. Either we were incredibly healthy, or Mum decided the way to fix those health bills was to not create any. Smart woman.....
:))

We had a doctor like that too. Those were the good...

2009-11-05T17:23:05.978-08:00

We had a doctor like that too. Those were the good old days before we needed health care reform.

Your dad was a pretty smart guy. I don't remem...

2009-11-05T16:35:07.010-08:00

Your dad was a pretty smart guy. I don't remember my pediatricians hands, but I totally remember his name...David Jasper Underwood. He had a mustache and made house calls. Fun memories, Joanna. I would love to hear more about all those siblings.

I don't ever remember suckers on a stick. I do...

2009-11-05T15:42:09.243-08:00

I don't ever remember suckers on a stick. I do remember how frightened I was of my pediatrician. I told my mom he looked like a "mad scientist".

I don't ever remember suckers on a stick. I do...

2009-11-05T15:42:05.001-08:00

I don't ever remember suckers on a stick. I do remember how frightened I was of my pediatrician. I told my mom he looked like a "mad scientist".

I remember the doctor actually coming to our house...

2009-11-05T15:39:02.806-08:00

I remember the doctor actually coming to our house a few times. Imagine trying to get one to do that now?

That is so funny. I was going to take a picture of...

2009-11-05T14:41:24.786-08:00

That is so funny. I was going to take a picture of our doctor's office...which was part of his house and write about it one of these days. If we were too sick, Dr. McKenna came to our house. Usually you got a shot and you got better. The doctor was a family friend back then. We knew their family well and went to school with their kids. They lived about 2 blocks from us.

I never saw my parents pay for a visit at the time of the visit. I'm sure they paid his bill with all of the others.

That is a great story! I love the $1 balance.

2009-11-05T14:35:59.682-08:00

That is a great story! I love the $1 balance.

Great story! It seemed life was so much simpler t...

2009-11-05T14:35:14.754-08:00

Great story! It seemed life was so much simpler then....

I could echo some of those details! Our family do...

2009-11-05T14:33:37.554-08:00

I could echo some of those details! Our family doctor was right down the street about 8 houses and he made housecalls.

I love the last comment about your dad and the ob/gyn office....too cute!

Sounds like a nice guy, this Doc! Don´t you wish t...

2009-11-05T14:04:11.658-08:00

Sounds like a nice guy, this Doc! Don´t you wish things were so simple nowadays!?

So cool that the Doc was willing to work with your...

2009-11-05T13:44:06.286-08:00

So cool that the Doc was willing to work with your parents. Gone are the days where doctors do this AND make house calls!!

What a terrific story!!! Thanks for sharing your w...

2009-11-05T13:22:17.363-08:00

What a terrific story!!! Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories!!! Your Dad? Quite a character!!!! Thanks also for the update on Attila's son...he's been in my prayers this week!!! ~Janine XO

What a great story! I can semi-relate, with four ...

2009-11-05T13:18:22.448-08:00

What a great story! I can semi-relate, with four kids, only I usually only have to budget for co-pays (which can still add up, with four of them), and it's hard to have an "open balance" when each child is a separate billing account!
The old way seems better!