Speak Out 6/9/09

Church's good deed

THERE'S a church south of Jackson that was giving away water and the use of their restrooms on Memorial Day weekend during the 100-mile garage sale. I want to thank the people at the church. They were all so nice and friendly. I think that was a good deed. People who live in the area should check the church out if they're looking for a home church. It was Berean Baptist Church.

Cutting costs

I am a nurse who works in a busy family physician's office. If patients want to know what part of the problem with the high cost of health care is, they need to speak with the people at Medicare, Medicaid and insurance offices who are in charge of authorizing medications and tests that physicians order. Insurance companies dictate these medications and tests. The physician's hands are tied, and nurses end up spending countless hours attempting to get medications and tests approved. Patients need to be aware that most of the people at the insurance companies that we contact have no knowledge of medications. These people simply plug information into the computer and then deny medications and necessary tests, resulting in the patient either getting a lesser desired medication or test or nothing at all. I urge you to contact your federal legislators. It would cut your costs greatly by reducing the hours spent on the phone fighting with insurance companies.

Too many stops

SOMEONE said Jackson school buses stop too often -- every block or two. That isn't true. They stop every few houses. I get behind buses quite often. I routinely get behind a bus that stops at a house, moves two or three houses down and stops again. The kids that get off are not little kindergarteners most of the time. Often it's kids who look like they're 10 or older. The bus office folks will say this doesn't happen, but it sure does. Just because the stops don't show on the official route doesn't mean the drivers aren't making them.