Friday October 2nd, 2009 - "Sicko"

This morning I weighed 316.6 pounds. It was also cold... for this time of year. The perfect time to try out some of my cool weather cycling clothes. When I left to Denver it was about 40 degrees. I was layered up just a bit, but the thermal jersey I had worked great. It was such a nice ride. Silently slicing through the cool air. The only sound was the leaves giving out beneath me. I was a poetic ride. Overall, it was 34 miles round trip and it was warmer on my way back. Very nice ride. Last night I was up late reading my cycling magazine and I read about proper nutrition on a long bike ride. They said to start sipping water five miles into the trip and don't stop. A mouth full here and there. I also ate a small but nutritious breakfast of granola and a banana. Halfway into my trip I ate a granola/power bar. I ate another one after 8 miles or so. Even though it was cold I still drank two bottles of water. I may want to supplement my liquids with a gatorade like I used to. I had a better trip. I got another bad headache when I got home. I'm sure something in my new supplement isn't working for me. I'm not going to take it for a week and see if I get any more headaches. Tomorrow I'll hit the gym.

This evening I watched Micheal Moore's documentary "Sicko" about health care in America. I know his films. They usually make me mad. Not at him, but at our government and lack of activism from our society. This was no different. It made me sick to see how profitable the health insurance companies were getting and how bad our health care is compared to other countries. Not only did he travel the horror stories of American care, but he traveled to Canada, France, and England to see how horrible universal health care was. It was sick. People get better health care for free. Well, they pay taxes. So do we. He showed people that had been rejected care by their insurance and I started feeling lucky. My insurance is great. I mean, I pay the premiums (about half of most), copays ($25.00), and I meat my deductibles. Since I was diagnosed with leukemia in 2007, I have never been denied health care in anyway. I go to the best specialists. I go to the best hospitals. I routinely have MRI, Cat scans, PET scans, blood draws; everything and my insurance representatives are like friends. So why is my insurance so nice. I spend about $38K a year on my families health care, but they pay way more for my care and they are always nice and supportive. They help me find the very best physicians available. Why is my insurance so nice? Cheri told me the secret. My health insurance is Rocky Mountain Health Plans made accessible to us through the Colorado Dental Association. Guess what??? They are a non-profit cooperative! President Obama uses it as the example of coops. I really didn't know. OMG! Everyone should get this kind of health care insurance. Even better, have the government help you pay for it. Charge me more taxes. Going into medical debt is far worse. Imagine the financial damage a car accident could do to your family and imagine what people without health insurance do. What do they do??? It's sad that Cuba has universal health care and they are poor. What's wrong with us? If you haven't seen Sicko, you should. Then you will want change.