Public health hits home
Yesterday was my annual physical checkup.

The human side of Group Health is wonderful. Highly sensible doctor and warm nurse. I'd been anxious for several days because I'm the anxious type, but all is OK. All tests in normal range. At age 64, that's reason for (frugal) jubilation. Diet and exercise do make a difference.

They pushed me to get a flu shot. Normally I decline such automatic precautions, but went ahead and got poked this time, mainly because I've been vituperating about public health lately. Figured I should put my veins where my mouth is.

The official side of Group Health is atrocious. All sorts of strange rules. Holding my BP prescription hostage to force an annual checkup. Charging $200 extra per month simply because Romneycare allows them to do it. And one new questionnaire that justified my vituperation. The questionnaire includes the notorious question about gun ownership, and a bizarre question about sexual harassment that didn't even make sense. I wrote NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS on those.

One question they DIDN'T ask was "Have you traveled out of the US recently?" I'm not the traveling type ... last time I left the Spokane metro area was 1998 ... but they wouldn't know that without asking. Travel would be a truly relevant and important public health question, unlike gun ownership and sexual harassment.

Those questions they DID ask are explicit parts of a long-standing campaign by Centers for Dissident Control to make civilization into a disease. All normal human beliefs, especially traditional or religious beliefs, must be OBLITERATED just as smallpox was obliterated.

Ebola? Nah, that's not a public health concern. Nowhere near as urgent as religion and civilization. CDC doesn't feel any particular urgency about Ebola. Much more important to avoid offending Al Sharpton. And so far they've done a perfect job on that front. Not a peep from Al or Jesse.
  ¶ 12:31 AM